Home 
Pop Quiz: Which kid is most likely to be greedy and judgmental?
- The kid being raised by atheists.
- The kid being raised by wolves.
- The kid walking home from Sunday School.
Tis the season for sharing and caring, which is why some findings just released from the University of Chicago is so unsettling. Researchers discovered that kids with religious parents may be less empathetic and sensitive than kids without any religious background. Of course, this data disagrees with the popular assumptions of society and hopes of well-intentioned parents of faith.
The psychologists’ study looked at more than 1,000 kids from six countries, ages 5 to 12, and tried to gauge their level of altruism. During one part of the test, the kids were given a certain amount of stickers and were then encouraged to share them with others. The second phase of testing involved showing the kids short video clips of one character being mean to another. Interestingly, kids from “religious” families seemed less likely to share the stickers with others than the kids from non-religious families. Furthermore, the religious kids also seemed more vindictive than non-religious kids in responding to the characters who teased or pushed others in the videos.
Dr. Jean Decety, one of the lead researchers, summed up the findings by saying, “Together, these results reveal the similarity across countries in how religion negatively influences children’s altruism. They challenge the view that religiosity facilitates pro-social behavior, and call into question whether religion is vital for moral development — suggesting the secularization of moral discourse does not reduce human kindness. In fact, it does just the opposite.”
While the study definitely had some questionable aspects, the findings should give us a reason to renew and refine our task of “training up a child” (Proverbs 22:6). Remember, our job as Christian parents is to teach about a life-giving Savior (Jesus)…not a lifeless system (religion).
Click here for the online report.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Atheism
Care
Children
Faith
Family
Generosity
Greed
Jesus’ Teachings
Kids
Kindness
Parenting
Parents
Religious
Research
Sharing
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
