One of the few things that major religions like Christianity and Islam have going for them is the emphasis on charity and helping the poor. Facts on the ground, however, indicate that increased religiosity — i.e., increased rates of Christian and Muslim belief — correlate with worse living conditions for the poor. Increased atheism and less religion, in contrast, correlate with better living conditions — and those conditions are “better” both because there are fewer people who are poor and because those with less income are better able to make their own decisions about how to lead their lives.

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