Researchers looked at atheists and religious people in the US and Sweden
Both believers and non-believers are concerned with fairness and kindness
But atheists don t think respect for authority or group loyalty are necessary to be moral
Religious people are more likely to believe the world is a dangerous place
Atheists differently calibrated moral compass may explain the belief that they re immoral
Atheists aren t less moral than religious people, study finds Dan Avery For Dailymail.com
Are atheists immoral because they don t believe in God?
It s a commonly held stereotype, but a new study suggests they re no less principled than religious people.
Researchers found non-believers and believers shared similar views on fairness and not hurting people.
But the atheists didn t see values that supported unity, like loyalty and respect for authority, were essential to be moral.
Non-believers also tended to think more about the consequences of an action when deciding if something was moral or not, and were more likely to make a judgment on a case-by-case basis.
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