I'm atheist and non-religious, as well as anti-religion, so I find this hilarious although I withhold final judgement until it is studied further.

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/02/10/selective.brain.damage.modulates.human.spirituality

Quote :

"They focused specifically on the personality trait called self-transcendence (ST), which is thought to be a measure of spiritual feeling, thinking, and behaviors in humans. . . . The group found that selective damage to the left and right posterior parietal regions induced a specific increase in ST. . . . Damage to posterior parietal areas induced unusually fast changes of a stable personality dimension related to transcendental self-referential awareness. Thus, dysfunctional parietal neural activity may underpin altered spiritual and religious attitudes and behaviors.""

And another rare scientific study on religion and morality for your enjoyment:

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/02/08/morality.research.sheds.light.origins.religion

Quote :

"Citing several studies in moral psychology, the authors highlight the finding that despite differences in, or even an absence of, religious backgrounds, individuals show no difference in moral judgments for unfamiliar moral dilemmas. The research suggests that intuitive judgments of right and wrong seem to operate independently of explicit religious commitments. "

This, of course, contradicts the standard Christian dogma that we are born sinners who need morals taught to us through the bible.

[Edited on February 11, 2010 at 2:46 AM. Reason : .]

2/11/2010 2:42:08 AM

Quote :

"I'm atheist and non-religious, as well as anti-religion, so I find this hilarious although I withhold final judgement until it is studied further."

looks like you put a lot of faith in your point of view.

2/11/2010 8:01:01 AM

Quote :

"If a stable personality trait like ST can undergo fast changes as a consequence of brain lesions, it would indicate that at least some personality dimensions may be modified by influencing neural activity in specific areas"

This is the real point of the article, not "Spirituality is dysfunctional" as you imply. I definitely appreciate the hooksaw "gotcha" posting style, though I'm glad you left out the roll-eyes.

2/11/2010 9:15:43 AM

Quote :

"This, of course, contradicts the standard Christian dogma that we are born sinners who need morals taught to us through the bible. "

this is not christian dogma, morality can exist independent of any religion

2/11/2010 9:26:21 AM

Puppies seem to feel upset when they make a fellow puppy yelp in pain. Who taught them that?

2/11/2010 9:36:50 AM

Quote :

"looks like you put a lot of faith in your point of view."

trust != faith

2/11/2010 9:51:44 AM

Carzak, I'm a little concerned right now. About your salvation and stuff. How come you have not been baptized?

Carzak: 'Because I never got around to it, okay?'

::picks up a bowl and walks to sink to fill bowl with water::

Carzak: 'I don't know why you're judging me, because I only believe in science.'

::Walks over to Carzak with bowl filled with water doing Father, Son and Holy Spirit Sign.::

'It's just that we're going up against Satan's Cavemen and I thought it would be a good idea if you...'

::stands next to Carzak and pushes his head in the bowl which comes back up quickly::

'...FELICIDADES!'

2/11/2010 10:05:00 AM

Quote :

"I'm atheist and non-religious, as well as anti-religion, so I find this hilarious although I withhold final judgement until it is studied further."

http://www.youtube.com/user/EdwardCurrent

[Edited on February 11, 2010 at 1:20 PM. Reason : the best of teh internets]

2/11/2010 1:19:29 PM

Quote :

"I'm atheist and non-religious, as well as anti-religion, so I find this hilarious although I withhold final judgement until it is studied further."

2/11/2010 1:26:45 PM

Oh, I think I get it. It kind of looks contradictory on the surface. My purpose with that was just to give a little background about myself instead of just posting an article by itself.

Being atheist doesn't necessarily mean I won't accept the existence of a god if the evidence presents itself. And being anti-religion doesn't mean I think every aspect of religion is bad, or not worthy of consideration. So, I don't have any kind of "final judgement" in those stances. And I especially wouldn't if there were only one study supporting it.

As for the point of the first article, I thought it was pretty clear, but I'll leave that up to the judgement of the reader.

2/11/2010 2:30:15 PM

I'm cynical about all types of stuff

I must have very good brain health

2/11/2010 2:34:15 PM

I guess if cynicism were the opposite of spirituality, that might work. Maybe you mean skepticism?

2/11/2010 2:39:53 PM

Quote :

"trust != faith"

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=i5L&q=define%3A+trust&btnG=Search

Quote :

"have confidence or faith in;"

first fucking link, lol.

2/11/2010 4:05:30 PM

I usually think of faith as believing in something that you can't verify with the senses. I'm sure it has more general definitions, but faith, especially in a religious context, is closer to how I define it.

2/11/2010 4:08:33 PM

one could make the same argument for trust, as well. otherwise, if it could be verified, it wouldn't be trust. it would just be fact

2/11/2010 4:11:10 PM

Are you trying to say that trusting science is the same as religious faith, or are you just playing semantics games?

2/11/2010 4:29:08 PM

are you trying to put words in my mouth?

2/11/2010 4:31:30 PM

No, I'm trying to get you clarify what you're saying.

2/11/2010 4:35:45 PM

I'm saying that the word "trust" is a synonym of the word "faith" as referenced by the link I posted. what's so hard about that

2/11/2010 4:38:58 PM

Oh okay, so pointless semantics then.

2/11/2010 4:39:52 PM

given that someone else said "trust != faith," it's more than "pointless semantics." nice try, though

2/11/2010 4:43:47 PM

Given that trust and faith are not equal in the given context, you are just pointing out that they mean the same for sake of semantics, and you have no other point except to argue for aguments sake.

Nice try, though.

2/11/2010 4:48:31 PM

synonym. look up the definition of the word. someone said "trust != faith". A synonym means that it is. Even in this context. Now, you want to go down the road of "trust in science" versus "religious faith," that's a different argument, but one that could also logically be made. It aint semantics. Unless, of course, you just want to be a douchebag, which you clearly do.


Do we need to go further? Ok, let's do...
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trust

Quote :

"Trust implies instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something"

wow, sounds a lot like faith, don't it?

Oh, look at the definition of faith
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith

Quote :

"confidence or trust in a person or thing"

2/11/2010 4:56:21 PM

Oh my, I bow to your stupidity and ego once again.

2/11/2010 5:18:21 PM