A psychologist's take from many reviewed studies: > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/14/is-religion-a-force-for-good/ > > "In short, in discussing whether religion is a force for good we must be very clear what we mean by religion and what we mean by good. This rather nuanced conclusion may disappoint the polemicists, but - at least until this research field matures - a measure of restraint before we jump to conclusions about whether religion is inherently good or bad may not be such a bad thing."-Interesting article, but I find the methodology of their studies less than rigorous. For example, why not test to find out how thoroughly a person knows their claimed religion, and THEN find out how they behave in a group. Then you could tell if the effects were superficial or perhaps become more deeply ingrained through study.