Higher Crime Rates?
Dr. Azim Shariff & University of Oregon Release Crime & Religion Study
Can we blame God’s mercy for higher crime rates? This is the seemingly bizarre question that the NewScientist is asking this morning, as the outlet explores eternal damnation and the ways in which faith interacts with, complicates and impacts criminal activity.
The focus of the article is a new study from the University of Oregon in Eugen, which seems to show that there could be a correlation between belief in heaven and a forgiving God and…breaking the law.
Dr. Azim Shariff, a psychology professor, and his team looked at global data that highlights peoples’ beliefs about life after death and also looked at information collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The massive examination included 143,000 individuals living in 67 nations. Obviously, such a massive sample enabled the team to include a diversity of religious backgrounds.
In most of the countries examined, it was more likely that people reported a belief in heaven than in hell. From this, the researchers were able to examine the intensity and degree to which each nation’s belief of heaven outpaced its acceptance of hell. The goal was to explore how differences in belief surrounding both post-mortem localities impact crime.
Interestingly, here’s what the researchers found: Even after controlling for crime-related issues like GDP, income inconsistencies, population density and life expectancy, national crime rates were higher when nations believe strongly in heaven but have weak acceptance of a hell.
“Belief in a benevolent, forgiving god could license people to think they can get away with things,” Shariff explains, but he cautions that this speculation is preliminary and that causation hasn’t yet been proven between religious beliefs and crime rates.
Dr. Azim Shariff & University of Oregon Release Crime & Religion Study
The abstract for the study, entitled, “Divergent Effects of Beliefs in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates” reads:
Though religion has been shown to have generally positive effects on normative ‘prosocial’ behavior, recent laboratory research suggests that these effects may be driven primarily by supernatural punishment. Supernatural benevolence, on the other hand, may actually be associated with less prosocial behavior. Here, we investigate these effects at the societal level, showing that the proportion of people who believe in hell negatively predicts national crime rates whereas belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates. These effects remain after accounting for a host of covariates, and ultimately prove stronger predictors of national crime rates than economic variables such as GDP and income inequality. Expanding on laboratory research on religious prosociality, this is the first study to tie religious beliefs to large-scale cross-national trends in pro- and anti-social behavior.
When exploring the issue, the notion that a weaker belief in hell could spawn greater crime rates does make some sense. After all, acceptance that heaven exists indicates that individuals see themselves as being rewarded for their lives on earth. However, the central underpinning of an unpleasant place such as hell is that people will be punished for poor behavior on earth. If a culture embraces the former and not the latter, then the only thing its inhabitants look forward to after death is guaranteed pleasure.
And when considering the existence of hell, one must also think through his or her actions. If, indeed, an unpleasant afterlife exists, people will likely try their hardest to avoid it. This, naturally, would lead — one would assume — to lower incidents of crime and other illegal acts, as individuals attempt to do good (or simply avoid doing harm) so that they can reach heaven.
Clearly, a study focused more upon the faiths that regard hell in a more fervent light would help to delve deeper into the issue. It will be intriguing to see what Shariff and his team come up with next.
(H/T: NewScientist)
Belief in God's mercy leads to----what? Higher Crime Rates??
by Terry 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Terry
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Bubblegum Apotheosis
. Let's take a walk through Pakistan which is one of the most violent countries in the world. If you ask the average Pakistani if he believes in Allah, they will say "Yes". Do you believe that one of Allah's attributes are he is full of mercies? Yes! Do you believe in Hell-fire? Yes!
Islamic scholars, the Quran promote the belief Allah is full of mercy, but he is not afraid to send the evil one to Hell. Why is there so much violence in these countries who believe in a God who will bring evil actions to a endless punishment? Dr. Azim sums it up with his own word. "Speculation". The ability to handle the size of his "sample", and undertaking is quite large indeed.
Nietzche said when we finally killed God, "Lanterns will have to be lit in the morning hours and sacred games invented to take of religious ceremony. A universal madness would break out when the truth of what mankind had done in killing God dawned on us".
Dr. Azim " Belief in a benevolent, forgiving god could license people to think they can get away with things," Shariff explains, but he cautions that this speculation is preliminary and that causation hasn't yet been proven between religious beliefs and crime rates."
How will Dr. Azim elaborates with facts, how a naturalistic, Nihilistic view of the Universe, makes a person less prone to steal, rape or kill a person and what he basis this on.
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Fernando
If I am kind and loving to someone who does not deserve it, they may have a change of heart and their attitude and behaviour may change for the better.
This is the type of deep inner transformation possible and unleashed when someone hears, accepts, embraces, yields to, and obeys the unabridged gospel message about God's unmerited favour and priceless free gifts (of an IMPUTED right and clean standing).
Religion on the other hand is a coercive and controlling demand to measure up to an impossibly high standard, which inevitably leads to hypocrisy and supremacist self-righteousness as in the Watchtower ruling religious clergy class and their most committed and devout followers. Issues surrounding paedophilia is a notable outcome.
Religion and the unabridged gospel are diametrically opposed in nature and outcome.
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bigmouth
I'm reminded of the discussions I used to have that reasoned on the Catholic concept of confession and forgiveness. The conclusion I/we used to come to was that Catholics could pretty much do what they liked, and as long as they confessed their sins, the gates of heaven would remain open to them.
I would like to think that those with a religious sense of rightness would do right for its own sake and not for fear of eternal punishment.
The evolved animal knows that he can get what he needs by co-operation with others and not by harming them.
What of the much noted statistic that the atheist/agnostic makes up only 2% of prison inmates ? What restraints act on the balance of these ones to keep them law abiding ?