Apparently, religion isn’t the be-all and end-all of morality amongst humans.
Despite there being a “cross-cultural stereotype suggesting that atheists are untrustworthy and lack a moral compass”, a new study has somewhat proven that those not obeying certain religious rules do, in fact, have a moral compass.
In a paper published in PLOS One, investigating the relationship between moral values and religious belief or disbelief, researchers have exposed the results of four surveys of 4,622 atheists and theists across America and Sweden, analyzing the relationship between religious belief – or lack thereof – and moral values.
A recent study shed light on the links between religion, atheism, and morality
Image credits: ReasonTV
Theism has been described as a religious belief system where a person believes in the existence of one or more deities.
Moreover, pure theism usually implies that someone feels that they know that their beliefs are justified. Meanwhile, atheism is a lack of belief in any deities.
Tomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the author of the study, said: “The most general take-home message from these studies is that people who do not believe in God do have a moral compass.
“In fact, they share many of the same moral concerns that religious believers have, such as concerns about fairness, and about protecting vulnerable individuals from harm.”
The paper highlighted the participants’ endorsement of Liberty/oppression and amoral tendencies, as well as the five foundations of the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), developed by psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Jesse Graham.
MFT’s foundations are the following: Care/harm, Fairness/cheating, Loyalty/betrayal, Authority/subversion, and Sanctity/degradation.
“The most general take-home message is that people who do not believe in God do have a moral compass,” researcher Tomas Ståhl concluded
Image credits: Wikipedia Commons
Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform, a website to crowdsource responses, researchers managed to retrieve data that suggested that religiosity was found to be unrelated to amoral tendencies and endorsement of Liberty/oppression, as well as individualizing moral foundations of care and fairness.
Nevertheless, those described as being atheists appeared to be less favorable of binding moral foundations such as deference to authority, sanctity, and in-group loyalty.
Tomas explained: “It is possible that the negative stereotype of atheists as immoral may stem in part from the fact that they are less inclined than religious people to view respect for authority, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity as relevant for morality, and they are more likely to make moral judgments about harm on a consequentialist, case by case basis.”
Researchers also took into account credibility-enhancing displays and perception of existential threat, trying to find out whether these elements had an influence on religious beliefs.
As a result, studies showed that credibility-enhancing displays involve important members of the community engaging in behaviors in service of religious beliefs that would be personally costly if the beliefs were false.
Additionally, the data suggested that less exposure to credibility-enhancing displays, lower perception of existential threat, as well as a more analytical cognitive style, were associated with a lack of religious belief.
Consequently, the results have revealed that atheists’ moral compass is just as good as the moral compass of theists.
The studies were conducted in a population of 4,622 atheists and theists across America and Sweden
Image credits: Noah Holm/Unsplash
The paper also disclosed that atheists are more likely to assess the morality of actions based on their consequences, whereas religious people tend to endorse moral values that promote group cohesion.
“Atheism merely implies the absence of religious belief, and says nothing about what positive beliefs the disbeliever holds,” Tomas added.
There have reportedly been widespread negative attitudes towards atheists worldwide.
A poll published in 2019 showed that an average of 45 percent of people across 34 countries say that belief in God is necessary to be moral and have good values.
Additionally, a 2020 Gallup poll showed that only 60 percent of respondents would vote for an atheist presidential candidate, whereas 95 percent would vote for a Catholic candidate, 93 percent would vote for a Jewish candidate, and 80 percent would vote for an evangelical Christian.
Religious and atheists had many interesting replies upon reading about the study
!["Karen Complains To HR About My Body, I Uno-Reverse Her Complaint, [And Now] Everyone Hates Her"](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/coworker-complains-to-hr-about-womans-body-revenge-latest.jpg "\"Karen Complains To HR About My Body, I Uno-Reverse Her Complaint, [And Now] Everyone Hates Her\"")
Who is a better person? The one who is kind and generous and honest because they choose to be, or the one who is kind and generous and honest because they think someone is watching them 24/7?
EXACTLY. How many times have people heard that they did something because "it's the Christian thing to do?" So, like, you're only being nice being you're being forced to and not because you're just a genuinely nice person?
I have a lot of respect for people who live the way Jesus actually intended. Good folk who just happen to be religious.
And also just happened to be born with christian parents?
I go to a Christian school, live in a very Christian area and I am Christian myself. And to me at least, there are religious dickheads, there are Christians, there are good people and there are dickheads. Christians should love and respect everyone, and that is how we are told to be and because it's just the right thing to do.
I don’t mind this if they’re being legitimately nice (or “kind”, for the pedants among us). It’s not like us atheists never feel inspired to be better people because of someone else.
I think that is a figure of speech. Like others would say „because it is the right thing to do“.
Actually if that is the only reason you are doing it, then God will know because he judges your heart not your deeds (in Christianity) so I think most of these people use it to try to get farther in the world rather than with God
Not every person who is religious is nice because they believe something bad will happen if they aren't
That's true. Some are working for the reward of heaven. #carrot&stick
And a good chunk of them are doing it for rewards here on Earth. Business contacts mostly. They raise holy hell and do evil and greedy s**t 6 days a week, but think they’re going to be saved and go to heaven just because they (very badly) pretend to be all pious on Sunday morning.
Only honest as long as the Boss is watching. . .
That's true Doggo, and those people would make very good atheists
A lot of them aren't nice at all.
I don’t think you guys understand just how many religious people there are. If they were as bad as you think they are, the world simply wouldn’t look the same as it does rn
Don't know what world you're looking at, but I have a hard time believing the one I'm in was put together by fundamentally altruistic people
This comment has been deleted.
This comment has been deleted.
Or maybe someone who thinks being selfish and dishonest is punishable?
That depends on what you think the punishment is. A lower quality of character and appreciation of life, or lightening bolts from the Upstairs Neighbor?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Why can't it be both?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
There's a big misunderstanding about "Christians act nice because they are afraid of God's punishment". Christians don't, CAN'T, act nice all the time as nobody else as can. Even the most considerate person in the World invertedly hurts feelings and steps on toes, Christian or not. The real questions are when and to whom we are nice to. In other words, will they walk the extra mile even when they don't feel like it? Do we try to lift up our fellow human from the side of the road when we think some else should do it? As a Christian I was asked to do some hard things for others by the Lord. They might sound trivial, but they were hard for me when I faced them. Like forgiving somebody in the middle of an argument, helping a stranger financially when I don't have much myself, being supportive when it's absolutely not my business, "coming to the rescue of someone" when I'm tired, upset or just have better things to do. It doesn't make me a better person at all, especially knowing I missed plenty of opportunities. It just feels good to show the work Christ did in my hearth for a second to others.
The point is that atheists do these things too without feeling they need to show anyone.
Or expecting to be tax-exempt.
Same. Not a Christian - just do those things because it was the right thing to do, not because someone told me to. That's what you're failing to understand.
"As a Christian I was asked to do some hard things for others by the Lord." - No, you weren't. If you're hearing voices in your head you need help, not a Bible.
I find the fact that anyone would need a scientific study to come to this conclusion disturbing.
No fooling! And studies are often terribly expensive, but someone felt this was worthy of studying? Huh; it just occurred to me that perhaps religious folks needed to hear this, because so many of them judge those of us who aren’t as morally lacking. In that case, would they even believe these conclusions?
Listen to some channels talking about this. for example 'The Atheist Experience' where theists tells that ateists have nothing to live for nor have any moral, etc etc. But most of them will just brush it of as being the devil wanting to win you over.
It’s absolutely because religious people needed to hear it. This happens with every group that is looked down on or discriminated against - too many members of dominant groups don’t listen until scientists conduct a freaking study on it.
Sadly, most of them don't listen to the scientists either. Actually, they don't even listen to their religious leaders. There are a lot of Catholics in my country who do not support gay marriage or that women are equal to men despite what the Pope said. The word of the Pope = the word of God (because of Papal infallibility dogma).
This comment has been deleted.
A conclusion that hasn't been supported by a scientific study is merely an opinion.
It's useful to have it to counter those who claim otherwise (and they're out there.)
Studies exist to add empirical data (aka proof) to things we Intuit. Studies are important for this reason.
SO SO SO MUCH RESEARCH is like this. Underdog groups, from those who are merely kind of looked down upon to those who experience violence, say “hey, this way we’re being treated/this perception of us is not OK” but people blow them/us off until someone gets funding to conduct a formal study on it.
Au contraire; the logic of atheism is “I don’t believe in God as there is no empirical evidence for God.” Studying a subject such as the link between morality and religion, looking at the evidence, and then coming to conclusions, seems quite fitting.
Yeah. What, do you need to learn that humans can have basic human decency despite what they think?
Should be a no-brainer, right?
That was my thought too! People are stupid if they need a study to show them, that Atheists are not evil.
I disagree, although the study was a waste because we already knew thew answer from previous studies. Anything we can do as a society and social scientists can do to understad why A THIRD of our country have beliefs that are objectively detrimental to the US and the World is a worthwhile undertaking.
Studies are NOT a waste because a previous experiment has shown the same thing. Depending on what level of statistical significance you use and depending on the exact wording used in each experiment, we need to do MORE studies that replicate other studies to check for statistical strength and to prove that the results are replicated as hypothesised and are not just a statistical aberration.
Agree 100%, but sadly facts and reason are not why people hold faith-based beliefs and will not be why they abandon them.
Wait….. are you saying a third of US population is Atheist and therefor have beliefs that are detrimrntal to your country? Or do you refer to anoter group?
Even as a young kid, I found it absurd that people think atheists have no morals. You don't need some magical dude in the sky to tell you that causing harm to someone else is wrong.
Some people have a magical dude in the sky that encourages them to do harm.
That’s part and parcel with the “in-group loyalty” the religious (and most conservative people overall) so deeply prize. Tribalism is more important to them than assessing their beliefs and actions based on consequential or objective morality. So they write into their texts that it’s okay to harm “those people” because they aren’t a member of the tribe or are somehow seen as a threat.
Not surprising, since the origin and basis of their faith, the Old Testament, is - among other things - a codification of a tribal culture. Not necessarily a bad culture or a bad codification in many ways, considering the time and the circumstances. But when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Who is a better person? The one who is kind and generous and honest because they choose to be, or the one who is kind and generous and honest because they think someone is watching them 24/7?
EXACTLY. How many times have people heard that they did something because "it's the Christian thing to do?" So, like, you're only being nice being you're being forced to and not because you're just a genuinely nice person?
I have a lot of respect for people who live the way Jesus actually intended. Good folk who just happen to be religious.
And also just happened to be born with christian parents?
I go to a Christian school, live in a very Christian area and I am Christian myself. And to me at least, there are religious dickheads, there are Christians, there are good people and there are dickheads. Christians should love and respect everyone, and that is how we are told to be and because it's just the right thing to do.
I don’t mind this if they’re being legitimately nice (or “kind”, for the pedants among us). It’s not like us atheists never feel inspired to be better people because of someone else.
I think that is a figure of speech. Like others would say „because it is the right thing to do“.
Actually if that is the only reason you are doing it, then God will know because he judges your heart not your deeds (in Christianity) so I think most of these people use it to try to get farther in the world rather than with God
Not every person who is religious is nice because they believe something bad will happen if they aren't
That's true. Some are working for the reward of heaven. #carrot&stick
And a good chunk of them are doing it for rewards here on Earth. Business contacts mostly. They raise holy hell and do evil and greedy s**t 6 days a week, but think they’re going to be saved and go to heaven just because they (very badly) pretend to be all pious on Sunday morning.
Only honest as long as the Boss is watching. . .
That's true Doggo, and those people would make very good atheists
A lot of them aren't nice at all.
I don’t think you guys understand just how many religious people there are. If they were as bad as you think they are, the world simply wouldn’t look the same as it does rn
Don't know what world you're looking at, but I have a hard time believing the one I'm in was put together by fundamentally altruistic people
This comment has been deleted.
This comment has been deleted.
Or maybe someone who thinks being selfish and dishonest is punishable?
That depends on what you think the punishment is. A lower quality of character and appreciation of life, or lightening bolts from the Upstairs Neighbor?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Why can't it be both?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
There's a big misunderstanding about "Christians act nice because they are afraid of God's punishment". Christians don't, CAN'T, act nice all the time as nobody else as can. Even the most considerate person in the World invertedly hurts feelings and steps on toes, Christian or not. The real questions are when and to whom we are nice to. In other words, will they walk the extra mile even when they don't feel like it? Do we try to lift up our fellow human from the side of the road when we think some else should do it? As a Christian I was asked to do some hard things for others by the Lord. They might sound trivial, but they were hard for me when I faced them. Like forgiving somebody in the middle of an argument, helping a stranger financially when I don't have much myself, being supportive when it's absolutely not my business, "coming to the rescue of someone" when I'm tired, upset or just have better things to do. It doesn't make me a better person at all, especially knowing I missed plenty of opportunities. It just feels good to show the work Christ did in my hearth for a second to others.
The point is that atheists do these things too without feeling they need to show anyone.
Or expecting to be tax-exempt.
Same. Not a Christian - just do those things because it was the right thing to do, not because someone told me to. That's what you're failing to understand.
"As a Christian I was asked to do some hard things for others by the Lord." - No, you weren't. If you're hearing voices in your head you need help, not a Bible.
I find the fact that anyone would need a scientific study to come to this conclusion disturbing.
No fooling! And studies are often terribly expensive, but someone felt this was worthy of studying? Huh; it just occurred to me that perhaps religious folks needed to hear this, because so many of them judge those of us who aren’t as morally lacking. In that case, would they even believe these conclusions?
Listen to some channels talking about this. for example 'The Atheist Experience' where theists tells that ateists have nothing to live for nor have any moral, etc etc. But most of them will just brush it of as being the devil wanting to win you over.
It’s absolutely because religious people needed to hear it. This happens with every group that is looked down on or discriminated against - too many members of dominant groups don’t listen until scientists conduct a freaking study on it.
Sadly, most of them don't listen to the scientists either. Actually, they don't even listen to their religious leaders. There are a lot of Catholics in my country who do not support gay marriage or that women are equal to men despite what the Pope said. The word of the Pope = the word of God (because of Papal infallibility dogma).
This comment has been deleted.
A conclusion that hasn't been supported by a scientific study is merely an opinion.
It's useful to have it to counter those who claim otherwise (and they're out there.)
Studies exist to add empirical data (aka proof) to things we Intuit. Studies are important for this reason.
SO SO SO MUCH RESEARCH is like this. Underdog groups, from those who are merely kind of looked down upon to those who experience violence, say “hey, this way we’re being treated/this perception of us is not OK” but people blow them/us off until someone gets funding to conduct a formal study on it.
Au contraire; the logic of atheism is “I don’t believe in God as there is no empirical evidence for God.” Studying a subject such as the link between morality and religion, looking at the evidence, and then coming to conclusions, seems quite fitting.
Yeah. What, do you need to learn that humans can have basic human decency despite what they think?
Should be a no-brainer, right?
That was my thought too! People are stupid if they need a study to show them, that Atheists are not evil.
I disagree, although the study was a waste because we already knew thew answer from previous studies. Anything we can do as a society and social scientists can do to understad why A THIRD of our country have beliefs that are objectively detrimental to the US and the World is a worthwhile undertaking.
Studies are NOT a waste because a previous experiment has shown the same thing. Depending on what level of statistical significance you use and depending on the exact wording used in each experiment, we need to do MORE studies that replicate other studies to check for statistical strength and to prove that the results are replicated as hypothesised and are not just a statistical aberration.
Agree 100%, but sadly facts and reason are not why people hold faith-based beliefs and will not be why they abandon them.
Wait….. are you saying a third of US population is Atheist and therefor have beliefs that are detrimrntal to your country? Or do you refer to anoter group?
Even as a young kid, I found it absurd that people think atheists have no morals. You don't need some magical dude in the sky to tell you that causing harm to someone else is wrong.
Some people have a magical dude in the sky that encourages them to do harm.
That’s part and parcel with the “in-group loyalty” the religious (and most conservative people overall) so deeply prize. Tribalism is more important to them than assessing their beliefs and actions based on consequential or objective morality. So they write into their texts that it’s okay to harm “those people” because they aren’t a member of the tribe or are somehow seen as a threat.
Not surprising, since the origin and basis of their faith, the Old Testament, is - among other things - a codification of a tribal culture. Not necessarily a bad culture or a bad codification in many ways, considering the time and the circumstances. But when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.