Atheists & Agnostics
Related: About this forumHumanity Is Becoming Increasingly Less Violent, with One Exception -- Religious Violence
In what should come as no surprise to anyone....
Excerpt follows. Full article is here.
by CJ Werleman
January 14, 2014 | Studies demonstrate the world is becoming less violent, and that human warfare is on the decline. There is one aspect of the human existence, however, that continues to ignite humans to commit violence and atrocities against fellow humans. A major new study published by the Pew Research Center shows that religious hostilities reached a 6-year high in 2012.
Dr. Steven Pinker, Pulitzer prize-winning author and Harvard psychology professor, writes, Today we may be living in the most peaceful era in our species existence. He acknowledges: In a century that began with 9/11, Iraq, and Darfur, the claim that we are living in an unusually peaceful time may strike you as somewhere between hallucinatory and obscene. Pinker points out, wars make headlines, but there are fewer conflicts today, and wars dont kill as many people as they did in the Middle Ages, for instance. Also, global rates of violent crime have plummeted in the last few decades. Pinker notes that the reason for these advances are complex but certainly the rise of education, and a growing willingness to put ourselves in the shoes of others has played its part.
Religiosity, however, continues to play its part in promoting in-group out-group thinking, which casts the difference between people in terms of eternal rewards and punishments. Sam Harris, author of Letter to a Christian Nation, observes, Faith inspires violence in two ways. First, people often kill other human beings because they believe the creator of the universe wants them to do it Second, far greater numbers of people fall into conflict with one another because they define their moral community on the basis of their religious affiliation: Muslims side with Muslims, Protestants with Protestants, Catholics with Catholics.
*snip*
While most of the above examples have basis in disputes over land and political control, its religious belief that shapes the terms and the willingness of one party to negotiate with the other. War, by definition, suggests an all-or nothing conflict to determine a dispute against an enemy one believes in hell-bent on our destruction, and therefore cannot be placated via diplomatic means. In other words, war and violence becomes an excuse for not finding compromise. Religion provides the excuse to be violent.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Casts some doubt on the "even if religion were eliminated we'd find reasons to kill each other" argument. Oh, I'm sure we would, but those reasons are harder to come by - and not quite as firm as those that arise from religious conviction.
skepticscott
(13,029 posts)A Good Read! (r) award? Or is it more complex than that?
Brainstormy
(2,381 posts)We'd still probably kill others, but not en masse. The downside would be less job creation.
Warpy
(111,415 posts)It was already epidemic. Now it gets more vicious every year.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,403 posts)For instance, for the "Was there harassment or intimidation of religious groups by any level of government?" question, both the UK and USA get the full 1.0 score - "Yes, there was widespread intimidation". That's the same score as, say, Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Thailand gets only 0.5, despite things like this:
Since May 2013 at least six ethnic Malay Muslims, some suspected insurgents, have been killed by gunmen possibly linked to the state security forces.
The killing in southern Thailand goes on but officials do little to bring those responsible to justice, especially when the victim is a Malay Muslim, said Brad Adams, Asia director. The failure to prosecute these killings is widely interpreted in Muslim communities as a government attempt to cover up for state security forces and protect them from criminal responsibility.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/08/28/thailand-new-killings-south
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Also, your story is from 2013 while it appears the survey data only looks up through 2012.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,403 posts)I really can't see how the USA and UK governments are worse than the Thai government.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)It's Pew, I'm sure they have their reasons.
progressoid
(50,011 posts)We've been told over and over that atheists are super duper deluxe killers.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Could it be ... oh, I don't know ... SATAN?!?!?
</churchlady>