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I must reply to the opinion piece “How to honor officers during Police Week” by Star Parker in the May 18 Frederick News-Post.
I do not disagree with her support of our dedicated police as part of Police Week, nor do I comment on her banal scriptural quotations.
I object to her suggestion that irreligious persons do not know how to “discern right and wrong, or even if there is such a thing” and to her assertion that “The result [of religious decline in this country] is the chaos we are now experiencing.”
These perceptions, although unfortunately widely held by the deeply religious, have no factual basis. There is absolutely no evidence that atheists and other nonreligious persons are any less moral, law-abiding, kind, compassionate, or charitable than our religious compatriots.
In fact, there is an inverse correlation between religiosity and societal dysfunction (crime, violence, drug abuse, unplanned teenage pregnancies, etc.).
In the USA, the states with the highest rates of such societal ills are the so-called “Bible Belt” states where Christianity is strongest.
The least religious states in the country have proportionally lower levels. This pattern holds internationally, as well.
Countries with very low levels of religious belief, such as those in northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea, have much lower levels of societal dysfunction than the much more religious United States.
Furthermore, they surpass us in most quality of life categories.
I’m not suggesting that less religious societies necessarily are healthier and have fewer of these problems because they are less religious, but at minimum, it is clear that societal health does not depend on religious belief.
Editor's note: Mike Reid is the assistant state director for Maryland for American Atheists.
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(31) comments
Some Christians = Judgiest people I've ever met.
That’s to be expected. The N is large so the tails on the judginess distribution curve are apt to have extreme values.
"...northern Europe [Scandinavia], Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea, have much lower levels of societal dysfunction than the much more religious United States." True perhaps. But, they also have homogenous populations who all share a work ethic and the belief that everyone works and each citizen contributes along with strong social norms. Here, not so much.
“ they also have homogenous populations who all share a work ethic and the belief that everyone works and each citizen contributes along with strong social norms. Here, not so much.”
I’m dubious that religion is too blame for our shortcomings in the areas you mention.
I've traveled extensively in Austrailia and NZ. Very diverse populations, especially in the cities.
Actually Australia and New Zealand, in particular, do not have homogeneous populations at all. Northern Europe has a lot of recent immigrants, too.
Nordic countries used to be quite homogenous ethnically, but current figures show they now have about 20 percent of the population being foreign immigrants. In the last few decades, they have taken in quite a few refugees from places like Afghanistan and North Africa.
That's what good White people do, regardless of whether they believe in a supernatural power.
In 2019, I spent 6 months on a project in Munich. I lived downtown Munich in the Marriott. I had a large team of workers from all over Europe and Africa. Some of my reports were Afghanistan-Germans. They all spoke fluent German and considered themselves Germans to an extent. It was a great experience and will always relish those friendships. The moral of the story is that the immigrants we grant asylum to here, need to understand culture and learn the English. Many Americans are getting sick of the dual language options we get hit with every day.
I'm not sick of the dual language options. It makes me feel like part of a bigger world than that of my own country.
By the way, TrekMan, do you know any recent immigrants to the U.S.? I know several. Some, but not all, learn English quite readily, but their children are *all* fluent in English. The younger generation of every immigrant group picks it up easily.
Have you noticed that the E.U., though half the size of the U.S., continues to maintain at least a dozen different languages. Yet you are troubled by just two languages in our land.
Trek; are you fluent in German?
Mr. R - I do, quite a few, and I do have compassion for them but at the same time I tell them to become legal as a citizen!
Shifty - Yes, I do speak fluent German!
They should learn English at the very least too! The immigrants in the EU all know at least English if not German and/or French too!
My experience living in Germany is that the immigrants spoke their language and German. But much of the business was conducted in English. Because most Americans are too isolated to understand the importance of learning another language.
I will note that my great grandparents immigrated from Europe (back when "legal" meant "show up at the shore") and never did learn to speak English. That was not uncommon then or now.
Um....Earl....Korea has a lot of dysfunction from corruption of those with the Fake Xtian values that will ignore any of its teachings so longs as it gains them status an power to use to crush those around you both physically and otherwise. The society is toxic from the top down with a totally corrupt leader. Watch a Korean drama sometime....those are not that far off from reality. Japan also is a controlling nation with declining population since nobody can afford to have kids and instead be worker bees for life.
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“All religions are fundamentally patriarchal and anti-woman. That is because all religions are reflections of the societies which invent them, and most societies are still deeply patriarchal in their power structures.”……..
This is the problem with Religion around the World. And with Governments around the World. And in America it is both. Religion is becoming Government here, it’s called Christian Nationalism. Laws are being passed in our Country as we speak weakening the separation of Church and State.
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You are right and with 6 staunch Catholics on the supreme court, things are looking pretty grim.
Great LTE, Mike. Well said. [thumbup][thumbup]
Good LTE, Mike! I go to church but certainly wonder about the far right and what they believe and practice. To me, many of them are hypocrites.
Dick - you are one of the BIGGEST liberal Hypocrites of them all!! At least you go to church and have faith - I hope anyway!
If the only reason you're a good, moral person is because you're afraid of a deity punishing you, they you're not a good, moral person.
Penn Jillette said it best: "Only Atheists have morals, the religious have reward and punishment. That's not morality, that's sucking up."
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Ehhhhhh, I get it, but don't get it!!
Interesting LTE. There are certainly good things taught in most religions, such as commandments to do good things and not do bad things. There is the golden rule and such, but all those things are also important in the secular world. However, religion is also used as a reason or excuse for wars, murders, theft, hate, and discrimination - often due to subversion of religion by the midnight massers who consider themselves to be the most religious.
An interesting question is whether obeying commandments simply because they are commanded is actually evidence of being moral. There is a whiff of “I was just following orders” about that approach.
Yes, that is where I am at. Then there is the approach where God is love, so let God into your heart, but that does not match with most scriptures or with the obvious flaws and suffering built into our world and our biology.
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I grew up in the Deep South. I grew up going to church almost every other night.and after living up here the past few years, I can say I have not met one Christian. That’s all I got to say about that one.
Frederick County - so simply attending church every other night makes one a Christian? How can you tell a Christian when you meet one?
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