Belief in Hell Boosts Economic Growth!

No, it's NOT from The Onion. 

Close enough, though.  I found this article on the msn.com homepage, and the ways in which it offends the thinking reader are legion.

Fer crying out loud, can anyone prove that a belief in hell-- or gods-- even promotes morality in the first place?  Particularly economic morality?

The Fed's own account of this study is as laughable as the msn.com write-up, and the absurdities ought to be obvious.  Ireland has a pretty good economy these days-- but it was the bunghole of the North Atlantic for centuries.  Have the Irish become more religious than before?
Apparently not-- church attendance is falling, and notable seminaries have had to close for lack of willing priests.  Maybe the Irish just fear hell but don't believe in God, Christ, Heaven, or the rest of it. 

Does belief in reincarnation NOT promote morality the way belief in hell "does"?  If not, why not?  That goes unanswered.  Or, apparently, unasked.

What about belief in the Islamic hell-- you know, the one with ovens and fires that sounds ten times worse than a modern liberal Christian "separation from God" kinda-hell?  The study didn't even examine notable Islamic countries (Turkey does NOT count).   Where are the North African economic powerhouses? 

The Fed's article can be found here.  Note the correction at the top of the page!  The paragraph on how fear of hell leads to less corruption is a masterpiece of weasel words and fuzzy thinking.

Christ on a biscuit.  If people have to concoct these kinds of arguments to support their religion, there must not be any good evidence to start with.

I think this religious dishonesty is undermining my faith in the economy.  Time to start hoarding my wages in the cookie jar.  Down with banks and speculators!