Religion

The Velveteen Ocelot

(125,295 posts)

1. Is there a direct and quantifiable correlation between religion and murder?

Sun Dec 16, 2018, 05:01 PM

Dec 2018

Are there other possible explanations? For example, Ukraine is considerably less religious than the U.S. (46% vs. 69%),* but its homicide rate is higher (6.34 vs. 5.35 per 100,000) and almost twice as high as Thailand's (3.24). Venezuela's murder rate is a horrific 56.33/100,000 but its percentage of believers is 79%, while much more religious India (90%) has a homicide rate of 3.22 - even less than that of the United States, and only slightly more than Estonia's (3.19/100,000), which is listed as the least religious country (16%). So if a huge country like India with 90% religious believers has a murder rate about the same as a country with 16% believers, does your correlation hold? Or is your paintbrush a bit on the wide side?

*Sources here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country

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You don't have to imagine how religion is correlated with violence [View all] Major Nikon Dec 2018 OP

Is there a direct and quantifiable correlation between religion and murder? The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #1

I found some more data - I didn't really check for correlations - but religiosity is strongly Jim__ Dec 2018 #2

Most of these are poor Third World countries. Many have unstable and/or despotic governments. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #3

I agree that it's much more complicated. Jim__ Dec 2018 #4

the proposed evidence itself doesn't establish one qazplm135 Dec 2018 #17

The very religious are often very, very poor.... Bretton Garcia Dec 2018 #6

Religion is clearly a factor in societal behavior. trotsky Dec 2018 #7

no, it deserves the same level of evidence as anything else qazplm135 Dec 2018 #18

That's the point I've been trying to make, though apparently not very effectively. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #25

you've been making it fine qazplm135 Dec 2018 #27

No, your point was well made. guillaumeb Dec 2018 #34

Nope, wouldn't care, because it's a post in the Religion group. trotsky Dec 2018 #26

Ahn accounta it's gahd! lol nt TwistOneUp Dec 2018 #29

Perhaps rich people cause poverty. guillaumeb Dec 2018 #33

Maybe the rich need religion, to keep the poor submissive Bretton Garcia Dec 2018 #39

Which says something about the rich, guillaumeb Dec 2018 #41

It says something about the religious, too. nt. Mariana Dec 2018 #42

What group of humans is not violent? guillaumeb Dec 2018 #43

I listed facts Major Nikon Dec 2018 #5

The five least religious countries are The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #8

So are you trying to say correlation does not imply causation? Major Nikon Dec 2018 #9

Just having a little fun with statistics. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #10

There's better ways to do that Major Nikon Dec 2018 #12

I imagine there's a step or two in between. Mariana Dec 2018 #11

You can also go many steps beyond Major Nikon Dec 2018 #13

But it still begs the question of whether religion causes poverty The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #16

Obfuscation rarely adds much to the conversation Major Nikon Dec 2018 #22

The richest country in the world is Qatar, The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #14

Both of those countries are rich because of oil Major Nikon Dec 2018 #15

Being rich hasn't caused Qatar to give up religion, although The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #19

Sometimes one thing has very little to do with another Major Nikon Dec 2018 #24

Furthermore, the existence of outliers doesn't negate the correlation. Mariana Dec 2018 #23

You are familiar with the concept of "Average" right? Mariana Dec 2018 #20

Of course. I'm just amusing myself with statistics. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #21

It's 95% religious bc other religions are not allowed TwistOneUp Dec 2018 #30

I am wondering whether, if Qatar stopped requiring and enforcing religious observance The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #35

Indonesia is pretty religious qazplm135 Dec 2018 #28

See discussion above about the concept of "Average". Mariana Dec 2018 #36

OP said nothing about average qazplm135 Dec 2018 #38

China is also note worthy for its ferocious oppression guillaumeb Dec 2018 #31

I couldn't listen for more than a few seconds, so I'll take your word on that Major Nikon Dec 2018 #32

Lots of countries engage in ferocious oppression Mariana Dec 2018 #37

What of China? guillaumeb Dec 2018 #40