Does belief in hell deter crime? Does belief in heaven lower rates of criminality? These were the questions investigated by researchers in Oregon and Kansas, and their findings have been published in a paper entitled "Divergent Effects of Belief in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates" published in the online journal PLoS ONE
Sociologists have long noted the positive effects of religion in areas like generosity, co-operation and decreased levels of cheating. But this study set out to measure the relative effect of reward in the afterlife as opposed to punishment. The results are intriguing...
After correlating crime rates with religious beliefs, the researchers report that nations where a high proportion of people believe in hell have lower crime rates, but a belief in heaven actually correlates with higher crime rates. This confirms previous laboratory tests with students which found that those with stronger beliefs in in God’s punitive and angry nature tended to be the least likely to cheat on an academic task, whereas stronger beliefs in God’s comforting and forgiving nature significantly predicted higher levels of cheating.
The most criminal societies were found to be those where the highest proportion of people believed in both heaven but not hell. Furthermore, the heaven-hell difference gave a better prediction of crime levels that economic variables such as GDP and income inequality.
This raises an interesting question for Christians about how we think about our current motivation to live a godly lifestyle. Should our motivation be the joy of heaven or the fear of hell - a carrot or a stick?
I suspect this works quite differently for "religion" in general - which was the broad measure used in the study - as opposed to the gospel in particular. This substantial and careful study allowed for no differences between Islam, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism and evangelical Christianity. I suspect that, if it had, the results might have been a little different.
It is common among Bible-believing Christians to hear the view that our chief goad to godliness should come from gratitude for the gospel of grace (sorry - rather too many "g's" in that sentence). And that makes complete sense. As a believer in Christ, I have full confidence that I am utterly forgiven, and already seated securely in heaven with Christ (Ephesians 2 v 6). I don't have to serve for him, but I get to serve him. But I also have other warnings ringing in my ears about the reality of hell, and the need not to presume upon my salvation and the goodness of God. The Lord Jesus is uncomfortably clear about these things in Matthew 5 v 22, 29-30. So although the carrot appears to be at the front of my mind, the stick is not entirely absent.
Religion, however, tends to do something different. It either • waves the stick of Hell to frighten us out of wrongdoing; • offers us a conditional reward of heaven if we do good; or • gets rid of hell altogether; eg: liberal Christianity, where God never punishes anyone.
It seems that the latter fails to be an adequate promoter of godliness, and the former two approaches become manipulative tools in the hands of religion and the state.
Only the gospel of "grace that saves us from hell" really has the power to change us in a way that sets us free.
But how much should the reality of hell still figure in the mindset of believers? Your feedback warmly encouraged and received...
Tim Thornborough founded The Good Book Company in 1991. Today his roles include Chairing The Good Book Company Trust and working with the Rights team to grow TGBC's international reach. He is the author of The Very Best Bible Stories series and has contributed to many books published by TGBC and others. Tim is married to Kathy, and they have three adult daughters.
