| Welcome Guest | Forum Search | Active Topics | Members | Log In | Register | |
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/2/2009
Posts: 1,546
Points: 4,705
Location: United States
|
Belief in God Boils Down to a Gut Feeling For many people, believing in God comes down to a gut feeling that a benevolent deity is out there. A study now finds that gut feelings may be very important in determining who goes to church every Sunday and who avoids the pews. People who are generally more intuitive in the way they think and make decisions are more likely to believe in God than those who ruminate over their choices, the researchers found. The findings suggest that basic differences in thinking style can influence religious belief. Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/belief-god-boils-down-gut-feeling-104403461.html
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 5/21/2009
Posts: 5,465
Points: 15,893
Location: United Kingdom
|
And the concluding advice, I suppose, is always bring an atheist with you when you go shopping.
"Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon" Suzanne Ertz
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/17/2009
Posts: 973
Points: 2,765
Location: United Kingdom
|
pedro wrote:And the concluding advice, I suppose, is always bring an atheist with you when you go shopping. Someone said there are no athiests in the dark. I say there are no athiets in the Shopping Malls. I have heard them often say "My God! I'm not paying that!"
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/22/2009
Posts: 2,370
Points: 7,185
Location: New Hampshire, United States
|
Why burden yourself with all that thinking stuff, relax, believe. Have some Kool-Aid Sorry I know that is an over simplification of what they are saying, but I couldn't resist. Your friendly godless barbarian.
Question authority, before it questions you. How do you know, that you know, what you know?
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/18/2010
Posts: 1,197
Points: 3,275
Location: United Kingdom
|
Interesting that the headline used in the article uses the phrase "gut feeling". Intuition is a valuable mode of thinking - see the solutions to protein structures using FoldIt software gaming - it is one way that human thinking differs from computers. Am I alone in thinking that the choice of the words "gut feeling" are somehow derogatory? Maybe I am just looking for trouble .......
"The voice of the majority is no proof of justice." - Schiller
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/30/2009
Posts: 1,461
Points: 4,240
Location: United States
|
Thanks for the article, Geeman.
Intel-- I thought the same thing at first-- the (near) juxtaposition of "gut" and "avoid the pews" forced me to read the entire piece.
I know that Deepak Chopra gave a few talks to the Harvard med students/faculty (back in the 80s) and due to his introducing eastern medical philosophy, "quantum healing", gut-mind-brain interaction, etc., Harvard re-vamped its med school to incorporate a more holistic approach to "healing".
Chopra emphasized gut-instinct, linking it to many biochemical reactions (in the body), and linking it to soul/spirit involvement also.
"Gut" research of this type is fascinating since both gut and brain tissue arise from the same primordial/embryonic cells.
The gut "ruminates"; the mind/brain "ruminates"... both are intuitive... How this may influence one's belief in God, etc.,-- "threshold" type research-- I mean one foot in the seen-world, the other in the un-seen.
Cool. Go Harvard!
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/2/2009
Posts: 1,546
Points: 4,705
Location: United States
|
intelfam wrote:Am I alone in thinking that the choice of the words "gut feeling" are somehow derogatory? Maybe I am just looking for trouble Well, my rephrasing of the term into "God is in the Guts" certainly was meant to be provocative, but I only meant it to be what-could-that-be-about provocative, not derogatory. By itself, I don't think "gut feeling" is really derogatory, though. it may be a bit casual given the context, but titles are often simplistic. It is interesting, though, because when it boils down to it in modern life religion does seem to be more directed towards what might by the "feeling" side of the Myer's-Briggs test than the "thinking" side. I don't think that's necessarily a good or bad thing any more than being ESTJ is compared to INFP (to continue the MB analogy) but it does point out a few fundamental issues: 1. Logic doesn't matter. You can't argue with an emotional sense of something. Atheists should not make logical arguments to religious people in order to "prove" their points. It just isn't the language they they are speaking and, therefore, won't work. 2. Conversely, emotional arguments made by religious people will get a similar response. People talking about the love and compassion of God isn't going to make an impression on atheists because that's not the primary atheist drive. It points out to me what religious people think atheists are somehow missing some basic part of their humanity, while atheists think religious people are stupid. It's the fundamental difference in POV that determines these outlooks and conclusions.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/18/2010
Posts: 1,197
Points: 3,275
Location: United Kingdom
|
Geeman wrote:
It is interesting, though, because when it boils down to it in modern life religion does seem to be more directed towards what might by the "feeling" side of the Myer's-Briggs test than the "thinking" side. I don't think that's necessarily a good or bad thing any more than being ESTJ is compared to INFP (to continue the MB analogy) but it does point out a few fundamental issues:
1. Logic doesn't matter. You can't argue with an emotional sense of something. Atheists should not make logical arguments to religious people in order to "prove" their points. It just isn't the language they they are speaking and, therefore, won't work.
2. Conversely, emotional arguments made by religious people will get a similar response. People talking about the love and compassion of God isn't going to make an impression on atheists because that's not the primary atheist drive.
It points out to me what religious people think atheists are somehow missing some basic part of their humanity, while atheists think religious people are stupid. It's the fundamental difference in POV that determines these outlooks and conclusions.
Hmm maybe everybody should do the Myers Briggs test in school and learn about what it implies. But being someone who does come out INFP and INTP, depending what time of day I take it, who am I to feel/think this is a good idea?
"The voice of the majority is no proof of justice." - Schiller
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/18/2010
Posts: 1,197
Points: 3,275
Location: United Kingdom
|
RubyMoon wrote:
I know that Deepak Chopra gave a few talks to the Harvard med students/faculty (back in the 80s) and due to his introducing eastern medical philosophy, "quantum healing", gut-mind-brain interaction, etc., Harvard re-vamped its med school to incorporate a more holistic approach to "healing".
Chopra emphasized gut-instinct, linking it to many biochemical reactions (in the body), and linking it to soul/spirit involvement also.
"Gut" research of this type is fascinating since both gut and brain tissue arise from the same primordial/embryonic cells.
I remember this stuff being informally discussed in the psychiatrists weekly teach-in. There was a clear divide between East and West (birthplace) on the whole thing.
"The voice of the majority is no proof of justice." - Schiller
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/2/2009
Posts: 1,546
Points: 4,705
Location: United States
|
intelfam wrote:Hmm maybe everybody should do the Myers Briggs test in school and learn about what it implies. But being someone who does come out INFP and INTP, depending what time of day I take it, who am I to feel/think this is a good idea? I think that would be interesting so long as it was properly punctuated with many grains of salt.... I M-B thing wouldn't really be much of a predictor because of exactly the issue you bring up. I remember taking that test 3-4 times and getting slightly different results each time. Still, it is conceptually an interesting situation.
|
|
|
Guest |