Welcome back to the nonprofits. Today we're talking about atheists and the common good.
This comes to us from David's Speed and basically what this is about is
our author and another scholar wanted to really look into the claim of oh,
religious people are so much better. Look at how much religious people volunteer blah
blah blah compared to non religious people. Well, we have some interesting data,
folks, and I'm not going to give it all away because I want
to get the panel in on this. But funny enough, apparently when you
when you average it out, it appears that the average religious person does as
much, if not less, volunteer work than the non religious. I know
we're all shocked here, but Helen, what did you think about this study
that I'm really excited about it. I'm very happy because I kind of larrainge
this because I like, I'm just you know, just from my own volunteer
work, like you know, with recovering from religion, for example, I'm
surrounded by a group of very dedicated volunteers um and we've been at a lot
of them, like myself, have been at it for years because we recognize
that there are people in the world that need help. And especially if you're
coming from the seculist humanist perspective, you realize that the only thing we have
to rely on is each other. And also you only get one life.
And when you come from that perspective that there's no reward afterwards. You know,
nobody's no one's paying attention to me, you know, if I'm doing
good or bad things. But if you come from the like you want to
do the least harm as possible. It's a really good idea to become altruistic
and extend that out to your fellow people. So I am not surprised that
atheists, because of that perspective want to make more of an impact on the
world and realize that, you know, why they're here, they got to
do some stuff to make the world better a place. So I am not
I am not surprised at all. And this is a wonderful, wonderful article
to read. And I had a little bit of like, ha, screaty
religious people. We went anyway, Rabel, I'm sorry, I got giddy.
Go ahead, I believe, I guess. I guess. My first
thought, besides you know, being happy of the results, is I was
surprised. I know one had done something like this before. As far as
the study goes, I know, um it seems obvious to us who are
always told how great religious people are just de facto versus atheists, But you
know it's uh a. I want to see it done in other countries,
especially the United States, because all this data was collected from Canadian data.
Um yeah, I know that that fake, fake country up there. We
love our Canadian friends, just kidding, just friends. Other countries I would
love to see. I would love to see some breakdowns on racial lines to
see what that looks like, as well as far as volunteering, as well
as just sometimes it's helpful to have the people giving their self report data in
this case, like how much does religion actually matter to you? Because I
think that's an important factor, how much they associate with their religion, because
like the study pointed out, they broke it down into people who are inclined
to volunteer, and they kind of measure that by how much they prayed and
then versus their opportunity to do it, and they measure that by how often
they went to church. But there's another factor of like how much does I
feel Like there's a third prong here that would help like close a circle a
little bit on some of this data of how much do they actually care,
because there's certain people to go to church who don't care, but they might
end up in some kind of volunteer organization just because they're there, you know.
I think that was one thing this study really looked at, was the
opportunity they end up volunteering more than atheists, but they only volunteer more with
inside their church community. So there's interesting. It's a it's a tricky study
to do, but I think they did it pretty well. But I want
more. I want more data this sure, Kelly, do you think that
was really important to point out that a lot of the atheists who were volunteering
were volunteering just in that small area and they weren't really helping a large group
of people or a group of a group of different people. It was all
just for the one specific small community. And I don't know, to me,
that's really not so much volunteering to make toorld the better place. But
that's just me. I don't know what to say to that one. In
some cases, that's like you almost forced to do it. In certain churches.
It's like if you're showing up, you're volunteering at X, Y and
Z, and uh good good luck with that. You know. It's like
you can't say no, so even if you don't want to do it,
you're doing it. Yeah, right right. I'm really not surprised at this
at all. I mean, the volunteers here at the ACA are amazing.
You know what a group of great group of people that are to work with.
They're all really dedicated, they're hard working people, and we're all and
all volunteers and look at the awesome stuff that they do here. I've been
a part of voluntary organizations for a long time. I've started a couple in
the community, and the people that come to the meetings and really help have
always, in my experience anyway, have always been, for the most part,
pretty non religious. They weren't atheists, but they're the type of people
that if you ask them if they believe in God, they would tell you
yes, but they never go to church on Sunday, or maybe they go
on Christmas or Easter. You know, you know, you know the type.
I probably got some of them in your family, so that every organization
I ever put together, those were the people that really sat on our volunteer
boards that got the work done that of that group. So yeah, that's
this doesn't surprise me at all. M SR. You want to add more
to it, yeah, I think. I think the point that Raphaela just
mentioned was one of the things that was so deeply awesome about this study,
because you know, we're good skeptics here, right, we really shouldn't be
believing stuff without good evidence. I'll go ahead and let y'all know, though
I will show you my flaws. I have believed this for years. I
have just totally believed the outcome of this study for years, and one of
the biggest reasons was due to the classification in the United States of religious organization.
They are by default a charity. And so if a religious organization is
a charity, and you're saying to me, well, religious people give more
money to charities than non religious people, well what freaking charities? Because if
it's just your church, what does that do? How is that beneficial?
How is that a good thing? How are you trying to say, oh,
wow, now I'm helping out in the world. You gave ten dollars
to your local animal shelter. I gave a hundred to my church. So
that we could put on a Jesus play. I don't know, That's what
I'm saying, right Like, it just doesn't. So yeah, I was
really really glad that they they did that breakdown of it. Um. I
guess just you know, can we get of this right? Like? You
know, like you were saying, Raphael, like it seems like this should
be something that we should do kind of across the board. But again,
this is just another example of religion co opting all the good things about what
it means to be a person and just saying, oh, no, we're
the only ones you know, Oh that charity only comes from my God.
It can't just be something that you in in yourself, like George, Um,
what else you got on this? Raphael? Sorry you put in tricky.
Um No, I totally agree. Um, I wouldn't be surprised if
there's some form of our charities better than secular charities. I'm going to volunteer
or give my money to those types. I'll also point out, just like
if you're religious to some you know, in some forms, not in all
cases. Clearly you're at church like three or four times a week, you're
at the youth stuff, you're at you're thin. On top of that,
you take care of your family, you've got a job, you're trying to
do whatever, you're just gonna default to wherever you're you're either not going to
do any charity, which you know, this study showed some people who don't
go to church as much don't do a lot of charity, or you're just
gonna default to that social structure in that church, you know, because you
you're out of bandwidth to do that. And you know, it's kind of
like when people say they have nothing to lose from like believing, it's like
if your whole life to lose. In this case, you're you're like volunteering.
You're at church all the time. You're volunteering doing stuff that you know
really doesn't benefit the community. You know, personally, for me, I
try to volunteer in things that actually like benefit people that may not be like
me, or at least it's community based in some type. So I don't
know. To me, it was like I think you sr and Helen said,
how you know, this is what we've always expected, this is what
I've always expected. But it was also to add to me that all they're
like a lot of the volunteerism that these religious people are doing just like evaporates
once you take, like you delete all the volunteering they do for their church
and they're doing nothing. You know, it's there, you know, they
could be doing so much more than whatever they're you know, bringing cookies to
you know, the Sunday school or whatever every week. So for me,
it was reassuring that, hey, now we have some data points on this,
but also like, that's kind of depressing, Kelly. Do you have
anything to add to that. Yeah, I You know, I've often been
asked by atheist or theist, because I'm an atheist, why I volunteer to
do things that Why? Why is it important to me to make the world
a better place? And I think, and I don't want to speak for
everybody here, but wouldn't I answer that question? And I think a lot
of atheists volunteer for the same reason is that we only have this one life.
We got to make it count. We only have one chance. Why
wouldn't we want to make a better place. Why wouldn't we want to make
somebody's suffering a little a little more alleviated. Why wouldn't you want to change
the system system so it works more fairly for everyone. Why wouldn't you want
to stand up for marginalized communities and fight for their rights. Why why wouldn't
you want to stand up in front of people and get them organized and talk
them into joining you. I don't understand why anybody wouldn't want to do anything
to make the world a better place. And I'm honestly I wish I had
the energy I had I don't know, like three hundred ninety years ago when
I was young, so I could do it all over again because I had
so much fun doing it And I don't have I don't have high morals,
I don't have high motives. I'm a selfish altruist. I look at the
world and I think, if I make that thing better for the world,
I'm making that better for me too. So I think everybody just needs to
go out with that kind of mindset and go out and be selfish, go
out and change the world and be a little selfish. That's all I think
people should do. Helen, you want to add to that, Yeah,
Like, I wasn't surprised by this at all, um, because you know,
I'm a volunteer with these in volunteer for how far you just get it.
You meet people that want to help, you know, and I just
I just love it. How Like, you know, the religious community likes,
you know, snother noses up at us and be like, you know,
well, because they have normal morals, they don't care about other people.
I'm like, yeah, but you you volunteer because you're worried that your
your sky God is gonna be mad at you and you're not gonna give rowning
points, you know, so you can make it into like you know,
this heaven you know that doesn't exist. But okay, that's fine, you
know. I we do it because we recognize the benefits of helping your fellow
human beings. Because, as you said, Kelly, it comes back to
us. And I want to live in a nice world where everybody's kind to
each other and helps each other out. I want to live there. That's
a good place to lead because I like pleasure and I like to feel and
helping people helps them feel good, and then I feel good and everybody's happy.
That's nice. And and when you come from that, you know more
punishment mentality. You're one, you know, you're if you're in church,
you're compelled to do it. It's not coming from a place of self service.
It comes from a place like I'm going to be guilted into it.
I'm going to be shunned. I'm going to be treated that if I don't
give this time that I don't really care about the church in my church community.
You know, you're not tithing the right amount of money. You know,
these different things. And also like, yes, money is really important
to a law of an organizations, but that's easy. Running a check is
the easy thing to do. Putting the time and effort in to do those
things and to push yourself to be like you know, you're working a forty
r a week and you push yourself to go do something else for somebody else
that takes that takes a little bit more effort for you to go. You
know, I'm going to go, you know, pick up trash on the
side of the road, or you know, do a beach cleanup, or
volunteer you know with my local Girl Scout troupe, you know, or volunteer
with a Seculist organization. You know. Um, any anything that you care
about, you can do something about. But when you're kind of force into
it, the passion isn't there because you're being volunteered to do it, you
know, and and to be a volunteer but also be a productive, willing
volunteered that actually wants to help. You have to have some kind of passion
and want to do it. And I think that's why atheists do it,
because we have a passion and then want to make the world a better Any
other notes as are on that thought, yeah, I mean just a quick
one. It definitely talked about opportunities being an important aspect of how much people
volunteered, um, and so in part that could just be something to do
with the failings on the secular organization side of not getting out those opportunities,
right um. And that's that's, you know, not to say that that
we don't obviously there's there's lots and lots of places, by the way,
I don't know if you guys know, but the ACA has a website.
There's lots of places you can find out how to volunteer. But like maybe
maybe we just really need uh more of a push to let people know,
hey, there are places that you can come and give your time to without
having to sit through a whole Catholic mass or sermon. Right um, what
do you think on that Kelly, Oh, you're gonna call me again,
darn um. No, I think you're right. I think you're right,
definitely. And there are there's tons of places out there to or to volunteer
at, and it takes getting up and off your button go look for him.
Honestly, there are out there. There's every I'm dating myself, but
every local newspaper, every local internet group on forums on the internet. All
the local forums will have places that are meeting, or we'll have groups that
are meeting, groups that are trying to do something in the community. One
of the things I got involved wood several years ago is my little Talent has
a festival that they put on every year. I'm not doing it anymore.
I kind of got a little bit busier with everything else. But when they
first started doing the festival, I got involved with it with it and I
started helping organize the art and craft show for the book, and it was
just something fun to do. I got to meet a whole bunch of people
I had just moved to town, and he got me to know everybody,
got me to know everybody and become a part of my community, and it
was great. It was a really great experience, and there's always things like
this to do. You just have to go look for him. That's it.
You have to be willing to look for him and go look for him
and find something that you're interested in, because there's a lot of things out
there to be interested in. Yeah, and I think that's an awesome point
to end on. You know, there is a heck of a lot of
great places to volunteer if you want to with secular organizations. So thanks so
much for watching and listening, folks, And if you want to hear more
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