Scientists have decided it’s official – people do not necessarily have to believe in a “god” to have a moral compass. A group of four University of Illinois surveys found that while there were subtle differences in behaviour between groups of atheists and religious people – or “theists” – they live by the same moral codes. Tomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois said: “The most general take-home message from these studies is that people who do not believe in God do have a moral compass. "In fact, they share many of the same moral concerns that religious believers have, such as concerns about fairness, and about protecting vulnerable individuals from harm.” The first two surveys crowdsourced responses from hundreds of American residents, and found that religion was unrelated to amoral tendencies, whether people would endorse liberty or oppression or whether people cared about being fair to others. The second two surveys compared thousands of people across the US and Sweden, which is a much more secular country. The data came up with the same results. Mainstream religions are on a downward trend worldwide. In the UK, for example, just 46 percent of people identified as Christian in the 2021 census, compared to 59 percent in 2011. The US has seen similar declines. Ståhl added: “However, disbelievers are less inclined than believers to endorse moral values that serve group cohesion, such as having respect for authorities, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity… “It is possible that the negative stereotype of atheists as immoral may stem in part from the fact that they are less inclined than religious people to view respect for authority, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity as relevant for morality, and they are more likely to make moral judgments about harm on a consequentialist, case by case basis.” It’s news that will come as little surprise to the estimated 750 million atheists across the globe, of course. But for people who still think religion is the key to morality, it could be food for thought. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Paris Hilton was overly prepared just in case something were to happen to her wedding dress on her big day. In an interview with British Vogue published on Thursday 26 October, the heiress said she was sent a total of 45 wedding dresses as options for her to wear during her wedding to Carter Reum in November 2021. However, 39 of them ended up going unworn. “I actually wore six dresses when I did my wedding. It was because I had literally had 45 of them," Hilton told the outlet. “My stylist was getting calls from designers all around the world. Everyone was so excited to be a part of this wedding, that they all made these incredible custom dresses.” Hilton said “I do” to her husband on 11 November 2021. For the occasion, the heiress and TV star wore a white lace gown by Oscar de la Renta. But throughout the three-day wedding party, Hilton also wore another Oscar de la Renta dress in addition to a Galia Lahav gown and a Pamella Roland design. Hilton’s other two dresses were not worn until the second and third days of the wedding celebrations. Despite her wide array of dresses to choose from, Paris explained that she knew exactly which designer she wanted to walk down the aisle in. “I knew right away that I wanted to walk down the aisle in Oscar [de la Renta],” she told British Vogue. Hilton was inspired by 1930s actress Grace Kelly’s fashion sense, saying, “I wanted something that was really princess that had like 3-D flowers on it.” And that is exactly what she wore. The dress featured a high neckline with long sleeves that were covered in flowers. Hilton completed her look with a netted veil and diamond earrings. After the nuptials, she changed into gown number two by Galia Lahav, which was an off-the-shoulder tulle dress with a corset. Her third dress was the second Oscar de la Renta dress with a ruched top and more fit for partying on the dance floor as it had a mini skirt. Dress number four was made by Pamella Roland and covered in both sequins and pearls with a deep neck-line. The final two dresses were a Marchesa gown and another Oscar de la Renta dress. Hilton wore these dresses on day two of her wedding party, which was filled with family and friends. Now, the couple is only two weeks away from celebrating their two-year anniversary. Just last month, the reality TV star and socialite shared a series of throwback photos of the couple with her 24.5 million Instagram followers for their 45-month anniversary. The two had originally met when they were in their twenties but they did not become romantically involved until late 2019 when Reum’s sister, Halle Hammond, invited them both over for Thanksgiving that year. When they reconnected, Hilton told People they had “this incredible chemistry” and had their first date soon after. Reum and Hilton made their first public appearance as a couple at the 2020 Golden Globes afterparty. Reum proposed in February 2021 while the pair were on a private island for Hilton’s 40th birthday. They were married in a lavish Los Angeles wedding ceremony on 11 November of that same year and celebrated with a neon carnival-themed afterparty. Read More Paris Hilton hits out after fans criticise her baby’s appearance Paris Hilton breaks silence on Britney Spears’ new memoir ‘Ozempic is exposing holes in the body positivity movement’ ‘Ozempic is exposing holes in the body positivity movement’ ‘A healthier addiction than drugs’: How Elton John got hooked on photography Is scalp exfoliation the key to healthier hair?

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