What do they think causes the guilt?

Scientists doing research have posited that it's not religion but guilt that makes people "good." They've come to the conclusion that it's the idea of a higher authority watching us that keeps us from doing wrong.

Well, duh. Religion gives us a set of rules, of moral absolutes of right and wrong. It's when we abandon the absolutes--when we turn toward moral relativism--that we have events like this.

Occasionally, one religion's moral absolutes are in opposition to another's. For example, the Christian bible says "But whoever is a cause of trouble to one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him to have a great stone fixed to his neck, and to come to his end in the deep sea." I can think of nothing that causes more trouble to children than sexual abuse; however, Muslims see things differently, often marrying prepubescent or barely pubescent girls, and consummating by force.

The Christian religion says "Thou shalt not kill;" Islam justifies killing unbelievers in the name of Allah, and promises paradise for any who die in jihad.

However. Despite these clashes, both Christians and Muslims are directed to care for the poor. The devout of both religions do--there is no one more charitable than a truly faithful Muslim or Christian, because such is the way to heaven, and their God is watching. No one is less likely to commit a crime than one who believes his or her God is watching and judging their actions.

No one feels guilt more intensely than someone who's done wrong while their God is watching. Thus, while guilt avoidance is the motivator for good works, nothing prompts individuals to feel it more than a strong belief in religion. After all, when moral absolutes are what the individual feels bound by, there is no higher authority than one's God.