Posted on 12/22/2002 4:52:42 PM PST by freeforall
Why men don't like church: testosterone Skipping services typical of engaging in 'short-sighted' risks
Emanuella Grinberg The Ottawa Citizen
Sunday, December 22, 2002
The risk-taking impulse that makes more men than women commit crimes is also the reason men are more likely not to be religious, says a sociologist.
"It seems that not being religious is a form of risk-taking, consistent with other patterns of short-sighted behaviour in men," said Rodney Stark, a professor of sociology and comparative religion at the University of Washington, whose study will be published in The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
"Every minister knows it's harder to get the guys to church than the women," he said. "We ought to be asking why this is."
Biological differences between men and women mean that men are more likely to have an "underdeveloped ability to inhibit their impulses," he said. "Especially those involving immediately gratification and thrills."
Mr. Stark based his conclusions on World Values Surveys, a poll of residents in 57 countries, with about 1,000 respondents in each country, which included the U.S., most European countries, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Turkey, China and India. The results showed that there were sex differences everywhere, even in religions that are very male-centred, such as Orthodox Judaism.
Mr. Stark and fellow sociologist Alan Miller published another paper based on whether gender socialization or differences in social power played a role in religiousness. Studies have shown that career women are just as religious as housewives, he said.
Mr. Stark isn't satisfied with the notion that women are socialized to be more nurturing and have more time for worship than men. For him, it is a matter of gender that makes men less religious, but not a matter of the socialization of genders, said Mr. Stark.
"It used to be said that women were socialized to raise the kids and take care of the home, but when you compare a career woman to a housewife, you see that both are still a heck of a lot more religious than any man."
He says that if not a product of socialization, low rates of male religiousness can be attributed to physiology, much like higher instances of crime among men compared with women.
"There are big gender differences among Christians, Orthodox Jews and Muslims, but in each case, more women are going to more services and saying they adhere to religious mores than men. If it were a matter of socialization, it would show up in the results," he said.
Mr. Stark also said his findings are consistent with the beliefs of criminologists across North America who find aggression more prevalent in men than women.
"High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up even where socialization is different, and so does crime and delinquency."
© Copyright 2002 The Ottawa Citizen
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"Especially those involving immediately gratification and thrills." ???
Is this person at all familiar with the women in this country during recent decades?
This is a rather interesting thread, despite no believing Christian coming forward to argue the other side - up to this point.
I am a believing born-again Christian who attends and supports a small United Methodist Church. I disagree with you about the Bible being gruesome. Taken as a whole it's a story of how God created everything in the universe, yet saw fit to come here (to Earth) as a man to let us know who He is, that He loves us and understands what we experience - all of it.
We are about to celebrate His coming to Earth like we all do - through birth. How amazing.
Without my faith I would have nothing to work for or believe in. Those who live without knowing who God is are missing what is the greatest joy one can have. I hope all of you who don't have an understanding of who God is are invited to church by someone who is a believer in Christ and the one true God. If you are touched by Him your life will change in ways I can't describe. Merry Christmas to you all.
Notice the implication here. If males & females are different, it is obviously the males who are lacking.
FEMALE = NORMAL
MALE = ABNORMAL
Any questions?
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Without you faith I find much to believe in through observation and honest intellectual derivation. The process isn't easy and isn't for everybody.
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It puzzles me how anyone of sensibility could attend the same denomination the Clintons went to and which endorsed Bill Clinton.
Testosterone is our friend.
Thank you, Shag. A Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year to you and your family! Perhaps I'll get over your way next year - I would like to!
Exactly right. Thank you for your clear statement.
You ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the refreshing insight! :-)
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