Atheists are nicer to Christians compared to the other way around if their religious identity is known, study claims
Atheists behave 'impartially toward ingroup and outgroup partners,' while Christians demonstrate 'an ingroup bias'
[independent.co.uk]
This is an old article from 2019 but it's still interesting. Something I imagine we all know either intuitively or from experience, but it's good to see it denonstrated experimentally.
10
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Christianity has, as one of its foundations, the 'Faith equals Virtue' concept.
That faith in god fundamentally makes you a more virtuous (better, more moral, more noble) person - even for those christians whose actual actions demonstrate their lack of virtue, nobility or decency.
This concept, created to make christians see themselves as 'better people' for actually being christian - inevitably created the counter concept of non-believers being inherently inferior.
ToakReon
Level 8
Aug 24, 2022
1
And it also inevitably attracted arrogant narcissists to join up.
Well we don't have a lecture every Sunday on how important the congregation is, and how superior they are to everyone else, for one.
Fernapple
Level 9
Aug 23, 2022
3
I already know I'm superior to most Christians, as I am smarter, better educated, and less hypocritical..
@TomMcGiverin And so modest too. But better honest than modest.
@Fernapple I am generally modest, but when it comes to a group that is generally so arrogant and superior-acting to non-believers, esp. around where I live, I am going to choose honesty and say the truth of my superiority to them overall, compared to most of them.
@TomMcGiverin Right on.
I didn't need a study to learn that. Although it is nice to have my opinions confirmed as fact.
snytiger6
Level 9
Aug 23, 2022
6
Most honest, thinking, intelligent people don't need a formal study to be able to figure out how things are, but studies are needed for those views to be validated and accepted by society in general, as well as those that don't want to believe or see the truth, or are too dense to see the truth.
@TomMcGiverin - We hear a number of Muslims claim Islam is a religion of peace, but it is a hollow claim after video of the beheading of Western journalists are revealed and we realize who it was who dismember Jamal Khashoggi. American Christians make the same sorts of claims and historically have the same basic problem as Islam if not quite so blatant of examples might not be readily apparent in more recent times. The experiment demonstrates that the underlying dynamic is still incorporated within the Christian psyche. I recall as a believer being told from the pulpit that others of my religion were more trust worthy than those outside. It was a lie, of course, but it made us feel better about our shortcomings and we didn't need to work quite as hard to treat everyone as equals.
@snytiger6 - The truth is that any philosophy can be twisted to fit an individual's desires. The idea of survival of the fittest was twisted to justify eugenics - that individuals could determine fitness better than nature could. For me, I don't believe in religions because I believe they are unsupportable by direct evidence and I've witnessed first hand how individuals use religion to manipulate to harm others for their own benefit. I will need to deal with con men off and on in this life anyway; I don't need a faux Pollyanna religion trying to blind and guilt me to their nefarious behaviors.
@snytiger6 - BTW, I am aware of what Christians did to Muslims during the Crusades as well as to Jews and to each other when schisms arose. I didn't let Christians off the hook in my comment, only perhaps recognized that their behavior in more recent history isn't necessarily quite as violent as in earlier eras. Of late, the rhetoric of certain Christians in the US has been a throw back to more Medieval times. I fear that for some, they won't stop just at rhetoric. What humans are capable of doing to one another is amazingly disgusting.
Well, duh. They are in the majority and have the backing of all kinds of social institutions, including the government, so no wonder they feel superior and arrogant, feeling that their bigotry and bias is justified.
Any minority group in a society is inclined to behave deferentially or respectfully towards the majority group in order to avoid conflict and negative consequences from the majority group. It's the same reason black folks never made trouble in my small, lily white Iowa town where I grew up. As one of the few blacks told me, " It's not that we're happy with how things are, it's just that we're so outnumbered and powerless, that there's no point in making trouble or raising a fuss, because they would just crush us"...
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
Aug 23, 2022
1
From the history of atheist and Christianity, this is true of atheist having been nicer. I've also seen great bigotry between left and right wing politics like nationalism and that being more dangerous. Or bigoted of what must go into someones vains into their arm, like a vaccine. Which has been the greatest prejudices and bigotry I've ever experienced in my lifetime. We are bio-organism first, then human beings, then independent individual before any over ego group or centroism in this world.
Castlepaloma
Level 8
Aug 23, 2022
2
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.