Atheists consider immoral believers. Even the atheists
Atheists are often perceived in society as dangerous and immoral than believers, according to a study by an international team of experts.
The authors of a study published in the scientific journal Nature of Human Behaviour, interviewed more than 3 thousand people from 13 countries on five continents.
In particular, survey participants were asked: whether they believe an atheist or a believer of an imaginary person, who as a child tortured animals, then became a teacher and then killed five homeless people.
The number of respondents that it is most likely an atheist, almost twice the number of those who felt that it was a believer.
As noted by one of the study’s authors, Professor University of Kentucky will Gervais, even staunch atheists often exhibit “antitheistangie tendency” when it comes to morality.
“I think this happens because of the dominance of deep-rooted religious norms. Even in regions that position themselves as completely secular, people still intuitively tend to treat religion as a moral defense,” said Gervais in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
As noted in the study, while religion greatly affects moral insights and solutions, the key moral instincts are largely independent of religion. In addition, it is the secular community and the country proved to be the most stable.
At the same time, the report’s authors came to the conclusion that morality in the understanding of most people, still implies faith in God.
“Many people, including atheists, to the question of Dostoevsky: “If there is no God, then everything is permitted?” answer “Yes” because for them the word “all” refers to the manifestation of the absolute immorality,” the study says.
The researchers conclude that even with the growth of secular communities that do not welcome open expression of religiosity, religion still continues to exert a strong influence on the moral intuition of the people.