A scientific study published in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science and mentioned in Nature found that students exposed to invocations of violence responded more aggressively when it was from a religious context. Undergraduates from both BYU (n = 248) and from a university in Amsterdam (n = 242) -- Vrije Universiteit -- were studied.
The lead author, Prof. Brad Bushman, made the publications (linked above) available from his website.
Does this surprise anyone? When you're told to hurt others, nothing removes inhibition like the feeling of being on a divinely-inspired mission. History and common sense confirm that.
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Technorati tags: God, Religion
