Do religious beliefs actually have any significant bearing on moral decision making?

[pathos]

What a shame you feel that way.
I am trying to investigate a point of interest to both Atheist and religious individuals. There has been little successful statistical research on the topic and I thought it would be nice to re-post my results when they are successfully collected.

Again I will re-iterate what Chad has said. The shame is on you student. I would suggest you have a look around the board and engage the forum members to get a better picture of what you are dealing with. Otherwise your research is flawed and incomplete and you will fail your assignment (well you would IF you were studying in Oz)


Thankyou for your interest BUT.

What a ridiculous statement. I need as little personal engagement with participants as possible. If this wasn't the case I would ask friends and family to participate.
Frankly the voluntary uptake rate between religious and non-religious peoples is also a point of interest to me therefore I won't be staying for a chat on this account at any rate.

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Unfortunately whilst I might be inclined to agree there is little statistical proof of this fact and I need more responses to my survey in order to attain that!
I'm personally agnostic, but you would be surprised how weak the correlations are in other research that has been carried out in observing differences in decision making between religious and non-religious people.

Are you lazy? Where are you studying from? What research have you uncovered or did you think that you could come here an we would do you thesis for you??

I would hardly say asking people to partake in my survey is "doing my thesis". I will be writing the other 12,000 words, don't worry. I merely want to get as many participants as possible so I can "go the extra mile" and do everything I can to achieve statistical significance in my data. I go to an elite British University.

[KichigaiNeko]

What a ridiculous statement. I need as little personal engagement with participants as possible. If this wasn't the case I would ask friends and family to participate.
Frankly the voluntary uptake rate between religious and non-religious peoples is also a point of interest to me therefore I won't be staying for a chat on this account at any rate.

No my dear...YOU are being lazy. get online and DO YOUR RESEARCH! IF that includes friends and family then so be it...do you know nothing?

So you (as Chad has intimated) think we are nothing more than bugs in a Petri dish? How condescending of you and how out of touch from your original question you are. You are engaging people and how they think, stupid child. go back to your original classes and start again.

[rexbeccarox]

I notice you're still not taking the advice of established posters. That won't get you very far here. I'm done now. I tried to be nice, but you're kind of arrogant, so good luck to you.

[pocaracas]

Please - State your Gender

Male, alpha!

The current educational level you are studying for or highest attained.

PhD in.... let's call it science

Your religious beliefs(denomination of Christianity if applicable) / If not religious then whether atheist or agnostic

Agnostic atheist, level 6 in Dawkins scale... interpret that as you wish...

How strong you consider these beliefs from 1-9 (9 highest)

I don't believe.

Do your parents have any religious beliefs?

yes, a bit...

To what extent do you think they influenced you morally? (1-9)

My parents? a lot!
My parent's beliefs? very little if none.

To what extent do you agree with the following statements from 1-9 (9 completely agree)
"Different types of morality cannot be compared as to 'rightness.'
1.... meaning I don't understand the statement... I'd never make such a statement

Rigidly codifying an ethical position that prevents certain types of actions could stand in the way of better human relations and adjustment.
8

Whether a lie is judged to be moral or immoral depends upon the circumstances surrounding the action.
8

No rule concerning lying can be formulated; whether a lie is permissible or not permissible totally depends upon the situation.
8

What is ethical varies from one situation and society to another.
7... somethings, yes... others, no

If an action could harm an innocent other, then it should not be done.
8, shouldn't, but sometimes it's necessary

Deciding whether or not to perform an act by balancing the positive consequences of the act against the negative consequences of the act is immoral.
2, it is logical... the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few

Please answer yes or no to these situations.

1.You are standing on a bridge when an out-of-control mining cart comes into view. You can see 5 workers on the track who you suppose will be instantly killed unless you push a large rock off the bridge to stop the cart. However if you do this the cart driver will be killed. Do you push the rock?
Yes, split second decisions are crap, maybe the cart has no driver, I have shortsightedness
2.This time instead of a rock there is a large man you could push. He and the cart driver will die but 5 workers will survive. Do you push the man?
No, he's large, I'm not.... This wouldn't end well for me
3. In a separate instance you can throw yourself in front of the cart, killing you and the cart driver but 5 workers will survive. Do you jump?
No, I'd yell for the workers to get into cover... If there is anything I could do with a rock, or my own body, then sound could reach them much faster
leading to no loss of life
Please answer every question as it is part of my dissertation/thesis research. I will post the full data results afterwards. Please feel free to comment on any similar topics.

Enjoy.

[pathos]

What a ridiculous statement. I need as little personal engagement with participants as possible. If this wasn't the case I would ask friends and family to participate.
Frankly the voluntary uptake rate between religious and non-religious peoples is also a point of interest to me therefore I won't be staying for a chat on this account at any rate.

No my dear...YOU are being lazy. get online and DO YOUR RESEARCH! IF that includes friends and family then so be it...do you know nothing?

So you (as Chad has intimated) think we are nothing more than bugs in a Petri dish? How condescending of you and how out of touch from your original question you are. You are engaging people and how they think, stupid child. go back to your original classes and start again.

As this forum is evidently unsuccessful, it would be generous to say I thought much more of you. What an unwelcoming forum!
You seem to have little understanding of proper scientific practice. I have made attempts to collect all data anonymously via the internet rather than taint it with the type of people I would specifically associate with as it is likely they would have some moral similarities in my opinion. (based on my choice to associate with them)
I think it says more about you that you go out of your way to belittle and interfere with someone trying to carry out research on an open forum, in a bizarre, territorial manner.
I can assure you my academic achievements and dedication are more than adequate.
And with regards to arrogance as I have been questioned on my academic dedication and capability as soon as I entered the forum I have felt the need to defend myself.

---

Please - State your Gender

Male, alpha!

The current educational level you are studying for or highest attained.

PhD in.... let's call it science

Your religious beliefs(denomination of Christianity if applicable) / If not religious then whether atheist or agnostic

Agnostic atheist, level 6 in Dawkins scale... interpret that as you wish...

How strong you consider these beliefs from 1-9 (9 highest)

I don't believe.

Do your parents have any religious beliefs?

yes, a bit...

To what extent do you think they influenced you morally? (1-9)

My parents? a lot!
My parent's beliefs? very little if none.

To what extent do you agree with the following statements from 1-9 (9 completely agree)
"Different types of morality cannot be compared as to 'rightness.'
1.... meaning I don't understand the statement... I'd never make such a statement

Rigidly codifying an ethical position that prevents certain types of actions could stand in the way of better human relations and adjustment.
8

Whether a lie is judged to be moral or immoral depends upon the circumstances surrounding the action.
8

No rule concerning lying can be formulated; whether a lie is permissible or not permissible totally depends upon the situation.
8

What is ethical varies from one situation and society to another.
7... somethings, yes... others, no

If an action could harm an innocent other, then it should not be done.
8, shouldn't, but sometimes it's necessary

Deciding whether or not to perform an act by balancing the positive consequences of the act against the negative consequences of the act is immoral.
2, it is logical... the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few

Please answer yes or no to these situations.

1.You are standing on a bridge when an out-of-control mining cart comes into view. You can see 5 workers on the track who you suppose will be instantly killed unless you push a large rock off the bridge to stop the cart. However if you do this the cart driver will be killed. Do you push the rock?
Yes, split second decisions are crap, maybe the cart has no driver, I have shortsightedness
2.This time instead of a rock there is a large man you could push. He and the cart driver will die but 5 workers will survive. Do you push the man?
No, he's large, I'm not.... This wouldn't end well for me
3. In a separate instance you can throw yourself in front of the cart, killing you and the cart driver but 5 workers will survive. Do you jump?
No, I'd yell for the workers to get into cover... If there is anything I could do with a rock, or my own body, then sound could reach them much faster
leading to no loss of life
Please answer every question as it is part of my dissertation/thesis research. I will post the full data results afterwards. Please feel free to comment on any similar topics.

Enjoy.

Thanks very much! I really appreciate it.

[Esquilax]

Hi everyone I am doing research as to whether religious beliefs actually do affect the amount of pro-social behaviours engaged in and moral decision making. I would really appreciate it if you take the time to fill out this survey, I need a lot of participants.

Well, okay, I'm actually going to do this, because it sounds mildly interesting, though I'm not super thrilled at the tone you've taken so far here.

Please - State your Gender= Male

The current educational level you are studying for or highest attained.= Currently studying the third year of my degree at university.

Your religious beliefs(denomination of Christianity if applicable) / If not religious then whether atheist or agnostic= Born and bred atheist, and I'd currently label myself an agnostic atheist (I believe no god exists, but I don't know for sure.)

How strong you consider these beliefs from 1-9 (9 highest)= Eight. I'm fairly convinced based on the evidence, but I'll never assume complete certainty.

Do your parents have any religious beliefs?= Nope.

To what extent do you think they influenced you morally? (1-9)= Well... they certainly told me what not to do, in many cases. So I'll say one.

To what extent do you agree with the following statements from 1-9 (9 completely agree)
"Different types of morality cannot be compared as to 'rightness.'= Five? I feel like this one could be phrased a little better, it's kind of unclear.

Rigidly codifying an ethical position that prevents certain types of actions could stand in the way of better human relations and adjustment.= One. We all do this regarding some actions.

Whether a lie is judged to be moral or immoral depends upon the circumstances surrounding the action.= Seven.

No rule concerning lying can be formulated; whether a lie is permissible or not permissible totally depends upon the situation.= Ditto.

What is ethical varies from one situation and society to
another.= Four, I guess. Questions like this require longer answers than just numbers, though I do understand your need for numerical data.

If an action could harm an innocent other, then it should not be done.= Seven.

Deciding whether or not to perform an act by balancing the positive consequences of the act against the negative consequences of the act is immoral.= One.


Please answer yes or no to these situations.

1.You are standing on a bridge when an out-of-control mining cart comes into view. You can see 5 workers on the track who you suppose will be instantly killed unless you push a large rock off the bridge to stop the cart. However if you do this the cart driver will be killed. Do you push the rock? =Yeah.
2.This time instead of a rock there is a large man you could push. He and the cart driver will die but 5 workers will survive. Do you push the man?= Yeah

3. In a separate instance you can throw yourself in front of the cart, killing you and the cart driver but 5 workers will survive. Do you jump?= I hope I would.

Please answer every question as it is part of my dissertation/thesis research. I will post the full data results afterwards. Please feel free to comment on any similar topics.

I dunno how comprehensive all this is, but there you go. And again, I'd urge you to check out the prison statistics; last time I checked, the FBI had pegged the religious population of the US prison system as proportionally higher than the religious population of the US, and the atheist population as being proportionally less than the population in general.

Also, check out studies on religious fanaticism and, say, spousal abuse, or child abuse. Just saying.

[KichigaiNeko]

No hunny you are a freshman starting his degree in Philosophy. The 1992 makes you roughly 21 years old and you are no more alpha than my left ankle.

Hang around and you will find quite a number of Philosophy students here and can regail them for information on how best to proceed.

Good luck

[pathos]

Hi everyone I am doing research as to whether religious beliefs actually do affect the amount of pro-social behaviours engaged in and moral decision making. I would really appreciate it if you take the time to fill out this survey, I need a lot of participants.

Well, okay, I'm actually going to do this, because it sounds mildly interesting, though I'm not super thrilled at the tone you've taken so far here.

Please - State your Gender= Male

The current educational level you are studying for or highest attained.= Currently studying the third year of my degree at university.

Your religious beliefs(denomination of Christianity if applicable) / If not religious then whether atheist or agnostic= Born and bred atheist, and I'd currently label myself an agnostic atheist (I believe no god exists, but I don't know for sure.)

How strong you consider these beliefs from 1-9 (9 highest)= Eight. I'm fairly convinced based on the evidence, but I'll never assume complete certainty.

Do your parents have any religious beliefs?= Nope.

To what extent do you think they influenced you morally? (1-9)= Well... they certainly told me what not to do, in many cases. So I'll say one.

To what extent do you agree with the following statements from 1-9 (9 completely agree)
"Different types of morality cannot be compared as to 'rightness.'= Five? I feel like this one could be phrased a little better, it's kind of unclear.

Rigidly codifying an ethical position that prevents certain types of actions could stand in the way of better human relations and adjustment.= One. We all do this regarding some actions.

Whether a lie is judged to be moral or immoral depends upon the circumstances surrounding the action.= Seven.

No rule concerning lying can be formulated; whether a lie is permissible or not permissible totally depends upon the situation.= Ditto.

What is ethical varies from one situation and society to
another.= Four, I guess. Questions like this require longer answers than just numbers, though I do understand your need for numerical data.

If an action could harm an innocent other, then it should not be done.= Seven.

Deciding whether or not to perform an act by balancing the positive consequences of the act against the negative consequences of the act is immoral.= One.


Please answer yes or no to these situations.

1.You are standing on a bridge when an out-of-control mining cart comes into view. You can see 5 workers on the track who you suppose will be instantly killed unless you push a large rock off the bridge to stop the cart. However if you do this the cart driver will be killed. Do you push the rock? =Yeah.
2.This time instead of a rock there is a large man you could push. He and the cart driver will die but 5 workers will survive. Do you push the man?= Yeah

3. In a separate instance you can throw yourself in front of the cart, killing you and the cart driver but 5 workers will survive. Do you jump?= I hope I would.

Please answer every question as it is part of my dissertation/thesis research. I will post the full data results afterwards. Please feel free to comment on any similar topics.

I dunno how comprehensive all this is, but there you go. And again, I'd urge you to check out the prison statistics; last time I checked, the FBI had pegged the religious population of the US prison system as proportionally higher than the religious population of the US, and the atheist population as being proportionally less than the population in general.

Also, check out studies on religious fanaticism and, say, spousal abuse, or child abuse. Just saying.

Thanks again! That certainly sounds like a point of interest. It perhaps indicates as I have read that religious people show off pro-social behaviours in situations they feel will benefit their reputation (e.g. not cheating on an exam with the teacher out of the room) but don't fair so well otherwise! I will certainly let you know on the conclusions I come to on that.

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No hunny you are a freshman starting his degree in Philosophy. The 1992 makes you roughly 21 years old and you are no more alpha than my left ankle.

Hang around and you will find quite a number of Philosophy students here and can regail them for information on how best to proceed.

Good luck

I'm neither a Philosophy student or a freshman, and I haven't claimed to be an Alpha male. Frankly you have gone out of your way to hinder my research, which doesn't seem very welcoming or appropriate for an individual who seems keen to illustrate his masculinity, maturity and intelligence.
I am reluctant to become antagonistic but it rather seems you have an inferiority complex with regards to scientific research. Please just leave me be

[pocaracas]

No hunny you are a freshman starting his degree in Philosophy. The 1992 makes you roughly 21 years old and you are no more alpha than my left ankle.

Hang around and you will find quite a number of Philosophy students here and can regail them for information on how best to proceed.

Good luck

I haven't claimed to be an Alpha male.

That was me!
Sorry about messing your sights, Kichi.

[KichigaiNeko]

Mk...mia culpa.

---

You know I love you pocaracas

Still doesn't detract from the freshman striving to be lazy though