"Overall, the results are clear: No matter how we define morality, religious people do not behave more morally than atheists, although they often say (and likely believe) that they do."
It is my experience that the more one talks about his/her religiosity the more manipulative they are. A co-worker I once knew talked incessantly about "The Lord" yet never helped other co-workers unless ordered to do so. She engaged heavily in character assassination against those she envied, disliked, or could not get to do her bidding. She could cry profusely when falsely reporting slights against herself so she came across as believable when lying. The scariest thing about her was how she seemed to actually believe her own lies and acted haughty and superior around her victims and yet portrayed a humble and victimized pretense around her superiors. Religion gave this woman a free pass to be a monster.
"It is my experience that the more one talks about his/her religiosity the more manipulative they are."
My MIL and my wife's former MIL are perfect examples of this. My MIL cultivates a perfectly pious demeanor that has convinced all of my in-laws of her superior morality and pure spirit. Her pious smile and intonations drive me crazy whenever I've had a conversation with her, and yet they go unnoticed by those in her thrall. This woman of superior morality had an affair with a neighbor that destroyed a once happy family; repeatedly and knowingly subjected her kids, including my wife, to physical and sexual abuse by her husband (their father); subjected herself to abuse by her ex so that she could get money or a new car; and the constant and pervasive lies and manipulations she does everyday without conscious thought.
It depends on how some religious people exploit others peoples depency.
Personally I just remember my religious years (a period of about 20 years) as a period full of double standards.
Lots of extra-legality solutions to life problems: "We are better than others so we can do what is wrong and God hates those pointing out our hypocrisy!".
"We are better than others so we can do what is wrong and God hates those pointing out our hypocrisy!".
Yeah. The Mormon double standard is the high standards they have of which they speak.
That malignant TBM attitude is exactly what led Dallin Oaks to say, "It is wrong to criticize the leaders of the church even if the criticism is true."
I contend that any person who lets someone else decide what's "moral" for them is less "moral" than a person who reasons out what's "moral" on their own.
Yes, that includes people who go by what they think some "god" thing says is "moral." Or some political leader. Or some church leader. Or their parents...
Many years ago I took my young teenage daughter to a bishop's fireside for the youth. He kept talking about morality and finally my daughter whispered to me, "Dad, what's morality?" I turned back to her and said, "Sex." I wondered if any other kids had no idea what the bishop was talking about. They all knew about sex, but morality may have been a strange word to them. Of course morality covers much more territory, but in this case it was obvious the bishop was talking about sex.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2017 10:53AM by Tom Padley.
The nice thing about morality is it is so malleable and easy to customize to one's own tastes. Of course the Mormons have the one true version as usual.