[lbo-talk] religion bad for society

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

Jim Farmelant:
> I suspect that the direction of causation may be different
> from, if not opposite of what the authors of this
> study are reported as claiming. That is that relatively
> healthy societies are less likely to be religious since
> they have alternative means for promoting community
> and social identity as compared to societies like
> the US where such means are lacking.  Western
> Europe still retains a social democratic legacy
> which is simply lacking in the US and while trade
> unions in Europe are in decline, the labor movement
> there is still far stronger than in the US. I would
> certainly agree with the authors that religion is
> not necessary for promoting social health and
> that a society that is besotten with religious
> superstition is likely to be a rather unhealthy
> society but it may well be the case that it
> is the lack of social health that is the pervasiveness
> of alienation and anomie in such a society that
> promotes a turn to religiousity.

But that implies causation going in both direction, a positive feedback
between the two, i.e social ills and religious superstition reinforcing each
other, no?

Wojtek