An example of that influence is when someone tends to the sick, risking infection. In earlier times, that selfless person might actually have put themselves at risk of death, which doesn’t make sense from an evolutionary perspective particularly if the sick person is not family.

Religious beliefs shape key behaviors in ways that evolutionary theory would not predict, particularly when it comes to dealing with disease. That is the conclusion of research by David Hughes, an evolutionary biologist at Penn State University.

Hughes presented his findings Tuesday at the 13th Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, which is being held in Tübingen, Germany. Though not a religious person, he has long been fascinated by the power of religion to influence people to behave in ways in which they otherwise would not, as reported by Science magazine.

An example of that influence, said Hughes, is when someone tends to the sick, risking infection. In earlier times, that selfless person might actually have put themselves at risk of death, which doesn’t make sense from an evolutionary perspective, said Hughes, particularly if the sick person is not family.

The question for evolutionary biologists, said Hughes, “is not whether religion is correct on the issue of a God,” but, rather, how people behave when they believe that there is indeed a God, the magazine reported.

Assisted by two Penn State colleagues, a demographer and a historian of religion, and drawing upon interviews he had with religious leaders and relevant experts, Hughes gained an understanding, he said, of how religions have dealt with disease down through the ages.

He found interesting that, between 800 BCE and 200 BCE, when cities proliferated and deadly epidemics arose that were capable of killing off two-thirds of the population, modern religions emerged. The tenets of the various religions had much to do with whether their adherents fled from various plagues or stuck around to help the sick.

The Christian tradition, said Hughes, set by the example of Jesus, the healer, particularly stands out. Historically, no other religion – including Judaism and Islam – has been as altruistic toward the sick, according to the evolutionary biologist.

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