Does believing that "God is on our side" make it easier for us to inflict pain and suffering on those perceived to be our enemies? If we think God sanctions violence, are we more likely to engage in violent acts?
The answer to both those questions, according to new research, is a resounding "yes," even among those who do not consider themselves believers.
Now I can just hear the faithful getting their panties all in a wad (by the way that sounds much like the crumpling of paper), but if you think about this logically it is obviously accurate.
Nobody fights harder then those who are told that they fight on "God's side. And they feel that have less to sacrifice, since they believe their noble death will insure their access to heaven.
Without religion to separate us it may be that we would soon see an end to almost all of the strife in the world today. And then wouldn't John Lennon finally be able to rest in peace?
Encouraging to see an article like that in the mainstream media. It reminds me also of the experiments Stanley Millgrim did in the 1960s.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, sans religion we would still have good old-fashioned greed to deal with.
And just to prove the article's point, there is this
ReplyDeleteOkay that scared me a little.
ReplyDeleteScared me a lot. I am in South Carolina, after all.
ReplyDelete