Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side'

[julialnyc]

Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side'
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1798944,00.html
RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.

According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.

The study counters the view of believers that religion is necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society.

It compares the social peformance of relatively secular countries, such as Britain, with the US, where the majority believes in a creator rather than the theory of evolution. Many conservative evangelicals in the US consider Darwinism to be a social evil, believing that it inspires atheism and amorality.

Many liberal Christians and believers of other faiths hold that religious belief is socially beneficial, believing that it helps to lower rates of violent crime, murder, suicide, sexual promiscuity and abortion. The benefits of religious belief to a society have been described as its “spiritual capital”. But the study claims that the devotion of many in the US may actually contribute to its ills.

The paper, published in the Journal of Religion and Society, a US academic journal, reports: “Many Americans agree that their churchgoing nation is an exceptional, God-blessed, shining city on the hill that stands as an impressive example for an increasingly sceptical world.

much more....

[FreedomAngel82]

1. And while believing that

there is an illegal war that is killing thousands of innocents every day. :eyes: And we came here slaughtering people too.

[Dancing_Dave]

2. But it seems to work for Saudi Arabia!

Is that God on their side, or just Oil and the Bush family on their side?

[dretceterini]

3. Bush doesn't need God on his side

He thinks he IS God.

[ClintonTyree]

4. god bless america........

that about sums it all up. People actually believe that this country has been specially blessed by the invisible cloud being and whatever is good for us is good for the rest of the world. I believe in no god, but if I did I wouldn't believe in one that played favorites and blessed one group over another. Yet many people in this country see it exactly that way. They're stupid.
I was forced into church at an early age, made to attend all of the confirmation classes. All the while I saw the hypocrisy around me and wondered how any god could or would permit this in his name. It didn't take long to see that organized religion is the biggest breeder of hate in the world. I suppose some people need religion as a crutch to get through a world that seems to be falling apart in front of our eyes. But this is not a situation unique to us, people from the beginning of time have thought that The End is near, everything is out of control and only blind faith in some sort of god will deliver them from it's consequences.
As Jim Morrison said , "the future's uncertain and the end is always near". No god has showed up yet to save the true believers and I sincerely doubt that one ever will.
These "true believers" want everyone to share in their delusion and when people don't they rail upon and shun those who don't drink the kool-aid. I don't go door to door trying to disprove the existence of any god, what gives them the right to harass me with their archaic belief system? Live and let live, but these people don't see it that way. They won't be happy until everyone is exactly like them. No chance, sorry. I believe in that which can be proved, not myths.

[onager]

5. Great rant, Clinton!

:bounce: :bounce: