Declining Religiosity and Increasing Morality

A fan of our Facebook page recently shared a great video with us about Atheism and morality. The video is about 18-minutes, but it is well worth the watch as it gives some good, hard data as it relates to the decline of religiosity and the increase in morality. While I have yet to corroborate all of the information, I’ve cherry-picked various bits of the information offered and have found it accurate within +/- 1% on various sources on the web.

Sam Harris has written much about morality as it pertains to Theism and Atheism. His books are undoubtedly among my recommended reads.

It is no surprise that the increase in Atheism brings about a more socially-compatible system of morality. I’ve made this point before; Atheists are skeptics at the least, and rational at the most. We’re not people who, by virtue of having no belief in a deity, are dropping goats off of buildings, running down people with our cars, or burning satanic symbolization onto our bodies (Satan is a Christian thing).

We just simply do not believe in a god, and by virtue of that, do not believe in the ritualistic brainwash that is ground into the minds and perceived morals of people who follow religions that subscribe to a god.  

So, what can we extrapolate from the information in the video and the case it makes that the decline of religiosity equivocates to the increase in a more well-behaved society in general?

There are many sociopolitical dynamics that may play a tangential role in this as well. As more people across the US and all over the world are seen as innately free and equal (rightfully so) by their governments, it would make sense that the shift from judgment (religion) to tolerance (reason) would take place. Religion is still tied to even the political dynamic as most governments are not absent representation of some religious motivation. As that representation loses its religiosity, the subjugation to religion declines. As that religious subjugation declines, and people are free to live without persecution, greater acceptance and morality grows.

Human tendency, where people have tasted freedom, is to wish to be self-governing for the most part. People want to be able to make their own choices and be free to live as generally civilized human beings without a forced obedience put on them, outside of the commonly accepted writs of a society governed by reasonable law and due process.

Religion is an institution of obedience. Catholicism (or Islam) would sit at a polar end of obedience, where other sects of Christianity may be less abrasive but still impose their virtues based upon a supernatural judgment of reward or castigation based on a specific morality associated with Christian obedience to doctrines associated with the Abrahamic god. You simply cannot be a Christian without believing in Heaven and Hell.

If you assert that you are a Christian who does not believe in these things, you’re actually more likely to be Agnostic with a fear you haven’t yet completely overcome. That will happen in time, and the beautiful freewill of Atheism will reduce whatever is left of Pascal's Wager within you.

As information becomes more available, and young minds are increasingly taught how to think instead of what to think, the growth of reason flourishes. I would believe it to be a safe assumption that higher misconduct by teenagers with higher religiosity is a natural act of rebellion against an imposed obedience. This is the psyche of a human being, particularly in a society where one is otherwise free to make choices that may be seen as unfavorable but aren’t going to get them stoned to death for stepping out of bounds from their religion. 

I’m one who likes to see data. I believe a lot can be found in numbers and statistics. When this is coupled with history and social behaviors, it’s hard to dismiss it as merely coincidence. Where Atheism exists at its core, which is the quest for falsifiable reason, critical thought and intelligence engaged at a higher level does bring about higher morality and conscious, social acceptance.