Why are the 'Bible Belt' regions of the US so much higher in murder, poverty, unmarried mothers and welfare?

Question

Is it poor family values driving these statistics? From Paul Krugman's home page:
Certainly the heartland has no claim to superiority when it comes to family values. If anything, the red states do a bit worse than the blue states when you look at indicators of individual responsibility and commitment to family. Children in red states are more likely to be born to teenagers or unmarried mothers — in 1999, 33.7 percent of babies in red states were born out of wedlock, versus 32.5 percent in blue states. National divorce statistics are spotty, but per capita there were 60 percent more divorces in Montana than in New Jersey.

And the red states have special trouble with the Sixth Commandment: the murder rate was 7.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in the red states, compared with 6.1 in the blue states, and 4.1 in New Jersey.

Paul Krugman published this information in the NYT a few years ago.

Here's the link: http://www.pkarchive.org/column/050702.html

Answer 1

I live in the bible belt, NC, some joke it's the belt buckle. I orginally lived in Co for 14 years. I had no problems with Christens untill I moved here, not that I have a problem with all of them. Moving here I thought, bible belt, people will be kind and welcoming and wont be so rude. Since moving here there is what we call christen when convenient. It's good to spout out moral wrongs to others however lacking the morals of the spouter are. I find people are a lot more rude when going to the store or out to eat. Driving is just horrible. Racism is really bad. All that ignorence and hate bottled up in one little belt and you can understand why murder is higher. With unmarried mothers a lot who are young you have a lack of knowledge because again, morally, you shouldn't have sex till your married, because the bible said so. Instead of teaching them how to prevent getting pregnant.
Poverty and welfare I would also say a lack of knowledge. The schools down here are really bad and over vrowded. I was homeschooled but my younger brother wanted to try school. First grade went well but we moved and second grade was horrible. His teacher said he had ADD when he doesn't. In fact she wouldn't give personal help durring class to explain anything unless the kid was ADD. Which most of her class was. I guess it's easier to teach to drugged up kids. After that he was homeschooled. We still hear about the horrors of public school. Some parents pulling their kids in and out of schools trying to find a better one even if that means driving to another town.

Answer 2

Crime is an economic issue, so the fact that the bible belt has higher crime is in direct correlation to the poverty rate and welfare rate. Poorer families tend to be poorer educated and so make poorer choices when it comes to life decisions such as who to marry, whether or not to use proper birth control, etc. As opportunities close off, often times comfort comes in the form of religious participation. Especially when a nice preacher who wears nice clothes and drives a nice big car to the mega-church tells you that your own prosperity is but a prayer away.

It's certainly no accident that the vast majority of dollars donated to evangelical institutions comes from people who can't afford it. But religious leaders prey upon the weak minded and poor and offer promises of fortune and prosperity if they simply make a donation. Just watch some Robert Tilton or Pat Robertson.

How successful would that same preacher be if he came to a prosperous area of the country where people were enlightened enough to think for themselves, weren't impressed by his tacky suit or ostentatious car, and didn't really need to pray for anything because they managed to secure for themselves a god job and had the education and foresight to think about their future?

The reason the bible belt is where it is, is purely economic.

Answer 3

Because the "Southern" Baptists are real good about preaching to other people about the "evils" of the world, but terrible about practicing what they preach. Alabama's judicial ethics panel removed Chief Justice Roy Moore from office for defying a federal judge's order to move a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building. In my opinion...and this is just my opinion...if the ten commandments were allowed to stay in ALL the courthouses, maybe the problem wouldn't be as bad. Seems to me there wouldn't be a need for a jusicial system without the ten commandments. If there weren't the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" no one would ever be on trial for muder. "Thou shall not steal" anyone could take anything they wanted and not have to worry about the law coming after them. Maybe I explained it right. I think this could work with most of the 10 Commandments, if not all in one way or another. My point is, to me it seems like crime and punishment, no matter what part of the country you live in, go hand in hand with the 10 Commandments.

Answer 4

Do you've solid archives to diminish back up your statement??? first of all bible toters do no longer galvanize me....lots of them are the biggest hypocrites you have ever seen....in case you dont believe each and every thing they say you're both undesirable or incorrect, ugh!!!! hardly a week is going by technique of the archives does no longer report some bible thumping minister is having sex with females in his congregation.... The southern baptists are between the worst of the hypocrites from what I somewhat were informed......avoid them and each and every of the bible thumpers..... yet abortion, crime and poverty is throughout u . s . a . of america.....

Answer 5

Guess this accounts for the district of Columbia being the murder capital of the country. I wonder who prepared the statistics and why?

Answer 6

reading is way better the book continues u thinking and you also get greater detail in what folks are thinking and you simply have more imagination

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Reading the e book instead of watching the movie is the ultimate way to see what the writer designed. Reading uses your imagination, hones your reading skills, and can improve your vocabulary

Answer 9

Its either the bible or the belt to blame. I'd throw the book at it.

Answer 10

Hmmm.........I think your question said it all. Plus I bet if you did some research you'd find there is a higher percentage of people in jail who are Christian than outside of jail.