Quote (MrDestroyer @ 14 Feb 2015 21:42)
I think you are making an assumption about this article...
Exactly.
It's not saying that religion causes people to be more vengeful, more nationalistic, more militaristic, more authoritarian and less tolerant. But rather that people who posses these qualities tend to identify with religious ideology...hence the correlation found in the study.
Considering the study is on families... I wouldn't necessarily say direct causation but definitely some kind of a causal link. The way religious indoctrination forms a young mind leaves it open to dogmatic, unyielding and totalitarian ideologies and beliefs. Also there have been other studies that show a distinct lack of being able to tell fantasy from reality in children raised in religious households compared to those raised in secular ones.