Is the atheist brain more evolved?

Most of the population belives in a higher power, but could it be that our brains are wired to do that? It seems that there is a part of our brain that is responsible for the "heavenly" events that some experience.

they can be induced by delivering mild electric current to specific spots in the brain. In one woman, for example, a zap to a brain region called the angular gyrus resulted in a sensation that she was hanging from the ceiling, looking down at her body.

NYT

Now that said is it possible that they lack the brain connections that forces us to
belive in a higher power and they are simply evolved beyond the population
by just a bit?

mod edit, format link

[edit on 6-5-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

Now that said is it possible that they lack the brain connections that forces us to belive in a higher power and they are simply evolved beyond the population
by just a bit?

Who is "they"?
What defines these events as "heavenly".

However, I believe the atheist brain is more evolved.

An "atheist" will try to percieve a rational explanation by questioning all aspects and possibilities of the event in a rational manner, rather than a religious person who instantly presumes the cause, therefore requiring no additional thought.

So in my humble opinion, atheists have a more developed sixth sense and wisdom from logical analysis rather than a believers "mystic" unfounded answer making atheists more evolved.

Atheist = + = fact and belief in the inner power of ones self

Religious = + = fiction and belief in the higher power of another

[edit on 5-5-2007 by nerbot]

helo lecter, i myself am an atheist but with modesty i cannot claim that i am more evolved than the rest. i can only say that i am different, maybe more aware.

personally i feel deep and contented about being an atheist as i feel a genuine joy in the thought that i am not bounded by any religion or the fear of a god. As an atheist who was once a faithful before, especially living in a predominantly catholic country like the Philippines, my mindset and conviction is such that i can never get myself or even imagine getting back to a faithful state. Going to the church and listening to a priest or pastor preaching things from ages ago that i dont buy anymore seems very primitive to me, making me feel like im not...evolved? HEY!

Religion is a controlling factor for humans even after the law of the land has failed to control its people. Having said that, maybe your proposition has its merits. If an atheist has acheived a certain degree of self control wherein he has remained a responsible human being even without the control mechanisms of religion and government, fully aware of his capabilities and limits, having a sane sense of right and wrong, then there really you have an evolved being.

But on your other proposition having atheism as result from the lack of brain connections, that one i cannot concur. I acheived my atheism through normal logical thinking, being just aware and questioning-questioning a dogma which seemed irrational for me, then doing research, then more logical thinking. it is a process and a journey that i underwent and not a physiological predestination.

i do not think zapping my brain would make me a religious faithful.

This is absurd.

Of course atheists aren't more "evolved".

And even if they are, so what?

Evolution and Devolution, the Laws of the Arcanum 10

From the strictly academic point of view, the Word Evolution means: development, construction, progression, improvement, advance, edification, dignification, etc.

Taking a clear, orthodox and purely grammatical approach, the term Devolution means inverse progression, retrogression, destruction, degeneration, decadence, etc.

Obviously it is urgent that we emphasize the transcendental idea that the Law of Antithesis coexists with any crude natural process. This concept of content is absolutely, unimpeachable, unassailable and irrefutable.

Some specific examples are day and night, light and darkness, construction and destruction, increase and decrease, birth and death, etc...

The exclusion of any of these two aforementioned Laws, Evolution and Devolution, would give rise to a static, quiescent, radical paralysis of natural mechanisms.

To deny then, any of these two ordinances, in fact represents a fall into barbarism...

*SNIP*




Life waves descend afterwards, devolving towards the interior of the planetary organism to go down through the animal and plant scales, returning down to the mineral kingdom.

The Wheel of Samsara turns; evolving Anubis ascends on the right side, devolving Typhon descends on the left.

The condition of the intellectual humanoid state is excessively relative and circumstantial...





...Ostensibly this hieratic image is very remote from the evolving and devolving laws which are represented on the right and left sides of the wheel, and indicates to us the path of the Revolution of Consciousness, real Initiatic Wisdom...

Only by entering onto the Path of Inner Rebellion, only by removing ourselves from the evolving and devolving paths of the Wheel of Samsara can we become Genuine and True, Real Humans.

The intransigent exclusion of the Doctrine of the Transmigration of Souls as taught by Krishna, the Great Hindu Avatar, imprisons us in the Dogma of Evolution...

Aquarian Message

The experiences of life complicate and strengthen the "I". We have been evolving for many millions of years... so what? What did we gain with these many experiences?

The simple human being of eighteen million years ago is now the complicated, perverse, sly and selfish person of these great cities.

Is this progress?

The Occult directors of Humanity's evolution, the True Solar Men, are very Religious: The Kalki Kings of Shamballah, Great White Brotherhood, Magi, Dharmapalas, Illuminati, etc. etc. etc.

Only those who are capable of properly handling the most powerful force in the Universe(the Sexual Energy), can go beyond the fatal wheel of devolution and evolution:

Occult Anatomy

The wise North-American Kabbalist Manly P. Hall, who was cited by the great Master of the White Lodge, Dr. Francisco A. Propato, said in his book of Occult Anatomy of Man, the following:

"Those who will be incapable of lifting the fire of the spinal medulla throughout their Sushumna canal, will be cast aside into a lateral kingdom, similar to that of the present apes (monkeys, chimpanzees, etc.)."

With all this in mind, the Inner Mind doesn't have to believe, because It can directly perceive all the Secrets of Nature:

The Three Minds

...In the name of truth we must state that in synthesis we have three minds.


The first one we can and must call the Sensual Mind. The second we shall christen with the name of Intermediate Mind. The third we shall call the Inner Mind.

Now we are going to study each of these three minds separately and judiciously.

Unquestionably, the Sensual Mind develops its basic concepts via external sensory perceptions.

Under these conditions the Sensual Mind is terribly crude and materialistic. It cannot accept anything which has not been physically demonstrated....*SNIP*

[edit on 5-5-2007 by Tamahu]

mod edit of VERY long quotes

[edit on 7-5-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

Considering what has happened to countries with atheists in charge, I seriously doubt the "more evolved" hypothesis.

Originally posted by uberarcanist
Considering what has happened to countries with atheists in charge, I seriously doubt the "more evolved" hypothesis.

Same here.

Marxism=black Magic!?

...There exists violence against God, in the intellectual rascals, in those know-it-alls that deny all spiritual possibilities to man; in those who believe that they have monopolized universal knowledge; in the models of wisdom; in the learned ignoramuses who not only ignore but also ignore that they ignore, in the iconoclasts that raze to the ground when they analyze religious principles but who leave their followers without a new spiritual base.

There exists violence against God in the Marxist-Leninists, pseudo-sages that have taken away the spiritual values from humanity.

There comes to memory in these moments an encounter with Carl Marx in the submerged worlds. I met him in those tenebrous regions; such a person had awakened in evil and for evil; however, he was a fallen Bodhisattva.

Marx was followed by Lenin, who as an evil shadow was unconscious and profoundly asleep...

Mao Zedong:

"Religion is Poison."

Film clips of Chinese soldiers abusing Tibetan monks

My Return to Tibet

..."How much pain I felt when walking through all of the towns and villages of Tibet!


Everywhere, here, there and further, I could see the Chinese Communist troops that perfidiously had invaded the sacred land of the Adepts.

How frightful the profaners are! Behold there the red soldiers at the doors of the very sacred pagodas, cynically making a mockery of what they do not understand.


Unto the divine Padma Sambhava, incarnation of the Lotus and protector for all the Conscious Beings, I supplicate freedom for Tibet.

Unto all the sublime Fathers and Mothers of all Buddhas from the five Orders, I beseech to remove forever the barbarian hordes who have assassinated the Saints.

Bhagavan Aklaiva, protector Master of our Sacred Order, help us. Remove from Tibet the brutalising hordes of Marxism.

Ah! The Tathagata (Buddha) knows very well how much I had to suffer when contemplating the terrible solitude of the valley of Amitabha.


What happened with those religious festivities, which in a fore time were cheering the sublime valley?

Now, only the sanguinary troops of Marxism are seen everywhere. Until when will this bitterness have to continue?

Fortunately, the Monastery of the Sacred Order of Tibet is very well-protected inside the Fourth Dimension."

- Samael Aun Weor

[edit on 5-5-2007 by Tamahu]

i doubt the atheist brain is "more evolved" but i wouldn't be surprised if it was found that the average atheist is significantly more intelligent than the average theist.

i doubt it's coincidental that when the national academy of the sciences did a self-study they found that about 90% of their members were either atheist or agnostic.

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
i doubt it's coincidental that when the national academy of the sciences did a self-study they found that about 90% of their members were either atheist or agnostic.

Indeed it is no random coincidence.

The Antichrist

Dazzling Intellectualism, as the manifested functionalism of the psychological "I," is without a doubt the Antichrist. Those who suppose that the Antichrist is a strange personage born somewhere on the Earth or coming from this or that country are certainly completely mistaken. We have emphatically stated that the Antichrist is definitely not a particular person, but all people. Obviously, the Antichrist itself exists deep within each person and expresses itself in many ways. Intellect which is placed in the service of the Spirit is useful; intellect which is divorced from the Spirit becomes useless. Villains arise from intellectualism without spirituality: a vivid manifestation of the Antichrist. Obviously, the villain, in and for itself, is the Antichrist. Unfortunately, the world today with all its tragedies and miseries is governed by the Antichrist. The state of Chaos in which modern humanity finds itself is undoubtedly due to the Antichrist. The iniquitous one, of which Paul of Tarsus spoke in his Epistles, is certainly the harsh reality of our times. The iniquitous one is already here. It manifests itself everywhere; it certainly has the gift of ubiquity.


It argues in cafes, negotiates at the United Nations, sits comfortably in Geneva, conducts experiments in laboratories, invents atomic bombs, remote-controlled missiles, asphyxiating gases, bacteriological bombs, etc., etc., etc.

The Antichrist, fascinated by its own intellectualism, which is absolutely exclusive to know-it-alls, believes that it knows all of the phenomena of Nature.

The Antichrist, believing itself to be omniscient, is trapped in the decay of its own theories. It directly rejects anything resembling God, or that which is worshipped. The Self-sufficiency, Pride and arrogance of the Antichrist are unbearable. The Antichrist mortally hates the Christian virtues of Faith, patience and humility.

Everyone bows before the Antichrist. Obviously, it has invented ultrasonic aircraft, wonderful ships, splendid cars, amazing medicines, etc. Under such conditions, who can doubt the Antichrist?

In this day and age, anyone who dares to speak against all the miracles and wonders of the Son of Perdition condemns himself to everyone's ridicule, sarcasm and irony; he condemns himself to be classified as stupid and ignorant...


...The Antichrist has prepared the programs of the humanoid robot and the robot humbly prostrates itself before its Master. How could a robot possibly doubt the wisdom of its master?...


...There is no doubt that the Antichrist mortally hates that precious sense of the Being known as the 'faculty of instinctive perception of cosmic truths.'

Pure science, different from the decaying university theories which exist here, there and everywhere, is something inadmissible for the Antichrist's robots.

The Aquarian Message

...In this day and age, this Tower of Babel is represented by the hollow, superficial and vain science of materialistic scientists.

God will confuse their tongues, and the Tower of Babel will be fulminated by the terrible ray of the Cosmic Justice.

This fragile and hollow tower which is deprived of any type of spirituality is in these present times, as well as in ancient times, threatening the starry heaven.


The atheists, enemies of the Eternal One, want to take heaven by assault, and to conquer other worlds of space. But, soon they will be wounded to death.

The terror of Love and Law reigns within the sacred space where the innumerable worlds move and palpitate.

The interplanetary voyages are only for divine humanities of the starry space. The human being of the earth is not yet worthy to penetrate the starry space. Let us put a chimpanzee or any other type of ape inside the laboratory and observe what will happen...

www.yerf.com..." target='_blank' class='tabOff'/>

When these human beings conquer the moon, when the atheists (enemies of the Eternal One) profane sacred space, when the wise men of this Great Babylon, filled with pride and arrogance, prepare themselves to conquer other worlds, then the end will come.

The Tower of Babel will fall fulminated and from all of this, the Great Babylon (humanity) will not remain not with even one stone upon the other.

[edit on 5-5-2007 by Tamahu]

I'm sorry, but the fact that you posted something as absurd as this shows that an atheist's mind is not more evolved than a non atheist.

So in my humble opinion, atheists have a more developed sixth sense and wisdom from logical analysis rather than a believers "mystic" unfounded answer making atheists more evolved.

I'm using logic and reason and what i've concluded is that what your saying doesn't make sense! Being an atheist or being religious is a personal choice. Its not a gene thats passed down or a evolutionary tendency. Its a choice based on many factors. Faith doesnt exclude logic and reason.

and P.S. no i'm not religious


[edit on 5-5-2007 by xEphon]

Originally posted by Lecter
Most of the population belives in a higher power, but could it be that our brains are wired to do that? It seems that there is a part of our brain that is responsible for the "heavenly" events that some experience.

they can be induced by delivering mild electric current to specific spots in the brain. In one woman, for example, a zap to a brain region called the angular gyrus resulted in a sensation that she was hanging from the ceiling, looking down at her body.



Also, Religious experiences actually are related to the glandular secretions of the Human Body(especially the Pineal and Pituitary Glands).

However, Religion is of course not limited to the physical body.

Fundamental Notions of Endocrinology and Criminology

Gnosis, Practical Alchemy, Criminal Justice and Clairvoyance

Samael Aun Weor gives a complete scientific explanation of the science of transmutation and its intricate workings in the endocrine system, the chakras, the Astral and Vital Bodies, and more. In the second half of the book the student will discover the many types of clairvoyance, how they manifest, how they are developed, and how they play a part in the horrendous crimes that plague humanity.


“Desire is the fundamental matter of every crime.”

See also the link to the books by Manly P. Hall, quoted above, on Occult Anatomy.


And the following lecture:

The Transmutation of Sexual Energy (1)


And we do need to point out that the subjective experiences of the subjects mentioned in that NY Times article, are just that: Subjective.

The experiences of a trained Adept are certainly not subjective.

The Extra Sensory Perceptions of an Adept are the Objective Conscious Awareness of the Higher Dimensions of the Tree of Life.


And it is said that epileptics are usually people who were mediums or channellers(which is usually black magic) in their past life, or lives.

[edit on 5-5-2007 by Tamahu]



[edit on 7-5-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

Originally posted by uberarcanist
Considering what has happened to countries with atheists in charge, I seriously doubt the "more evolved" hypothesis.

Oh really? Do you honestly believe that a religious person will be more likely to rule honestly and promote ALL faiths, not just his/her own?

And Communism/Marxism isn't the same as atheism, Tamahu. That's like saying 'Islam is evil' because Muslim fundamentalists stone Kurdish people.
Your 'AntiChrist' rant is equally ridiculous.
So every human invention not equally mixed with 'spirituality' is Satanic and empty? Better turn off that computer then. . And most atheists/agnostics I know don't 'morally hate' faith, patience and humility.
Also Tamahu can you please make your own arguments, then use evidence to back them up, rather than just posting pseudo-esoteric gibberish and irrelevant pictures?

Also I highly doubt that atheists are 'more evolved' than their 'believing' countrymen, as most of both blindly believe their god/god doesn't exist and decry theists/atheists.

Originally posted by xEphon
I'm sorry, but the fact that you posted something as absurd as this shows that an atheist's mind is not more evolved than a non atheist.

So in my humble opinion, atheists have a more developed sixth sense and wisdom from logical analysis rather than a believers "mystic" unfounded answer making atheists more evolved.

I'm using logic and reason and what i've concluded is that what your saying doesn't make sense! Being an atheist or being religious is a personal choice. Its not a gene thats passed down or a evolutionary tendency. Its a choice based on many factors. Faith doesnt exclude logic and reason.

and P.S. no i'm not religious

[edit on 5-5-2007 by xEphon]

Here, here!

I'll agree with you on that one. This is the second time you've said something that hits me in the soul.

I want to add you as a friend. We can drink Tea and learn how to use bows and arrows to express our feelings....

Originally posted by Tamahu(Atheist/Communism/Whatnot)

I'm agnostic bordering on atheist and I despise communism.

Anyone remember that one TV preacher who asked you to send in money so that he could pray for you. People only became slightly suspicious when bills were being sent even after whomever he was praying for was dead or the situation didn't turn out the way they had wanted it to. Anyway after several years they found out he was living in a mansion and had a boat sitting in his pool and so forth. This guy really knew how to take advantage of that -spirtual- aspect that seems attached in most people's psyches. I mean this really is something to profit from, and the fact that the majority of the world is spiritually oriented in some form only makes it a larger industry.

I'm not religious, but Spiritual.

I'm not going to define an Atheist, or Religious person or any other to define my thoughts portrayed to you.

I do respect All beliefs; even though I may not agree with others' philosophies.

Yet, herein lies the question:

Are Atheists smarter than Non-Atheists? (paraphrasing)

* There has been NO substantial PROOF to indicate that the above sentence holds credence.

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
i doubt it's coincidental that when the national academy of the sciences did a self-study they found that about 90% of their members were either atheist or agnostic.

I also doubt that it was a coincidence that the two founding fathers of modern physics, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, were theists.

Atheist = + = fact and belief in the inner power of ones self

Religious = + = fiction and belief in the higher power of another Text

From my perspective...........

Atheist = easily fooled, weak minded........will believe anything they are taught to believe.


I am not religious btw........I have accepted the Messiah as my savior and strongly believe in God, but I have no use for religion.

Originally posted by Sun Matrix
From my perspective...........

the jedi are evil?

sorry, far too easy and far too obvious an attack to avoid

Atheist = easily fooled, weak minded........will believe anything they are taught to believe.

then i'd be a roman catholic right now. i made an INDEPENDENT decision to become an atheist.

to paraphrase dawkin's in the god delusion: organizing atheists has been likened to herding cats, they're so fiercly independent that it's almost impossible.

I am not religious btw........I have accepted the Messiah as my savior and strongly believe in God, but I have no use for religion.

but you are theistic.

Originally posted by TheB1ueSoldier
I also doubt that it was a coincidence that the two founding fathers of modern physics, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, were theists.

einstein followed the god of spinoza, hardly a theistic view of the world.

here are some quotes by einstein:

on his famous quote "god does not play dice" being taken as being a theist he said:

"It was, of course, a lie that you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."

on religion:

"[Religion is] an attempt to find an out where there is no door"

when asked if religion promotes peace:

"It has not done so up to now."

einstein was clearly a secular jew.

but you do have me on bohr, as i know virtually nothing on the man though i do have interest in him. i do know that bohr would tell einstein "stop telling god what to do" so that would show that they were on opposite sides of the point.

anyway, i'll take your one nuclear physcist and raise you the curies.

why would it be any different to a NORMAL brain?? now they think their brain is more evolved then anyone elses thats funny