Studies show atheists are healthier, smarter, and less homicidal than religious people?

Question

"High levels of organic atheism are strongly correlated with high levels of societal health, such as low homicide rates, low poverty rates, low infant mortality rates, and low illiteracy rates, as well as high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality. Most nations characterized by high degrees of individual and societal security have the highest rates of organic atheism, and conversely, nations characterized by low degrees of individual and societal security have the lowest rates of organic atheism. In some societies, particularly Europe, atheism is growing. However, throughout much of the world – particularly nations with high birth rates – atheism is barely discernable."
- http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.html

How does it feel when actual facts undermine your anti-atheist prejudice?

human_hybrid: Congratulations on your wife. What does she think of your enormous ego... the fact that you think your own singular anecdote somehow undermines a study which incorporates entire populations? Or are you just so stupid you don't understand what a study is?

And to whoever asked where the study comes from: I supplied a source link for a reason. You do know how those work, don't you?

Seehaze: you will notice that every statistic used in the study is meticulously sourced and documented, therefore...

Oh, wait... I forget I'm dealing with someone who doesn't value written word unless it literally is said to have fallen from the sky. This study was born of a virgin, haven't you heard? Now go read it again, without ignoring the words this time.

Wow, two posts in a row both using the word 'fact' as a derogatory term. You really just said all us atheists could ever say, but without us having to do any of the work. Thank you!

Are you idiots really so dense? Whether these conditions allow atheism to prosper, or whether or not it is atheism that leads to these conditions prospering, the point remains the same. Do you think you're somehow disagreeing with me? You aren't.

Answer 1

Hey babe I got news for you humans have ways to rate people and place them on charts etc...but God looks at the heart...it is the heart that matters not the knowledge or so called high moral standards..anyone can have high morals but you must remember ALL have SIN and nothing will get you into heaven or make you a righteous person other than a true HEART TRANSPLANT by the LIVING GOD..PS you can have all the KNOWLEDGE you want but what you really need is WISDOM. With out WISDOM KNOWLEDGE IS NOTHING. Peace
Trinity AMEN
Well said Kal
Buttercup Bravo
Tony Amen

Answer 2

melancholy usually comes from anger. Anger tells us something is incorrect and if no longer controlled it could desire to reason issues alongside with homicide. Anger comes from our Nature. it is utilized for solid or evil. Mankind has a sin nature and can't exchange without divine help. Love is improved than hate. you fairly can not team all like this. human beings get offended and depressed and there are no Atheists or unbelievers in a fox hollow. G-d says they're fools. No human made The sunlight it is a small megastar fueled regularly by skill of Hydrogen and Helium. it is going to develop greater and dissipate Earth if weapons of mass destruction do no longer kill out the Human race first. Buddha is lifeless as is Mohamed. human beings have a sin nature it is egocentric, uncaring approximately G-d and wicked. Christianity is the only faith the place Deity continues to be alive. there have been a great form of holy human beings in the worldwide. no one whilst in comparison with Jesus who despatched us The Holy Spirit to handle evil.

Answer 3

Obviously you did not read the part about “methodological limitations” within this “assessment”.

(1) Low response rate
(2) Non-random samples
(3) Political and social climate of a given country
(4) Differences in terminology

Logically speaking the “assessment” had to be conducted within “the most recent available surveys” add to that the above mentioned limitations; and the result is an assessment without true results --- In order to have true results within this particular study, there would have to be available surveys from those who did not fear speaking out against Non-religious governments (like in China).

The assessment clearly points out that there are individuals in certain nations, who are afraid to admit they believe in God. Therefore, of course the assessors are going to receive more information about those who say they do not believe in God. For there is no fear of having this belief.

Conclusion of this is, the assessors attempt to say that all violence in this world is due to religiously thinking people. And that Atheists are the only people in the world who care for others and never commit any crimes or wrongs against another person -- they do not have an evil notion in their entire body.

- http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/...



Wait a minute, "Houston we have a problem", IF this is true than why are there so many Atheists on this site who demonstrate just the opposite of this study -- every single day?

Answer 4

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I agree that many studies show that atheism is correlated with higher educational attainment, but did their atheistic beliefs cause them to pursue education or did their decision to pursue education lead to the development of atheistic beliefs. I've seen several academic studies that indicate the latter is the more likely sequence (for example, one study found that, of the students that entered college believing that the bible was the word of God, nearly 70% did not believe that by the time they graduated).

The remaining stats are also more likely the cause rather than the effect. Higher educational attainment is strongly correlated with lower poverty levels, lower infant mortality rates (and lower birth rates), and higher literacy rates...a person's likelihood of committing a crime (like homicide) also decreases with education. Societies that have higher rates of educational attainment also experience similar "global" benefits (such as those you mentioned).

The facts do nothing to undermine my belief that an atheists' decision to believe there is no God requires the same level of faith it requires for someone else to believe God exists. I think they are wrong and the fact that higher educational attainment is highely correlated with atheism means nothing when you've spent as much time inside academe as I have...with the hostility toward religion found in most educators, it is hardly surprising they continue to turn out more people that are also hostile toward faith and God!

Answer 5

To start off with, I do not consider myself religious. However I do lead a very fulfilling spiritual life. I carry no prejudice against atheists, or their beliefs for that matter.
I do find it odd that you seem to be so very defensive and angry with anyone whose answers do not agree with your own opinions.
It has been my experience that when studies are done, statistics seem to support whatever agenda started the study.

It has also been shown that people are born with an inner sense of some type of "god consciousness" or "higher power".

Guess it all depends on your own beliefs. Just because others beliefs differ from mine, do not make my beliefs any less valid...

Blessed Be
)o(
Trinity

Answer 6

Actually, this study does *not* "show atheists are healthier, smarter, and less homicidal than religious people". Quite the opposite: what it *does* show is that societies with "high degrees of individual and societal security" have
1) more atheists (apparently, they put their trust in the government)
2) low homicide rates
3) low poverty rates
4) low infant mortality rates
5) low literacy rates
6) high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality

Read the article carefully - it makes it clear that, for societies in which government supports people the most, both atheism and "societal health" tend to be greater. No surprise here. Atheists in countries with poor societal health are not claimed to any better than the non-atheists, nor are religious people in countries with superior societal health claimed to be any poorer than the atheists.

Jim, http://www.life-after-harry-potter.com

Answer 7

wtf i really dislike people like you. YOUR OWN STUDY is about how when resources such as food and standard of living increases thats when belief wanes. It is not because of atheism that these countries are richer but because they are rich that atheism abounds.

Read your own damn surveys and understand them before you use it to make some stupid inacurate point

Obviously atheists being smarter doesnt have anything to do with you,

your question states that atheists are smarter healthier etc than religous people. This study does not say that, This study says that people in richer countries have a higher atheist population. It says that when a country prospers more people become atheist. It does not ever say that atheists are healthier or more prosperous. Because you see, for example the USA is the richest country in the world we have a MAJORITY CHRISTIAN POPULATION! this means that their are many happy, prosperous christians in this country, as well as many happy prosperous atheists. This country is richer than say veitnam so our % of atheists is higher.

The only thing that this study proves is that when times are good less people are likely to believe in GOD, and conversly when times are bad more people turn to God... it proves nothing else

Answer 8

These are not facts, only a ridiculous speculation

Were these the same group of people that say we came from monkeys, or the same line of thought that said Blacks could not fly planes or operate machines during World War II. Sound to me this is agenda science to disprove God, and mans capabilities, and its only making them more foolish, it is not true science. therefore I object to your reality and substitute God's reality in its place

I am white, but during world war II scientist try to limit on what blacks could do in the military, they were proved wrong. The Tuskegee Airman

Answer 9

Makes no difference how successful the are now. Their still lost in the end.

Answer 10

there is some truth to that.

but there is also a link between intelligence and depression. add that together with the link between intelligence and atheism.

does this mean that atheists are more likely to develop severe clinical depression? that's a terminal illness! how can atheists be more healthy?