Brain Damage and Fundamentalism?

[Aquila King]

Quote

A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia has shown that religious fundamentalism is, in part, the result of a functional impairment in a brain region known as the prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest that damage to particular areas of the prefrontal cortex indirectly promotes religious fundamentalism by diminishing cognitive flexibility and openness—a psychology term that describes a personality trait which involves dimensions like curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness.

Religious beliefs can be thought of as socially transmitted mental representations that consist of supernatural events and entities assumed to be real. Religious beliefs differ from empirical beliefs, which are based on how the world appears to be and are updated as new evidence accumulates or when new theories with better predictive power emerge. On the other hand, religious beliefs are not usually updated in response to new evidence or scientific explanations, and are therefore strongly associated with conservatism. They are fixed and rigid, which helps promote predictability and coherence to the rules of society among individuals within the group.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/scientists-established-link-brain-damage-religious-fundamentalism/

 

[+OverSword]

10 minutes ago, Aquila King said:

A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia has shown that religious fundamentalism is, in part, the result of a functional impairment in a brain region known as the prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest that damage to particular areas of the prefrontal cortex indirectly promotes religious fundamentalism by diminishing cognitive flexibility and openness—a psychology term that describes a personality trait which involves dimensions like curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness.

Wouldn't that by the same token cause the exact same results in fundamental atheist's (there is no God no matter what!)? 

[Aquila King]

Just now, OverSword said:

Wouldn't that by the same token cause the exact same results in fundamental atheist's (there is no God no matter what!)? 

I think it would apply to any group that shuts it's mind off to alternative possibilities no matter what. The belief itself in question doesn't really matter.

[Farmer77]

3 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Wouldn't that by the same token cause the exact same results in fundamental atheist's (there is no God no matter what!)? 

I had the same thought that the title probably should just say fundamentalism. 

I suppose though the argument is that religious fundamentalism is affected by the part of the brain that accepts and adapts to new scientific information and ignoring new information isn't a tenet of all forms of fundamentalism. 

Edited March 13, 2018 by Farmer77

[XenoFish]

I need religion like I need another hole in my head.

(that's a joke, okay, a joke)

[khol]

from the article

"in other cases, extreme religious indoctrination harms the development or proper functioning of the prefrontal regions in a way that hinders cognitive flexibility and openness"

Basically robbing someone of there ability to think rationally 

[Aquila King]

22 minutes ago, khol said:

from the article

"in other cases, extreme religious indoctrination harms the development or proper functioning of the prefrontal regions in a way that hinders cognitive flexibility and openness"

Basically robbing someone of there ability to think rationally 

If scientists can prove that real brain damage comes from religious indoctrination from an early age, just think about the political implications of whether or not to allow religious parents to indoctrinate their kids.

[Kismit]

I have edited the topic title because it is in my opinion more acurate to open up the aspects of fundamentalist behaivior.

35 minutes ago, khol said:

from the article

"in other cases, extreme religious indoctrination harms the development or proper functioning of the prefrontal regions in a way that hinders cognitive flexibility and openness"

Basically robbing someone of there ability to think rationally 

This would also be true in cases of extreme indoctrination of other varieties.

The study itself just appears to be narrowly focused.

[Piney]

20 minutes ago, Kismit said:

I have edited the topic title because it is in my opinion more acurate to open up the aspects of fundamentalist behaivior.

This would also be true in cases of extreme indoctrination of other varieties.

The study itself just appears to be narrowly focused.

Such as political indoctrination and educational indoctrination.

Yeats said "education is about lighting a fire not filling a pail" and my elder and teacher Emma Engle would repeat this quote constantly. She wanted you to think. Not be filled with facts. 

[XenoFish]

38 minutes ago, Aquila King said:

If scientists can prove that real brain damage comes from religious indoctrination from an early age, just think about the political implications of whether or not to allow religious parents to indoctrinate their kids.

Might not exactly be brain damage, more like atrophy. Not that a person doesn't have reason ability, it might be stunted to not being used. 

[aztek]

52 minutes ago, Aquila King said:

If scientists can prove that real brain damage comes from religious indoctrination from an early age, just think about the political implications of whether or not to allow religious parents to indoctrinate their kids.

wow really??

what are their kids property of state, and parents are livestock who is allowed or not to teach their kids their beliefs?  that is a subject mentality. go on, try to justify it and prove me right, 

Are Amishes , and hasidic Jews  religious extremists? do you have a  problem with them? 

what are you teaching your kids?  tomorrow word religious will be dropped, and anything could be considered fundamentalism, anything you can imagine.  so maybe beliefs you teaching them now will be fundamentalist. 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2018 by aztek

[+and-then]

2 hours ago, OverSword said:

a psychology term that describes a personality trait which involves dimensions like curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness.

So let me get this straight... I believe that a man turned water into wine, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead...was raised FROM THE DEAD, and He's going to return and rule on this planet for a thousand years and...wait for it... I'm deficient in curiosity and open-mindedness?  

[XenoFish]

2 minutes ago, and then said:

I'm deficient in curiosity and open-mindedness? 

That would depend on how rigid your views are. 

[GoldenWolf]

2 hours ago, khol said:

from the article

"in other cases, extreme religious indoctrination harms the development or proper functioning of the prefrontal regions in a way that hinders cognitive flexibility and openness"

Basically robbing someone of there ability to think rationally 

A.K.A. impaired judgment.

[GoldenWolf]

31 minutes ago, and then said:

So let me get this straight... I believe that a man turned water into wine, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead...was raised FROM THE DEAD, and He's going to return and rule on this planet for a thousand years and...wait for it... I'm deficient in curiosity and open-mindedness?  

That is just plain La la land.

[WoIverine]

Thought this was interesting:

Millennials fall for financial scams more than any other age group

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/07/millennials-fall-for-financial-scams-more-than-other-age-groups.html

[+Hammerclaw]

One can find something on the internet to backup pretty much anything one chooses to believe or disbelieve. Oh look, I found something.                              http://wmbriggs.com/post/5076/                                           

[Piney]

2 hours ago, aztek said:

wow really??

what are their kids property of state, and parents are livestock who is allowed or not to teach their kids their beliefs?  that is a subject mentality. go on, try to justify it and prove me right, 

Are Amishes , and hasidic Jews  religious extremists? do you have a  problem with them? 

what are you teaching your kids?  tomorrow word religious will be dropped, and anything could be considered fundamentalism, anything you can imagine.  so maybe beliefs you teaching them now will be fundamentalist. 

 

 

I ran roughstock with Amish ranch hands. They are not fundamentalist at all.  They just believe in living simple. As a late teen you are given a choice to stay Amish or choose another belief. It's called "Rumspringa". 

[Aquila King]

2 hours ago, aztek said:

wow really??

what are their kids property of state, and parents are livestock who is allowed or not to teach their kids their beliefs? that is a subject mentality. go on, try to justify it and prove me right, 

We're talking about parents causing psychological damage to children. That's called child abuse, and already there are numerous laws against it. This isn't that outlandish a claim, so long as you can scientifically prove that these 'beliefs' are causing mental trauma.

2 hours ago, aztek said:

Are Amishes , and hasidic Jews  religious extremists? do you have a  problem with them? 

Yes, and I do have a problem with them. Though since we as a society haven't officially been presented with enough evidence to determine whether or not their beliefs and practices fall into the category of abuse, it is and should remain perfectly legal for them to believe and practice whatever.

Make no mistake, 'religious freedom' is not a blanket permission slip for you to do whatever you want. You can't have rape children for 'religious freedom', you can't discriminate against people in your workplace due to 'religious freedom', and you can't do most drugs do to 'religious freedom'. The list could go on and on.

If someone's religious beliefs cause objective harm to people, it absolutely should be illegal, and rightfully so.

2 hours ago, aztek said:

what are you teaching your kids?  tomorrow word religious will be dropped, and anything could be considered fundamentalism, anything you can imagine.  so maybe beliefs you teaching them now will be fundamentalist. 

What we're talking about here are beliefs that directly contradict objectively proven facts.

If you believe in a flat earth for instance, there's no debate here. You are objectively wrong, and we've already proven you wrong. Such is the case with other things like young-earth creationists, faith healing, anti-vaxxers, etc.

Not all issues are debatable. I'm not gonna debate with someone over whether or not a child bride should be legal. If you think that should be legal you're just flat wrong, and should be held to the fullest extent of the law. I don't see how any other form of child abuse should be treated any different.

[aztek]

6 minutes ago, Piney said:

I ran roughstock with Amish ranch hands. They are not fundamentalist at all.  They just believe in living simple. As a late teen you are given a choice to stay Amish or choose another belief. It's called "Rumspringa". 

depends what you consider fundamentalist.

google defines it a person who believes in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion.

both fall under it,   being fundamentalist in not always bad, as we see with these 2 examples. 

[Aquila King]

1 hour ago, and then said:

So let me get this straight... I believe that a man turned water into wine, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead...was raised FROM THE DEAD, and He's going to return and rule on this planet for a thousand years and...wait for it... I'm deficient in curiosity and open-mindedness?  

If you refuse to be open to the possibility that the above beliefs are not true, then yes, yes you are.

[Piney]

Just now, aztek said:

depends what you consider fundamentalist.

google defines it a person who believes in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion.

both fall under it,   being fundamentalist in not always bad, as we see with these 2 examples. 

They don't. 

[aztek]

1 minute ago, Piney said:

They don't. 

ok, then what is an example of fundamentalist?

[Piney]

Just now, aztek said:

ok, then what is an example of fundamentalist?

Southern Baptist. 

[Piney]

1 minute ago, aztek said:

ok, then what is an example of fundamentalist?

Assembly of God