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Nonreligious girls are the most athletic

December 7, 2011 No Comment

When I first read of this study, I was intrigued. According to this news report, “children with no religious background tend to be the most skilful athletes”.

Really?

The Great Prayer Study

October 3, 2011 No Comment

Ten years ago today, while America was still reeling from the attacks of September 11 and troops were gathering to invade Afghanistan, America was given stunningly good news – perhaps the most important news story of all time. The New York Times breathlessly reported the results of the first scientific study proving the existence of God.

Autism and atheism

September 29, 2011 3 Comments

A new paper on the potential links between autism and lack of god-belief has caught the attention of the blogosphere. You can read Razib’s take on it over at Gene Expression.

New Government statistics illustrate ‘madness’ of privileged place in policy for religion

September 28, 2011 No Comment

Religious people are not more likely to participate in society than non-religious people and Christians are less likely than others to mix with people from different backgrounds and beliefs, new Government figures have suggested.

Atheists aren’t shrill – just disgusting?

September 14, 2011 No Comment

Perhaps the common hostile reaction to the so-called “new atheists” (or gnus) is more a matter of the disgust in the eye or brain of the beholder than any “stridency” or “shrillness” on the part of the atheist.

Well that settles it: Income inequality really does go hand in hand with religion

August 4, 2011 2 Comments

The link between inequality and religion has a particular fascination for me. And now there’s even MORE data demonstrating the correlation!

Will the religious inherit the Earth? Are we all doomed?

August 1, 2011 5 Comments

Extrapolate demographic trends to the not-to-distant future, and it’s clear what will happen. Imagine a normal, liberal society comprising ordinary religious and non-religious living in mostly urban areas, embedded in a population comprising mostly of disparate cults bred and trained from birth to be dogmatic, insular and narrow-minded.

Why do more children die when Pentecostals are around?

July 26, 2011 No Comment

The US has a persistently high infant mortality rate when compared with other wealthy nations. The reasons for this are partly understood – poverty is a major risk factor for childhood death, and it’s believed that the high levels of income and racial stratification could be to blame. Problems with health are infrastructure are also thought to contribute.

We condemn more when we think we’re being watched

July 22, 2011 1 Comment

In a nice new study, Pierrick Bourrat (at the University of Sydney) and colleagues have shown that people are more likely to judge others severely when they are given even subtle hints of being watched.

In Germany, Protestant culture is more trusting than Catholic culture

July 12, 2011 No Comment

Here’s a novel study looking at how religion relates to social trust – you know, how trusting people are of each other. What’s novel about it? Well, first off it’s a study of Germans, so that’s a new perspective we didn’t have before.