The relationship between religion and morality has long been hotly debated. Does religion make us more moral? Is it necessary for morality? Do moral inclinations emerge independently of religious intuitions? These debates, which nowadays rumble on in scientific journals as well as in public life, have frequently been marred by a series of conceptual confusions and limitations. Many scientific i...

The editorial in question repeatedly suggests that morals are derived from religious principles. This is a common misconception. Indeed, amoral and unethical behavior is often supported by religion; historical and contemporary examples are support for slavery and oppression of women and homosexuals. Moreover, numerous secular, nonreligious individuals and organizations (such as Doctors Without ...

How did religion evolve? What effect does religion have on our moral beliefs and moral actions? These questions are related, as some scholars propose that religion has evolved to enhance altruistic behavior toward members of one's group. I review here data from survey studies (both within and across countries), priming experiments, and correlational studies of the effects of religion on racial ...

This paper uses (tele)presence concepts to explore the practical and philosophical implications of the simulation argument: the notion that individuals may be trapped within manufactured realities. After describing a series of hypothetical simulation scenarios, key distinguishing dimensions of the scenarios are considered and implications for epistemology, religion and morality, mortality, and ...

this paper is an inquiry concerning the function of religion in tocqueville’s theory of democracy. in analyzing the ideology of democracy in america, he stated that religion plays an important role in establishing democracy, protecting it against threats such as materialism, individualism, tyranny of majority, focusing of power, and restriction of freedom versus equality. tocqueville explains t...

The functionalist “law” that religion sustains the moral order must be amended. As is demonstrated in this study, religion has this effect only as it is based on belief in powerful, active, conscious, morally-concerned gods. Contrary to Durkheim’s claims, participation in religious rituals per se has little independent impact on morality and none when done on behalf of gods conceived as unconsc...