Analytic Thinking Can Decrease Religious Belief

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Analytic Thinking Can Decrease Religious Belief

Posted by Soulskill on Friday April 27, 2012 @12:45AM from the can-of-worms dept.

Freshly Exhumed writes "A new University of British Columbia study finds that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers. The study, which will appear in tomorrow's issue of Science (abstract), finds that thinking analytically increases disbelief among believers and skeptics alike, shedding important new light on the psychology of religious belief."

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Whoever is responsible for this article by Cornwallis · 2012-04-27 00:47 · Score: 5, Funny

will burn in hell.
1. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Jaysyn · 2012-04-27 00:48 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Now that's what I call a loving god!
  
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  There is a war going on for your mind.
2. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Anonymous Coward · 2012-04-27 00:56 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  Is THAT what you call someone who grabs the world by the throat and holds it's head in a bucket of water for 40 days and 40 nights?
3. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by crazyjj · 2012-04-27 01:02 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  It was probably one of them fancy college boys with their books and such.
  
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  What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
4. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Hillgiant · 2012-04-27 01:15 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The more I think about it, the less sense the parent comment makes.
  
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  -
5. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by crazyjj · 2012-04-27 01:30 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Don't judge him. Those first born children of Egypt were asking for it.
  
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  What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
6. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by asylumx · 2012-04-27 01:35 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  If analytic thinking decreases religious beliefs, then I'd say religions should feel quite secure in today's world.
7. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by turing_m · 2012-04-27 01:49 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  That's funny. The harder I think about that comment, magically, the more sense it makes.
  
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  If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
8. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Anonymous Coward · 2012-04-27 01:51 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  those who practice magic arts
  I guess IT is fucked....
9. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Anonymous Coward · 2012-04-27 02:04 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Thank God I'm Atheist!
10. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by oldmac31310 · 2012-04-27 02:42 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  He was joking around with the boys. A little too much wine and all that.
  
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  http://www.acetonestudio.com
11. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Gilmoure · 2012-04-27 02:55 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  It was a set up. Sorta a way for a new god to muscle in on the other gods' territory.
  
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  I drank what? -- Socrates
12. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by daem0n1x · 2012-04-27 03:28 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  You're wrong. People that believe in those false gods are obviously inferior and God will smite them with all his fury if they don't convert. We the Catholics have been helping the Lord with the smiting for two millennia, with great success!
  And we do that because the Lord told us to love everybody and we want everybody to go to heaven.
13. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by Ihmhi · 2012-04-27 04:55 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Oh come on. Magic is all about weird clothes, secret societies, strange languages, darkened catacombs, and a system of mystical thinking that has little bearing on logic. IT is nothing like th-
  Mother of god.
  
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  Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
14. Re:Whoever is responsible for this article by hierofalcon · 2012-04-27 06:06 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Actually, I think that we see far fewer miracles or healing today than seem to have been prevalent in Christ and the Apostles time because God doesn't want to share any glory with the medical community. We don't stand on faith to be healed anymore. We pray, and if that doesn't work trot off to the doctors. We may continue to be prayed for, but why should God act when we're not trusting in him but trusting in the doctors? God does what He chooses to do to advance His causes. Once and a while they line up with what we want. Usually we want Him to act in ways that benefit us and don't do His cause any good at all - or at least that's been my experience with people.
  This isn't a smash against the medical profession either. My wife is in the medical field. Doctors have a lot of knowledge about the body and I'm not against making use of their services to fix problems at all. That isn't the intent of the post. It is simply an acknowledgement that we try to cover all bases today rather than waiting for God to heal and give Him all the glory for what He has done for us. Why should we expect Him to act under those circumstances? In the case I have observed, although medical doctors had been consulted and the individual was referred to a specialist, no actual treatment had yet been done. The healing was done before going to the specialist.
  My observations in no way are meant to convince anybody else, and my recounting them again wouldn't do any good either to answer another previous post. I'm simply stating that they are sufficient for me. If there was just one data point, your claim would be more valid. But I have many in my life. It is sufficient for me. The test procedure was written up in the Bible a couple thousand years ago, and it still is observable today. I choose to accept that.
  If it is not sufficient for you, my earlier comment does still apply though. Go spend time with Pentecostal Christians that are living up to the NT churches principles for evidence for yourself. If you don't want to be around any place where you might see some direct evidence yourself, then you can't criticize me or other Christians for believing what we do actually observe. You are a like a scientist who doesn't like a particular theory but who won't do the experiment himself because he doesn't want to have his world view messed up, in much the same way that Christians are accused of rejecting science because it might change their spiritual view.
really? by SoulNibbler · 2012-04-27 00:47 · Score: 3, Funny

Well Duh.
1. Re:really? by SecurityGuy · 2012-04-27 01:39 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  God as my witness, I've known this all along.
In other news... by SigmundFloyd · 2012-04-27 00:54 · Score: 5, Funny

A new study finds that intelligence can decrease stupidity! Maybe the two teams could join forces.

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Knowledge is power; knowledge shared is power lost.
Re:Awesome Jedi Mind Trick by Black+Parrot · 2012-04-27 01:16 · Score: 4, Funny

71 And then the Romans laid hands on Jesus to lead him away. 72 But Peter said unto them, "This is not the Jew you are looking for." 73 And then the centurion said unto them, "This is not the Jew we are looking for."

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Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Re:Not just analytic... by dkleinsc · 2012-04-27 01:16 · Score: 3, Funny

Of course, if you really think about it, here's some fun logic:
1. An article says that if people analyze written articles and books, they won't believe them.
2. Ergo, If I analyze the this article, I won't believe it.
3. If I believe the article, I didn't analyze it. (contrapositive)
4. But if I didn't analyze it, it might not be complete BS, so I shouldn't believe the article.
5. Conclusion: Don't believe anything you read, including this analysis.

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I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
Imagine that... by DigitalSorceress · 2012-04-27 02:07 · Score: 3, Funny

Imagine that: if your brain starts working, you stop worrying about the the fictional man in the sky.
Color me amazed.
Everyone knows it's turtles all the way down.

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The Digital Sorceress