Distinct pathways to atheism reinforce one another in real populations

Evidence

It is interesting to note that these three factors are likely to operate in tandem and could be mutually reinforcing. As societies increasingly rely on secular institutions to enforce cooperation, religiosity declines, and so does distrust of atheists. With more secularization and greater acceptance of atheists, atheism spreads, and as atheists become more prevalent and visible, distrust of atheists declines further, which in turn contributes to more secularization. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 315 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Disbelief arises through four distinct psychological and cultural paths; Autism-linked mentalizing deficits reduce belief in a personal God; Atheism can become stable once multiple enabling conditions align (+2 more)

Related

• Atheism can become stable once multiple enabling conditions align (similarity 0.92)
• Secular institutions, atheist prevalence, and religiosity decline reinforce each other in a self-amplifying loop (similarity 0.90)
• Atheism has multiple independent causal pathways, not one (similarity 0.85)
• Strong secular institutions substitute for and undermine belief in God (similarity 0.84)
• Atheism is perceived as a public threat to cooperation, not a private belief (similarity 0.83)
• Belief-centered religions generate more prejudice against atheists than practice-centered ones (similarity 0.82)
• An unlikely mechanism reduces atheist distrust even among believers (similarity 0.82)
• Strong secular institutions reduce believers’ need to distrust atheists (similarity 0.81)
• Atheists are distrusted more than other stigmatized groups even amid rising tolerance (similarity 0.81)
• Religious believers infer atheists threaten cooperation in large groups (similarity 0.80)
• Religious cues harness situational power where secular institutions are absent (similarity 0.80)
• Anti-atheist prejudice stems from trust concerns, not xenophobia or outgroup dislike (similarity 0.80)
• Disbelief arises through four distinct psychological and cultural paths (similarity 0.80)
• Strong secular institutions raise trust and cooperation for believers and nonbelievers alike (similarity 0.79)
• Prosocial religious cohesion inherently requires excluding nonbelievers from trust (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Secular institutions, atheist prevalence, and religiosity decline reinforce each other in a self-amplifying loop #expands (0.85) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 315
• Big God religion and large-scale cooperation co-evolved in feedback #corroborates (0.75)