Study suggests 'born-again' believers have smaller brains

reply to post by Ghandi


Good point. Yet another useless and divisive study to waste resources on.

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
reply to post by boondock-saint

 

Yeah, so a scientific study that's published in a peer-reviewed journal (which means you can actually look at it yourself) is horse manure...because you say so?
I'm sorry, but what was done poorly with the study? What are your legitimate objections to how the study was performed?

maybe you should do your homework
before commenting.

My objections to this BS article is who funded it.

George Soros

He contributed $349M in Grants to Duke Medical
center who conducted the research.

www.geri.duke.edu...

Soros is NWO and anti-Religion.
Soros is an Atheist.

It is biased research !!!!
and it's still horse manure.

People that are born into it, are indoctrinated, and don't stand a chance. It's a larger selection of people, rather than the minority, that all have one thing in common, a religious experience, or being born again. Hence having bigger brains on average than people that choose the born again lifestyle/mindset

Born again = small brains
Born into it = smallish brains with some bigger ones mixed in
Born into it, and denouncing it later = HUGE brains.

I'm just kidding..for the most part..guys. That is how the study comes off to me though.

reply to post by Ghandi


eta: Sorry. Didn't notice your change. Just copy and save it.

[líne a dó]



reply to post by boondock-saint


The NWO aren't athiest, they're pagan.

I can tell you why, without any scientific backing:

It's the issue of faith. Certain areas of the brain are grown and cultivated by asking "why." Why why why why?

It's the single worded question (at least in English) that has grown the brain of Human beings (along with red meat). Contemplating our existence, our place in the world, and the great beyond we are able to witness at night helps are brains to grow at a healthy and normal pace. Faith, in large unequal quantities, does quite the opposite. The faith driven shove the questions into a corner of their consciousness, disallowing the conscious mind to be racked by questions and inquiries that assist in essential problem solving areas of the brain.

Looks like mindful meditation, which helps deal with the daily questions and the great beyond, should be introduced into these people's spiritual diet. Meditation helps grow some essential grey matter in the brain, and could possibly help strengthen neural connections.

I guess the old people had it right when they said: "Think for yourself"

reply to post by boondock-saint


Not to mention there is no mention of a control, and it is nothing but speculation in nature. To me there is nothing in this article that even remotely smells of science. I want to see the tested hypothesis and I want to know why they only did the study on 58 year olds?

Originally posted by ELahrairah
reply to post by Ophiuchus 13

 

Yeah but the nice thing about the people I know who meditate is they never tell me I'm going to hell if I fail to accept their path of meditation.

Meditation and prayer are the same thing basically, plus not all Christians believe in hell, I would never tell anyone they were going to hell,

reply to post by TheOneElectric


Basically what I said. But you did it with more... finesse

reply to post by mkkkay


How big did computers used to be?

How big are computers now?

My smaller brain is just more efficient and convenient, doing a better job faster and requiring less space than your large wasteful and unattractive monstrosity, thanks very much!



Playing - but to be serious, could someone please explain the "born again" experience to me? The concept as I understand it ties into baptism and the end of our old life in sin, and living a new life in christ...but this sounds like something more extreme and I've heard strange-ish things.

Anyone here able to advise?

reply to post by TheOneElectric


I usually just feel sorry for people that are religious, and I know they feel sorry for me being a heathen and all. I figure we balance each other out, so I bear no ill will and believe in the practice of "to each to their own".

I don't understand why in some religious peoples minds there is no room in religion for questioning, seeking , or exploring "God's Illustrious Creation" (i.e. the universe).

Case in point.:

My son was going to church with my mother in law. He asked her why the sky was blue. She told him that it was because God made it blue. No further explanation. If he would have asked the same question of my mother, she would have told him it was due to sunlight refracting in the atmosphere, causing the sky to appear blue.

Researchers speculate it may have something to do with the stress of belonging to a minority group. Chronic stress floods the brain with hormones that, over time, may damage the hippocampus.

I mean really? As far as the article is concerned I just don't see how that's accurate. I'm not born again, and follow no religion whatsoever, but this just doesn't make sense to me. If that was the case, then that would mean anyone that was part of a minority group would be affected the same. And how much more stress can you have belonging to a minority group such as conspiracy theorists (myself proudly part of) in which SHTF all the time

reply to post by mkkkay


I have only one thing to say about this.
Who needed a study to know that?
Why do one anyway? They'll just deny it is accurate and say it's discriminatory...so on and so on!

Originally posted by Mactire
Joking aside, I have noticed that people who follow religion blindly, which is more common in people who are "born again", seem to allow their entire lives to free float on the notion that "God has a plan", while your average person is playing life like a chess game to get ahead.

Maybe its the slacked use of brain power which causes grey matter to decrease. If you don't use it you lose it. My father-in-law is like this, and his parents helped feed that kind of mind set. I'd wager you'd find similar results in Islamic or Israeli fundamentalists.

edit on 25-5-2011 by Mactire because: (no reason given)

I think if any explanation is possible (assuming the study is right), this would make the most sense to me. The explanation of "why" by the article is just nonsense.

If any one has been to some of these Born again churches?
I have been to the one run by Benny Hinn in USA and it was sheer terror-the bloke at the front was literally shouting at the congregation.
There was no love there and I love Jesus.

So I can very well believe stress is a major factor at these churches-BUT NOT ALL CHURCHES.

But this can happen anywhere, in any religious or non-religious place. Think Army.

I personally don't go to any human meeting place- Most people think one thing and do another, confuses the hell outa me.
Peace and love.

reply to post by Stormdancer777


I disagree meditation can be striped of all religious meaning and be as simple as the act of focusing your full attention on your breath and being present without any judgement where prayer seems more like the act of asking some deity to do something or change something for you.

I don see fundamentalist sitting in the lotus position seeking inner stillness.
Most fundamentalist seem to think every thing out side their narrow doctrine is satanic.
Yes I am willing to admit that their are Christians sects like Monks that practice forms of meditation.
But I don't think meditation is something you are going to find amongst most born again believers and they are most likely going to be hostile toward the concept.

reply to post by TheOneElectric


First of all let me start by saying you have one of the coolest avatars on ATS!

I don't believe being born again makes anyone any less intelligent, Some people are dumb to begin with. This is sort of like comparing intelligence between races or comparing first world countries to third world countries that are deprived of a recognized curriculum/Examining body.

I believe when people are born again they're taught not to question but non the less they all try and solve their problems just like anyone else. When in complete desperation, They tend to wait for miracles to happen. Becoming more religious from what I've studied personally (Meeting new people) saves them from depression and gives them hope (false or not).

reply to post by mkkkay


Get mad? This is a compliment considering many studies have shown that the vast majority of very smart people have smaller brains. In fact, over the last 30,000 or so years the human brain has shrunk by about 10%. This is where I would normally provide a link or two to back up my claims, but I figured what's the use in a thread like this. I'll leave it to you to look it up.

It's amazing how many people will leap into a thread, with their bigotry and prejudice to the fore, without availing themselves with the relevant facts.

The study is attempting to ascertain any meaningful correlation between religious beliefs and shrinkage of the hippocampus in older people.

The study found that Born Again Christians, Catholics, other denominations and non-religious people all had more shrinkage than Protestants.

The study was conducted amongst 284 people aged 58-years and older, and was primarily intended to examine the link between hippocampus shrinkage and depression.

They hypothesise that the results may be linked to greater stress in holding a minority view, with Protestants forming the majority of the US population.

Originally posted by mkkkay
This is one that will get some of us mad, could this be true or some kind of new propoganda
to get to some..

The study, which examined the hippocampus region of the brain, found that Protestants who did not have a "born again" experience had significantly more gray matter than either those who reported a life-changing religious experience, Catholics, or unaffiliated older adults.

The hippocampus is an area buried deep in the brain that helps regulate emotion and memory. Atrophy or shrinkage in this region of the brain has long been linked to mental health problems such as depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

So why would born-again Protestants, Catholics and those with no religious affiliation have a smaller hippocampus?

Researchers speculate it may have something to do with the stress of belonging to a minority group. Chronic stress floods the brain with hormones that, over time, may damage the hippocampus.

So this is new for me what do you guys think

Sorry forgot the linkwww.usatoday.com...

edit on 25-5-2011 by mkkkay because: link

I can see it being true...

I don't think I have ever met a "Born Again" that didn't seem crazy. (This is not a judement of their beliefs, but of their actions relative to my life experience.... I find this very valid.)

Also... just an observation, but maybe it's because people who believe in religion are acting on faith, which is not a cognitive ability...

It's a mind set, that says... I belive this because I do. Where as people who are not religious in any kind of god is the only way, kind of way, have trouble accepting things that aren't proven to them.

(Note this encompasses more than Atheists and Agnostics... This is for the people who are die hard believers, even if they are believers, more "open minded" folks should have better brain capacity... In theory... anyway.)

If I were to say, people who followed Jim Jones probably had inferior brain functions, I might tend to assume most people would agree with that statement.

The people who followed Jim Jones are the same people who follow jesus etc...

They are a crowd that follow on blind faith. "Blind Faith" is all the same, no matter what your faith is dedicated towards.

reply to post by Mactire


If the NWO are Pagan, then I have no problems with a NWO!!!!

But somehow I think you meant this as something bad...as if we exterminated the other religions, and swept through countries and spilling blood of thousands and forcing our religion on others.