When God Sanctions Violence, Believers Act More Aggressively

[Christa]

Reading violent scriptures increases aggressive behavior, especially among believers, a new study finds. The study by University of Michigan social psychologist Brad Bushman and colleagues helps to illuminate one of the ways that violence and behavior are linked.

"To justify their actions, violent people often claim that God has sanctioned their behavior," said Bushman, faculty associate at the U-M Institute for Social Research and lead author of the article published in the March 2007 issue of Psychological Science. "Christian extremists, Jewish reactionaries and Islamic fundamentalists all can cite scriptures that seem to encourage or at least support aggression against unbelievers."

Bushman, who is also a U-M professor of psychology and communications studies, and colleagues at Brigham Young University and at Vrije University in the Netherlands, found the same relationship in two separate experiments detailed in the article.

Full article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070305202614.htm

[Mugweed]

1. God does not sanction violence.

God does not exist. Wake up, sleepyheads. Reality is out there waiting for you all to accept it without you escaping into the sky-daddy dream world for solace.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. !

:applause:

[Warpy]

5. Some folks are just not ready to go it alone

and the whole belief thing might be hard wired in others.

However, letting go of that violent, vindictive SOB from old tyme religion is at first frightening and then joyful.

Believers need to find churches where people get the point.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. God does not sanction violence

People's God concepts often do, though.

[laconicsax]

6. Where do you draw the line?

When someone says that they're committing an act of violence because God's word, as presented in the Bible/Koran tells them to, isn't it accurate to say that for them, God sanctions violence?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. No

it is their idea of what God is that drives them to do what they do. I will add that there have always been those who see God in a different way, whose God concept is more universal and less personal--and the violent ones usually persecute them because they are afraid to realize that their concept of God is merely a concept, and will change over time.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. EXACTLY!

Thank you.

[FiveGoodMen]

10. Unless and until some god appears and clears up all the misunderstandings

People's God concepts are all we have.

No matter who says, "This is what God wants," you're just getting their concept.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition! nt

[struggle4progress]

8. Article can be downloaded here:

http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/brad.bushman/recent_publications