Studies show that crime is lower in societies that have a strong belief in hell. Go figure.
The study, appearing in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, found that criminal activity is higher in societies where people’s religious beliefs contain a strong punitive component than in places where religious beliefs are more benevolent. A country where many more people believe in heaven than in hell, for example, is likely to have a much higher crime rate than one where these beliefs are about equal. The finding surfaced from a comprehensive analysis of 26 years of data involving 143,197 people in 67 countries.
So wait, you’re telling me that the way humans have arranged their societies, with customs and religious traditions established over thousands of years, actually have some kind of benefit? Well, shut my mouth.
(Courtesy Instapundit)