Omnibus Religious Fucks in the NEWS

[eschereal]

Not a specific eligious fuck, and not exacty in the NEWS as such, this fairly thorough Medium article suggests that religion, in general, seems to fuck things up. Things we consider not-so-desirable tend to correlate with areas of greater religiosity.

@The Honest Assessment

The data shows highly religious states cluster negative outcomes — obesity, lower education, gun violence, incarceration. Less religious states show better health and educational outcomes. State IQ inversely correlates with religiosity at r = −0.55. National religiosity predicts lower math and science performance at r = −0.65 to −0.74.

But here’s what it might mean.

High religiosity concentrates in economically disadvantaged regions with poor educational infrastructure. Poverty drives both high religiosity and poor outcomes. Does religiosity cause poverty, or does poverty cause religiosity? The answer probably involves feedback loops, not simple causation.