God detrimental to society?

[Xantar]

What exactly is the definition of religion here? Simple belief in God (or some higher being) isn't all that destructive. It's when religion gets organized that you have problems. The former promotes compassion and good will among people. The latter promotes sheepism.

Besides that, I'm not sure how this study proved causality. What if a high murder rate causes people to turn to religion in order to justify and understand their world? I've known some people from the inner city, and they believe faith and God was what got them out of the ghetto. So maybe if you eliminated poverty, you'd see a decrease in religiosity?