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Belief in hell keeps crime rates down, according to new study

A University of Oregon psychologist has found that a country’s belief in heaven and hell is related to its crime rates, and that a belief in a punitive God equals less crime while a belief in a forgiving saviour means more crime.

“It seems like there is a case to be made for the causal direction that religious punishment does actually lower unethical behaviour, whereas forgiveness does seem to license people,” Azim F. Shariff, professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Morality Lab at the University of Oregon, told KEZI 9 News.

The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, took a sample survey from 143,197 people in 67 countries over a span of 26 years.

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