At last there’s a study to back up what has long struck me as obvious

This clipping is from The Guardian.

There is no reference to the relationship between cause and effect in the study. The findings are that children from religious families are meaner than children from non-religious families. It does not examine the causes.

It is wrong to conclude from this that it is religion itself which makes children meaner. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that it’s more likely to be that the parents who are attracted to religion, for reasons of emotional dependence or merely to conform in society, are more likely to be the sort to raise their children to be bigoted, prejudiced and self-seeking.

If you doubt that, just look around you in Malta.