Can we be good without belief in god(s)? This question often crops up when discussing religion and is frequently offered as a pragmatic argument against nonbelief.

The thinking seems to be that even if good evidence for the existence of god(s) is lacking, which it most certainly is, belief in the proverbial "eye in the sky" is a useful delusion because without such belief, nothing would prevent people from behaving immorally. It's surprising how ubiquitous this argument is, considering how easily it's shown to be false.

One example comes from the National Academy of Sciences. Considering the fact that a mere 7 percent of this elite body's members profess a belief in god, one would expect it to be brimming with rapists, murderers, thieves, liars and child molesters; yet, that doesn't seem to be the case.

I do recall, however, a spate of reports involving a large, worldwide organization caught knowingly harboring child molesters within its ranks; the group's name escapes me, but it's based in Italy (Vatican City, I think).

In e-mail discussions, religionists often ask why, as an atheist, I bother to behave morally. It's as though, to them, the only thing stopping humanity from morphing into sadistically selfish malevolent monsters is belief in an invisible being who holds us responsible for fulfilling his/her/its moral expectations.

Usually, I turn the question around and ask, "Would your behavior change if you no longer believed in the existence of god? Is belief in that "eye in the sky," the only thing that keeps you from raping, pillaging, plundering and killing your parents or children?"

If so — which I don't believe for a moment — what a sad contrast it would be to the ethical behavior of nonbelievers who adhere to social and personal moral standards with no expectation of otherworldly reward. An entirely god-dependent morality is nothing but child-like obedience, a shallow ethical framework informed only through fear of punishment or anticipation of reward.

The source of humanity's "moral sense" is well beyond the scope of a short opinion column; however, for anyone interested in evolutionary explanations for morality and altruism, Richard Dawkins offers a compelling perspective in his best-selling book "The God Delusion." Michael Shermer's book "The Science of Good and Evil" also is quite good.

Regardless of the source of our "moral sense," a great deal of evidence demonstrates that belief in a god is certainly not required for people to behave in ways deemed moral.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Religion and Society, correlating social morality indicators with levels of religious belief, found that "only the more secular, pro-evolution democracies have, for the first time in history, come closest to achieving practical "cultures of life" that feature low rates of lethal crime, juvenile-adult mortality, sex-related dysfunction and even abortion. The least theistic secular developing democracies — such as Japan, France and Scandinavia — have been most successful in these regards."

In contrast, Rosa Brooks, discussing this study in the Los Angeles Times, wrote, "the most religious democracies exhibited substantially higher degrees of social dysfunction than societies with larger percentages of atheists and agnostics. Of the nations studied, the U.S. — which has, by far, the largest percentage of people who take the Bible literally and express absolute belief in God (and the lowest percentage of atheists and agnostics) — also has, by far, the highest levels of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases."

Brooks continued, "Murder rates? Six of the seven states with the highest 2003 homicide rates were 'red' in the 2004 elections (Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina), while the deep blue northeastern states had murder rates well below the national average. Infant mortality rates? Highest in the south and southwest; lowest in New England. Divorce rates? Marriages break up far more in red states than in blue. Teen pregnancy rates? The same."

Education level is likely related. According to U.S. census data, the "blue states" crush the Bible Belt states in the number of citizens with a bachelor's degree or higher. Massachusetts ranked highest; West Virginia finished last.

These findings demonstrate that religious fantasies aren't a prerequisite for morality and societal health. In fact, they may be a hindrance.

John Bice is an MSU staff member, State News columnist and author of "A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America." Reach him at bice@msu.edu.