[ExI] young people having less sex

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On Wed, Nov 28, 2018 at 3:55 AM SR Ballard <sen.otaku at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> You can say all you like about what religions claim to preach, however the
> reality is different. By way of example: LDS (Mormon) men and women are
> expected to keep chaste until marriage. However the greater emphasis is put
> on women not to tempt men. A woman cannot exist in ‘best heaven’ unless her
> husband invites her up to it. Women can almost never exert authority over
> any male over age 12. Women cannot go into a Church building without a man
> present. Women cannot have a “women only” meeting without a man present.
> Women cannot have the priesthood but must beg men to use it on their
> behalf. Divorce is a sin, which stains a man much more than a woman and is
> basically usually her fault. Sure they say, “a man should love his wife as
> Christ loves the church” but will tell a woman to just love a man more if
> he beats her, and blame her for it.
>
> And Mormons score higher in general happiness than average, so that must
> have nothing to do with it?
>

### Well, it might mean that there are women who don't mind being dominated
by men, and willingly stay in such relationships even if leaving is an easy
option. Only 20% or less of Amish leave their faith, so there must be quite
a lot of such women. Many people recoil from freedom and would abdicate
choice if they can relinquish responsibility for shaping their lives. And
just as importantly, many of those who embrace freedom dive headlong into
insane fads and self-destructive behaviors.
----------------------------

>
> I believe it’s correlation. More religious tends to mean larger families,
> and socialization, and larger social circles, which are also correlated
> with happiness. I imagine it is the more important factor than religiosity
> in happiness.
>

### But then why does loss of religion reliably atomize families? Why does
population growth drop like a stone once religious fervor is exhausted? I
would say that religion is part of the evolved mechanism active in
maintenance of higher-density human populations. It is a form of
society-level memory that preserves many fitness-enhancing behaviors, and
thus in part is causative of population stability, growth, and is a net
contribution to individual happiness (because being part of a
disintegrating society does put the kibosh on bliss).

Please note - I am a hardcore atheist, not at any risk of converting to a
faith. I am also quite serious about being libertarian, and believe that
"Live and let live" should be the bedrock of the righteous society - but I
do note the existence of alternative and highly workable arrangements,
however odious they may be. Unfortunately, evolution explores this space of
workable social arrangements and separates winners from losers without
concern for niceness. We can and should aim for desirable equilibria but
with the understanding that our options are often limited to lesser evils.
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