How religion influences everyday life. How can religion affect your life? Reduces your blood pressure

Culture

There is no doubt that the life of a believer is different from that of an atheist. The influence of religion on human life is obvious. However, perhaps you are not aware of some of the things that are the result of your faith in God.Moreover, it can be something positive or negative.

So, faith in God ....

1. Helps you keep away from unhealthy foods

Truly religious people eat healthier foods than atheists. In January 2012, the results of a study were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, during which scientists invited volunteers to take tests and play games in one way or another related to religion. Scientists have come to many interesting conclusions, in particular, they found that faith in God helps young people to keep themselves from eating unhealthy foods.

2. ... and nevertheless contributes to excess weight

Young people who frequent religious events are 50 percent more likely to become overweight as they age than those who do not attend church, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association conference in March 2011. Perhaps this is due to religious holidays, during which a large amount of delicious food is eaten. However, the researchers note that these results should not be taken as a statement that believers are in poor health. It has been proven that believers live longer than atheists, if only because they drink less and do not smoke.

3. Makes you happier

Believers are more likely to feel happy than atheists. According to research published in December 2010 in the American Sociological Review, the secret to the happiness of religious people is that they feel part of the community and regularly interact with people who have common interests with them. In church and at various religious events, people make friends and do not feel lonely.

4. Saves from depression

Believers, like everyone else, suffer from depression, but it is easier for them to get rid of this condition. According to a 1998 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, elderly patients who were hospitalized with a physical illness and who also suffered from depression were more likely to recover from their depression when faith in God was an integral part of their lives. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 2010 found that believing in God leads to more successful treatment for depression.

5. Encourages you to check your health more often

In a 1998 study published in the journal Health Education & Behavior, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles found that people who regularly attend church were more likely to see their doctors for preventive purposes, in particular, they were more likely to mammogram. About 75 percent of the 1,517 women who attended church had regular mammograms (breast examinations), while only 60 percent of the 510 women who did not go to church regularly underwent these examinations.

6. Lowers your blood pressure

People who regularly go to church have lower blood pressure than those who do not go to church, according to a 2011 study from Norway. It has been proven that people who attend church at least three times a month have lower blood pressure compared to less religious people. Similar results were noted in a study conducted in the United States. Moreover, a certain relationship was noticed: the more often a person attends church, the lower his pressure. People who go to church rarely have the same pressure as those who do not go to church.

Religion exists in society not as a body alien to it, but as one of the manifestations of the life of a social organism. Religion is a part of social life, from which it cannot be isolated, since it is firmly woven into the fabric of social relations. Nevertheless, the nature and degree of this connection in different spheres of human life is not the same. And in order to see the degree of influence of religion on a person's life, it is necessary to consider this issue from several positions:

1) religion and science

2) religion and society

3) religion and economics

Religion and Science

The relationship "religion and science" consists of two questions: 1) what is the relationship between the subject of religion and the subject of science; 2) how science can study religion.

The first question arose when science suddenly began to claim to refute or at least test the dogmas of various faiths. However, already at the end of the 19th century. They began to express the idea that these sciences have nothing to do with religious knowledge. The answers contained in creeds can neither be confirmed nor refuted by the data of science. Thus, science and religion are completely different in their focus. Knowledge of science and knowledge of religion do not intersect, they belong to different areas, fulfill different purposes, arise in different ways. Yet today scientists are constantly trying to prove from a scientific point of view the doctrines of religion. And the fact that religion and science have different subjects does not mean that science cannot study religion itself.

But on the other hand, the role of religion is also manifested in the fact that it is deeply hostile to science, the scientific worldview. For many, many centuries, the church has mercilessly stifled science and persecuted scientists. He forbade the dissemination of advanced ideas, destroyed the books of progressive thinkers, and imprisoned them and burned them at the stake. But despite all the efforts, the church was not able to delay the development of science, which was strongly dictated by the needs of material production. In our time, being powerless to refute the greatest scientific achievements, the church is trying to reconcile science with religion, to prove that scientific achievements do not contradict faith, but agree with it. Science gives a person reliable knowledge about the world, about the laws of its development. And religion, in turn, gives an idea of \u200b\u200bthe meaning of this person's life. Today, religion is explored by almost all humanities.

Religion and Society

The question of the relationship between religion and society is primarily a question of the role of religion in the motivation of social behavior. Religion is a link in socio-cultural ties, the functioning of which makes it possible to understand their structure and emergence: it acts as a factor, firstly, of the emergence and formation of social relations, and secondly, the legitimization of certain forms of social actions and relations. Religion contributes to maintaining the stability of society and at the same time stimulates its change. Religion makes human life meaningful, it supplies it with "meaning", helps people understand who they are, showing the meaning of the group to which they belong among other people inhabiting our world. Religion also contributes to the stability of society by establishing norms that are useful for a given social structure and create the prerequisites for a person to fulfill moral obligations. In addition to inter-religious, religion causes conflicts related to its existence in a secular society. Religious commitment can lead to conflict between following the requirements of faith and the law. In turn, religious conflicts can drive change, and social change can bring about changes in the religious sphere. It should also be borne in mind that religious affiliation can serve as a means of rallying certain groups.

AT modern society the relationship between religious and political institutions is considered in two aspects. The first is related to the functions of justification and maintenance of the values \u200b\u200bof a given society performed by religion. These values \u200b\u200bare also involved in political activity: their influence and attitude towards the law and power is reflected in the support or opposition to them. The second aspect concerns the correlation of religion with politics as an institution representing the interests of certain social groups associated with the strengthening of their influence.

Religion and economics

In different historical periods, religious groups, wishing to influence the economic views and behavior of their followers, faced a dilemma: on the one hand, they tended to view poverty as a virtue. For example, the Bible states: "Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the land," and Buddhists uplift a mendicant monk who travels easily, without economic concerns, so he can easily plunge into a life of observation and reflection. However, as soon as the organization of a religious group becomes more complex, the problem arises - funds are needed for its activities. Then the group begins to get involved in economic affairs, whether it wants it or not. She begins to demand contributions from her followers and is grateful for the donations she receives from wealthy members. If a member of such a group manages to get rid of poverty, he is not condemned; on the contrary, he is even praised for his hard work and frugality.

Thus, religion has an impact on the economic sphere. Firstly, when such virtues of personality and business as honesty, dignity, respect for obligations are emphasized in economic life, and religion successfully instills these virtues in its followers. Second, religion sometimes encourages consumption - religious holidays encourage the consumption of certain material things, even if they are just special candles or special food. Third, by emphasizing human labor as a "vocation," religion (especially Protestantism) has elevated labor, no matter how humiliating it may be, and this is associated with an increase in labor productivity and income (see Table 1). Fourth, religion can justify and validate specific economic systems and activities.

Table 1 Ratio of income of believers

Also, American researchers came to the conclusion that religion affects the rate of economic growth. And, as a rule, belief in hell spurs growth more than belief in heaven.

Harvard economics professor Robert Barro, together with a number of scientists, conducted a series of studies on the connection between the religiosity of the population and the economic growth of different countries. The main conclusion is that faith in God can increase the rate of economic growth.

Robert Barro shared having faith in God, faith in the afterlife, faith in heaven and faith in hell. His research, conducted on data from 59 countries of the world, showed that the contribution of these factors to economic growth is always positive, albeit unequal. For example, belief in heaven has a much smaller impact on economic growth than belief in hell. The scientist himself put it this way: "The stick in the form of a potential hell turns out to be much more effective than the carrot of a potential heaven." However, the fact that fear is the strongest stimulus has long been known. He spoke about the role of religion, in particular Protestantism, in creating ethical and moral incentives for effective work at the beginning of the twentieth century. Max Weber. According to Canadian scientists Ulrich Bloom and Leonard Dudley, religion affects the economy not so much through incentives to work more efficiently, but through the positive effect of the prohibition on lies and deceit, which is especially important in economics.

Banks and religion

Banks are an integral part of the economic sphere. And here, too, the interference of religion is observed. There have been some studies that have shown that Protestants are indeed more responsible in their dealings with banks. And this proves once again that religion is an integral part of the personality and largely determines the behavior of a person in society. For a long time, science and state institutions in many countries, religion was attributed exclusively to the sphere of people's private life. It is now clear that this position does not correspond to the realities of life. From the history of Italy, Germany, and other European countries, there is a situation where a certain part of the financial system was formed under the influence of religious beliefs and with the direct participation of the church. In a number of cases, the principle of religious solidarity worked, this concerned, in particular, lending issues. In the West, it was believed at one time that religion is disappearing, more and more goes into the sphere of private life, but now they understand that religion concerns many spheres of public life.

The influence of religion on many banks, for example, in Italy, is very great. It has developed historically and remains significant at the present time. This is also accompanied by such a phenomenon as "ethical banking business", that is, a business that meets the ethical standards prevailing in society. Banking clients and institutions, including the church, influence ethics. Now we see how the requirements to take into account moral, ethical and religious values \u200b\u200bin the banking business are gradually growing. This is a very interesting phenomenon, and banks should respond to it in their practice.

The face of a bank is known to be largely shaped by its clients. To be successful, he must take into account the peculiarities of the culture (and religion is an integral part of it) of the region where he works. Without this, he is cut off from life, and as a result, the quality of service will suffer - one of the important tools for maintaining customer loyalty.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Irkutsk State Technical University

Correspondence-evening faculty

Department of Finance and Credit

in the discipline "Culturology"

Topic: “World religions.

The influence of religion on a person, culture, society, civilization "

Completed: student gr. FKzu-09-2

Pimenova Yu.V.

Checked: _____________________ __

______________________________ ___

Irkutsk - 2011

1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………… ......... 3
2. Main part ………………………………………………………… .. 4
1. Judaism …………………………………………………………… .11
1. History and distribution ………………………………… .. 11
2. Features ………………………………………………… ... 13
2. Christianity ………………………………………………………… 15
1. Orthodoxy …………………………………………………… 15
2. Catholicism ………………………………………………… .16
3. Protestantism ………………………………………………… .17
3. Islam ……………………………………………………………… 18
4. Buddhism …………………………………. ……………………… …… 20
3. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… .25

1. INTRODUCTION

It is impossible to give a precise and unambiguous definition of the concept of religion. There are many such definitions in science. They depend on the worldview of those scientists who formulate them. If you ask any person what religion is, then in most cases he will answer: "Faith in God." The word "religion" literally means - binding, re-appeal (to something). It is possible that originally this expression meant a person's attachment to something sacred, permanent, unchanging. This word was first used in the speeches of the famous Roman orator and politician Cicero, where he contrasted religion with another term denoting superstition (dark, common, mythical belief). The word "religion" came into use in the first centuries of Christianity and emphasized that the new faith is not a wild superstition, but a deep philosophical and moral system.

Religion at all times and for all peoples was of great importance. It cannot exist without any religious activity, and the core of religious activity is a cult - a set of actions that believers perform with the aim of worshiping God, gods or some supernatural forces. These are rituals, divine services, prayers, sermons, religious holidays. However, there are some religions where the cult is given such little importance that it can be practically invisible. But on the whole, the role of the cult in religion is extremely great: in the process of their religious activity, people unite into communities called communities, churches (meaning “church” as an organization).

It is customary to distinguish sects from churches. Nowadays, this word carries a negative connotation, although in literal translation from Greek it means only teaching, direction, school.

The source of all religions is one and constant, although the teachings of different religions seem at first glance to be completely different from each other ... The sage knows that the main basis of all religions and beliefs is one thing - Truth. Truth has always been covered with two garments: a turban - her head, a cloak - her body. The turban is a mystery known under the name of mysticism, and the cloak is morality called religion ... Those who saw it (Truth) without any veils no longer know reason and logic, good and evil, high and low, new and old - in other words, they cease to distinguish all names and images. The whole world for them is only Truth. In their understanding, Truth is one, but, appearing to human eyes, it takes many forms, and the difference in ideas about it arises due to its manifestation in different places and times. Truth can be likened to a fountain that gushes upward in one stream, and downward falls in many drops at different times and in different places.

Religion as a moral spiritual force has received the opportunity today to enter into a dialogue with the world, the fate of which turned out to be dependent on its moral consistency in the face of real problems of social development. The cultural values \u200b\u200bshared by most religions are based on universal human values, concepts such as love, peace, hope, justice.

2. MAIN PART.

2.1. Influence of religion.

Religion is one of the most important factors in human history. It can be argued that a person without religion would not have become a person; it can be argued with equal persistence that without it a person would be better and more perfect. Religion is the reality of human life, and this is how it should be perceived.

The role of religion in the life of specific people, societies and states is not the same. It is enough to compare two people: one - living according to the laws of some strict and isolated sect, and the other - leading a secular lifestyle and absolutely indifferent to religion. The same is the case with various societies and states: some live according to the strict laws of religion, others offer complete freedom in matters of faith to their citizens and do not interfere in the religious sphere at all, and still others prohibit religion altogether. In the course of history, the situation with religion in the same country can change. A striking example of this is Russia. And confessions are by no means the same in the requirements they place on a person in their rules of conduct and codes of morality. Religions can unite people or separate them, inspire them to creative work, to feats, call for inaction, peace and contemplation, promote the spread of bookishness and the development of art and at the same time limit any spheres of culture, impose bans on certain types of activity, science etc. The role of religion must always be seen specifically as the role of a given religion in a given society and at a certain period. Its role for the whole society, for a particular group of people or for a particular person may be different.

At the same time, we can say that religion usually tends to perform certain functions in relation to society and individuals - ways of influencing religion on people's lives. So, here they are:

1. Worldview. Religion, being a worldview, i.e. system of principles, views, ideals and beliefs, explains to a person the structure of the world, defines his place in this world, shows him what the meaning of life is.
2. Psychological. Religion gives people consolation, hope, spiritual satisfaction, support. It is no coincidence that people most often turn to religion in difficult moments of their lives. A person, having a certain religious ideal in front of him, internally changes and becomes able to carry the ideas of his religion, to assert goodness and justice, resigning himself to hardships, not paying attention to those who ridicule or offend him. (Of course, a good beginning can be affirmed only if the religious authorities leading a person along this path are themselves pure in soul, moral and strive for the ideal).
3. Moral. Religion controls human behavior through its system of values, moral attitudes and prohibitions. It can significantly influence large communities and entire states living according to the laws of a given religion. However, belonging even to the strictest religious and moral system does not always keep a person from committing unseemly actions, and society from immorality and crime. This sad circumstance is a consequence of the weakness and imperfection of human nature (or, as the followers of many religions would say, "the machinations of Satan" in the human world).
4. Political. Religions contribute to the unification of people, help the formation of nations, the formation and strengthening of states (for example, when Russia was going through a period of feudal fragmentation, burdened by a foreign yoke, our distant ancestors were united not so much by a national as by a religious idea - "we are all Christians"). But the same religious factor can lead to division, disintegration of states and societies, when large masses of people begin to confront each other on a religious basis. Tension and opposition also arise when a new direction emerges from a church (for example, in the era of the struggle between Catholics and Protestants). Among the followers of different religions, extreme movements periodically arise, whose members believe that only they live according to divine laws and correctly profess their faith. Often, these people prove their case by brutal methods, not stopping before terrorist attacks. Religious extremism, unfortunately, to this day remains a fairly widespread and dangerous phenomenon - a source of social tension.
5. Cultural translating. It can be illustrated by the example of Russia after the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 9th century. Christian culture with centuries-old traditions took root and flourished, literally transforming it. But completely opposite examples can be drawn from human history. After the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire, in Byzantium and in its environs, Christians destroyed many of the greatest cultural monuments of the ancient era.

Nevertheless, religion is an inspiring and preserving factor in the spiritual life of society, preserving the public cultural heritage, at times blocking the way for all kinds of vandals. Although it is completely wrong to perceive a church as a museum or an exhibition, arriving in any city or in a foreign country, there is a desire to visit a certain temple. The very word "culture" goes back to the concept of cult. Obviously, since ancient times, religious ideas have been at the heart of many aspects of people's creative activity and have inspired artists.

Philosophers propose to clearly distinguish between two concepts: culture and civilization. The latter includes all the achievements of science and technology that expand the capabilities of a person, give him life comfort and determine the modern way of life. Civilization is like a powerful weapon that can be used for good, or can be turned into a means of murder, depending on who controls it. Culture, like a slow but mighty river flowing from an ancient source, is very conservative and often comes into conflict with civilization. And religion, which is the basis of culture, is one of the main factors that protects man and mankind from decay, degradation and even, perhaps, from moral and physical death - that is, the threats that civilization can bring with it.

1. Stabilization of foundations. Religion contributes to the consolidation and consolidation of certain social orders, traditions and laws of life. Since religion is more conservative than any other social institution, in most cases it strives to preserve the foundations, to stability and peace. For example, when the political trend of conservatism was emerging in Europe, church leaders stood at its origins. Religious parties tend to be on the right-wing guardian of the political spectrum. Their role as a counterweight to endless radical and sometimes unreasonable transformations, coups and revolutions is very important.

Based on the examples of numerous opinion polls, the following conclusions can be drawn:

First, the number of believers in the country is constantly growing, and at the same time the number of church people is also increasing.

Second, the analysis of the data showed that churched people in social composition are close to the average values \u200b\u200bof society as a whole and are no longer a group of exclusively elderly and low-income people.

Thirdly, churchgoers are no less successful than other groups in the process of adaptation in the new conditions of modern life, have a positive attitude to the market economy, while supporting the strengthening of Russian statehood. At the same time, this group is the bearer of its system of moral values, which in some aspects differs from the values \u200b\u200bexpressed by non-believers.

Religion sanctions certain views, activities, relationships, institutions, giving them an aura of holiness, or declares them impious, fallen away, mired in evil, sinful, contrary to the law, the word of God, refuses to recognize them. Religious relations are superimposed on social relations. The religious factor affects the economy, politics, state, interethnic relations, family, culture through the activities of believing individuals, groups, organizations in these areas.

2.1.1. Religion and Society.

Society as a kind of aggregate of people has one of its properties a mentality, a worldview - a set of ideas about the most general laws and about the most general problems of life. This set of ideas can also be called worldview information. Worldview information answers the questions whether God exists, what are His properties, whether miracles exist, whether the laws of nature can be violated, what is the meaning of life, whether there is an afterlife and others. If special information is of interest only to people of a certain profession, then worldview information interests everyone at once. World outlook information greatly influences people's behavior. This is a kind of personal command post.

One of the advantages of religious worldview information is that religion helps believers to overcome negative emotions, that is, it gives people consolation. People need to overcome negative emotions, and if they are experienced too long and deeply, the human body "breaks down". From an overabundance of negative emotions, people either die or go crazy. And this is also not a prospect. Religious consolation is a kind of psychotherapy, and it is massive, cheap and effective. Thanks to religious consolation, humanity has survived in the historical past. Because of this consolation, many people continue to live now.

Another plus of this function of religion is that it generates and maintains communication among people with a common worldview. Communication is an important need and a high value in people's lives. Lack of communication or limited communication makes us suffer. With the help of religion, this negative side of life is overcome.

From the point of view of theologians, religion did not have any disadvantages, and cannot be. Historians, however, say there are two drawbacks. The first minus is the alienation of people from each other on the basis of ideology. It means that people belonging to different religious confessions often treat each other, at least indifferently, at the most unfriendly, and in some cases even hostile. The more strongly the idea of \u200b\u200bbeing chosen is promoted in one religion or another, the stronger is the alienation between believers of different confessions.

Work description

It is impossible to give a precise and unambiguous definition of the concept of religion. There are many such definitions in science. They depend on the worldview of those scientists who formulate them. If you ask any person what religion is, then in most cases he will answer: "Faith in God." The word "religion" literally means - binding, re-appeal (to something). It is possible that originally this expression meant a person's attachment to something sacred, permanent, unchanging. This word was first used in the speeches of the famous Roman orator and politician Cicero, where he contrasted religion with another term denoting superstition (dark, common, mythical belief). The word "religion" came into use in the first centuries of Christianity and emphasized that the new faith is not a wild superstition, but a deep philosophical and moral system.

Content

Introduction …………………………………………………………… ......... 3
Main part …………………………………………………………… ..4
Influence of religion …………………………………………………… .4
Religion and society ………………………………………… ... 6
Religion and politics …………………………………………… 7
Religion and culture …………………………………………… 8
Religion and morality …………………………………… .9
Judaism …………………………………………………………… .11
History and distribution ………………………………… ..11
Features …………………………………………………… 13
Christianity ………………………………………………………… 15
Orthodoxy …………………………………………………… 15
Catholicism ………………………………………………… .16
Protestantism ……………………………………………… .17
Islam ……………………………………………………………… 18
Buddhism …………………………………. …………………………… 20
Teachings of Buddha ……………………………………………… .20
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………… .25
List of used literature …………………………………… ..26

When solving problems that arise in life, many people turn to religion for help. It is believed that faith is a powerful thing that helps to achieve certain goals with a strong desire. However, this does not mean that any person, having faith, has unlimited possibilities.

Religion affects people's lives

Religion does not apply to all people, there are people who reject it. However, religion has its impact on the life and work of people.

Religious teachings teach people to be more tolerant of each other and forgive each other. Many believers, when life difficulties arise, turn to religion and its customs for help. Religion helps them to endure the hardships of life easier and solve life problems.

People's faith is very strong

The religious faith of people is very strong. Believing in a positive outcome, a person, with the help of religion, to some extent achieves the set goals.

Religion gives many people hope for good, consolation, satisfaction.

A person's strong religious faith helps to improve health, get rid of many health problems, and help heal serious diseases.

The health of people largely depends on the lifestyle, and on their activities, and on the mood. Of course, you need to deal with your health constantly in order to diagnose the beginning problems in time and take appropriate measures to eliminate them.

Many medical institutions are ready to provide a full range of medical services in any area of \u200b\u200bthe disease.

Recently, many people prefer to be treated in Israeli clinics because of receiving highly qualified and quality care, unlike other medical institutions in other countries. The ability to consult with the world's leading medical experts on serious health problems brings Israeli medicine to the fore in terms of popularity and popularity among the population of the world.

Doctors of Israeli clinics provide truly highly qualified assistance to their patients, taking all the necessary steps to recover them. Positive feedback and the desire of people to visit clinics in Israel annually speaks to the high quality of the medical care provided.

The cost of medical treatment in Israeli clinics is affordable compared to treatment in leading medical centers. Depending on the degree of the disease, the specialists of Israeli clinics will offer you an individual package of services, including transportation and accommodation and treatment services.

Israeli doctors use the latest technologies in the treatment of human diseases, conduct all modern diagnostic examinations and, based on the results of the examination, make accurate diagnoses.

With the help of religion, a person realizes his place in life, finds answers to many life questions.

Religion influences people's behavior

Religion influences people's behavior, having its own system of values, prohibitions and ideals.

However, religion should not become the ideal of human life and be the only value. A person should live in harmony with religion, value basic ideals and adhere to accepted canons.

Morality is often considered synonymous with religiosity, although scholars argue that there is no difference between the moral qualities of believers and atheists. The Conversation has reviewed several studies on these stereotypes. "Theory and practice" is the main thing.

Prejudices against atheists are found in people around the world. Psychologist Will Gervais came to this conclusion during the study. Residents of all continents assume that immoral acts (including even serial killings) are more often committed by unbelievers. According to polls, Americans trust atheists less than members of any other social group. So, for most politicians, going to church is a great way to gain popular support in elections, and declaring that you are not a believer can ruin your career. And, of course, it is no coincidence that there is not a single openly atheist in the US Congress.

Undoubtedly, in the main world religions, much attention is paid to morality. Hence, many conclude that religious beliefs are a sign of virtue. Others generally argue that without religion there is no morality. However, both of these statements can be called into question.

First, the ethical beliefs of one movement may be unacceptable from the point of view of another. Thus, in the 19th century, Mormons considered polygamy to be their moral duty, while for Catholics it was a mortal sin. Moreover, the moral behavior of members of a particular group often includes aggression towards others. For example, in 1543, one of the founders of Protestantism, Martin Luther, published a treatise "On the Jews and Their Lies," which outlined anti-Semitic ideas that have been popular among representatives of various sects for centuries. These examples also prove that religious morality must change over time. And it is really changing: for example, relatively recently, the Anglican Church allowed contraception and marriage of same-sex couples, and women bishops appeared.

In any case, religiosity is only distantly related to theology. That is, the beliefs and behavior of believers do not always fully comply with official religious doctrine. For example, officially Buddhism is a religion without God, but most of its followers regard Buddha as a deity. The Catholic Church actively opposes contraception, but most Catholics still use contraception. And such deviations from doctrine are the norm rather than the exception.

Scientists conducted a study in which participants were asked to evaluate their own character and behavior. The survey results showed that religious respondents consider themselves more selfless, sympathetic, honest, merciful than atheists. This dynamic continued even in the case of twins, one of whom is more religious than the other. But if you look at the actual behavior, it turns out that there are no differences.

This is evidenced, for example, by the classic experiment "Good Samaritan", during which researchers tracked which of the passers-by would stop to help a wounded man on the street. Scientists concluded that religiosity played no role in the behavior of the participants. It is interesting that some of them were just going to speak on this parable, but this also did not affect their actions in any way.

On the other hand, various traditions and signals associated with religion can influence human behavior. For example, studies of American Christians have shown that they donate more money to charity on Sundays and watch less porn. However, on the rest of the week, they compensate for the situation on both counts, so there is no difference in the average results of religious people and atheists.

In addition, different religions have different effects on those who adhere to them. For example, if people believe that their God gives some kind of moral guidelines and punishes for breaking the rules, then they try to be more fair and even less likely to cheat when making deals. These are the results of an international study. That is, if a person believes that all his thoughts are known to God, who punishes sinners, then he tries to behave better.

But it should be noted that not only religion can lead to more moral behavior, but also belief in the force of the law, an honest court and reliable police. And, as a rule, if the laws are strictly observed, then religion no longer influences people so much, and mistrust towards atheists also decreases.