Research suggests a secular upbringing might be better for children

Over the last 15 years, more and more research has found that a household without religion can be healthier for kids.

An article from the Los Angeles Times' Phil Zuckerman collated this research to conclude that a secular upbringing is a "sound and solid foundation for children."

Included in Zuckerman's research is a 2010 paper from Duke University found that children raised without religion were “less vengeful, less nationalistic, less militaristic, less authoritarian, and more tolerant, on average, than religious adults.”

The research also found that these children were less susceptible to racism and peer pressure.

Zuckerman spoke to Vern Bengtson, a professor of gerontology and sociology at USC.

Bengtson explained that in one of his studies, he found non-religious parents to be "more coherent and passionate" about their ethics than those who were religious.

“The vast majority appeared to live goal-filled lives characterised by moral direction and sense of life having a purpose," he added.

Research from Boston University also found that religious children are less likely to be able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

"Secular children were more likely than religious children to judge the protagonist in such fantastical stories to be fictional," researchers concluded.