Believers Leave Punishment to Powerful God

Believers Leave Punishment to Powerful God

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Believing in an involved, morally active God makes people less likely to punish others for rule-breaking, new research finds. However, the researchers also find that religious belief in general makes people more likely to punish wrongdoers – probably because such punishment is a way to strengthen the community as a whole. In other words, religion may introduce two conflicting impulses: Punish others for their transgressions, or leave it to the Lord.