Atheists, Violence, and Slavery
A footnote on the social utility of religion, from Britain's Telegraph:
What's interesting is the criminal unbelievers. They are vastly over-represented among burglars and those who commit violence against the person. In the last census, the number of atheists was only 15 per cent of the population, so it is remarkable that one prisoner in three is an unbeliever. Secularists, championed by Professor Richard Dawkins, like to make out that the religions have no monopoly on morality. This survey goes to show that the fear of God has something going for it.This is a footnote to a column on Tony Blair's artfully sympathetic non-apology over the slave trade, which includes this excellent reminder not unrelated to the point I made above:
What is interesting about anniversaries is what they say about us now. [Deputy Prime Minister] John Prescott is leading commemorations for his predecessor as MP for Hull, William Wilberforce. Will he mention that what animated Wilberforce was his evangelical Christianity? Indeed, what sustained the abolitionist movement – with a few exceptions – was Christian principle. Any chance that this will be reflected in school projects?