Why is a society's saturation with Theism such a poor predictor of ethical / moral actions in a culture?

Question

"There is evidence that within the U.S. strong disparities in religious belief versus acceptance of evolution are correlated with similarly varying rates of societal dysfunction, the strongly theistic, anti-evolution south and mid-west having markedly worse homicide, mortality, STD, youth pregnancy, marital and related problems than the northeast where societal conditions, secularization, and acceptance of evolution approach European norms."

( http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html )

Answer 1

Au contraire, every country I have lived in has had an inverse relationship between levels of belief in god and/or the supernatural and morality.

It is a very good indicator, just a negative one.

Answer 2

Your point in taken. The evidence is certainly out there. Correlational, mind you, but it's there. My opinion - it exists for a reason. Correlational relationships frequently lead to theories that explain causal effects.

And here's something you may or may not know. While the southwest produces the majority of porn videos on the market today, the southeast - per capita - purchases the most, that is, they're far and beyond the largest consumer base. But please, don't take my word for this - you have internet access - check it out for yourself.

Now, to answer your question. Not quite sure why a society's saturation with theism is such a poor predictor of ethical and moral actions. I have opinions - strong ones - but I'll reserve judgement (publically) until all the evidence is in. Great question, by the way.

PS: Theistic countries around the world have the poorest human rights records - worse than communist or totalitarian regimes. Also verifiable. Perhaps it's all that hand chopping.

Answer 3

The problems in America's bible-belt stem from weak faith, not understanding God's word and deep, deep repression.
Just as most, not all, gay bashers are repressed homosexuals, many Christians act out their carnal urges in private. If church leaders did a better job conveying the truth of God's word, and did less brow-beating and hypocitical posing, then people who profess to be Christians would be strong enough to handle their stress and temptations.

Answer 4

To be honest, I really think this is more of an anthropological question than a religious one. One can be highly spiritual, AND also intelligent, witty, healthy, and morally active in society. It's more about what's socially expected within the established culture.

Answer 5

I'm not so sure if it's religion itself. It may be which religion. The Northeast is strongly Catholic (as a percentage) while the south is decidedly Baptist.

Answer 6

The problem with ignorance is that it hurts.