ABSTRACT
Morality is a central theme in religion. Stories of gods in all religions and cultures suggest they are concerned with human morality and willing to punish or reward accordingly (Roes & Raymond 2003; Shariff, Norenzayan, & Henrich, 2009). All major world religions explicitly teach prosociality as a virtue, and share some version of the Golden rule-treat others as you would want to be treated (e.g., parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10: 25-37, King James Version; Baha’’u’lla’h calling on his followers to “desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourselves,” Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’’u’lla’h, LXVI, Effendi, 1976; or Lao-Tzu’s description of “true goodness,” in the Tao-Te Ching; Lao Tzu, 2006). Given the close association between religious beliefs and moral issues, many argue that religion promotes prosociality and facilitates cooperation in large societies. But what are the true effects of religion on prosociality? The psychological literature reveals a complex relation between religious belief and moral action, leading to greater prosocial behavior in some contexts but not in others.
