Hell beats heaven as divine law enforcer as fear of eternal damnation keeps crime rates down

Forget ASBOs - the fear of eternal damnation in hell keeps crime rates down, research shows. A study found that nations with a strong belief in hell have lower crime rates than others. But countries with a religious slant that emphases eternal life in heaven have higher rates of crime, researchers say. Religions are thought to serve as protection against unethical behaviour, but when it comes to committing crimes, specific religious beliefs are a deciding factor.

Researchers from the University of Oregon based their findings on 26 years of data involving 143,197 people in 67 countries. The researchers point out there is a growing body of evidence suggesting supernatural punishment emerged as an effective cultural innovation to get people to act more ethically toward each other.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2162429/Hell-beats-heaven-divine-law-enforcer-fear-eternal-damnation-keeps-crime-rates-down.html