Darwin vs The Bible

[Rico1304]

Granted, this is imperfect science - probably an element of confirmation bias, etc. - but, still, it's interesting.

 

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/religious-children-struggle-separate-fact-fiction

 

The ability of young children to distinguish fact from fiction varies considerably with exposure to religion, two new studies have found. Children who did not attend parochial (religious) schools or church were significantly better at identifying characters in religious or fantasy stories as pretend than those who did. The studies have been published in Cognitive Science.

For the investigations, researchers enrolled 5- and 6- year old children and separated them into four groups: children who attend public school and church, children who attend public school but not church, children who attend parochial school and church and children who attend parochial school but not church.  

They then exposed the children to three different types of stories- biblical (religious), fantastical (where the divine element was replaced with magic) or realistic (all supernatural elements removed). They then asked the children to judge whether the protagonist (lead character) was fictional or real.

Unsurprisingly, they found that all children judged the protagonist to be a real person in the realistic stories that described ordinary events, irrespective of religious background or schooling. However, when the children were read religious stories, such as Noah’s ark, there were significant differences in judgment. Children exposed to religion, either through school or church, decided that the characters were real, whereas secular children judged them to be fictional.

Furthermore, when the children were read fantastical stories where impossible events were either magical or non-magical (unexplained), the secular children were significantly better than religious children at identifying characters as fictional. They found that children from religious backgrounds would rely on religion in order to justify these incorrect classifications.

In sum, this study suggests that exposure to religion has a profound impact on the ability of children to discern reality from fiction, whether presented with religious ideas or fantasy stories.

The researchers acknowledge that the study design was not perfect. In particular, they recognize that it may not be exposure to religion that is causing these differences, but another variable that was not taken into account in the study. Still, the researchers believe that religion is the most likely contributing factor. 

Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/brain/religious-children-struggle-separate-fact-fiction#6qhhUGgEdOFIALsK.99

The ironic thing is the god botherers will say they want real evidence...

[Son of L8]

In sum, this study suggests that exposure to religion has a profound impact on the ability of children to discern reality from fiction

 

Well, religion profoundly inhibits the ability of adults to discern reality from fiction. I don't see any reason why it should be different for children.

[nando1000]

"Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man" - St Francis Xavier

If it's someone in the church maybe more like "Give me the child and I will bum him if he's seven"

[Mustangt125]

"Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man" - St Francis Xavier

 

Easy for Professor Xavier to say, he can read minds.

[Dougie Do'ins]

When I have to stay in a Hotel a lot of them leave a copy of the bible in the room, I always write a dirty joke in the prologue. 

Next time write 'Giddion is a cunt'. 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

When I have to stay in a Hotel a lot of them leave a copy of the bible in the room, I always write a dirty joke in the prologue. 

Last year I was in a hotel in Glasgow and I picked up the Bible.  It fell open on Leviticus (the bit which is bonkers even by the standards of that book) with a law saying "don't eat blood".  

 

Fast forward 15 minutes and I'm in a chippy with a deep fried black pudding.  Fuck you, God!  You can stop me murdering and bumming, but you'll never stop me eating what I want!

[G Richards]

I'm saddened by the overt hostility, intolerance and disrespect I see in this thread. If you don't believe in God, well done! Have a biscuit or a gold star or something. But why the strident insistence on chest thumping? Why the inability to live and let live?

 

I see more unfairness, bias and vitriol in some of the comments in threads like this than I have ever witnessed in any religious community I have participated in. There's no balance or interest in balance. I see not the slightest inclination to countenance the good that is done by people of faith.

 

I also see far too much pseudo-intellectualism, far too much certainty, and far too little humility.

 

Grrr. I hate religion me. Grrr.

 

Bunch of cocks.

[Cardie]

On a sliding scale is pseudo-intellectualism better or worse than believing in a bearded man who lives on a cloud.

 

 

 

[Strontium]

I'm saddened by the overt hostility, intolerance and disrespect I see in this thread. If you don't believe in God, well done! Have a biscuit or a gold star or something. But why the strident insistence on chest thumping? Why the inability to live and let live?

 

I see more unfairness, bias and vitriol in some of the comments in threads like this than I have ever witnessed in any religious community I have participated in. There's no balance or interest in balance. I see not the slightest inclination to countenance the good that is done by people of faith.

 

I also see far too much pseudo-intellectualism, far too much certainty, and far too little humility.

 

Grrr. I hate religion me. Grrr.

 

Bunch of cocks.

 

Are you seriously asking why people can't live and let live?

 

Maybe you should direct that question at the religious folk who want to stop gay people from marrying and who want to tell women what they can and can't do with their own bodies? The evangelical Americans sponsoring and driving anti-gay legislation in Africa? The school boards trying to get religion taught in science classes?

 

I don't think anyone would deny that people of faith do good work, as I'd hope that nobody would deny that people with no faith also do good work. All the good work in the world wouldn't alter the truth or otherwise of someone's unsupported metaphysical claims, of course.

 

Are you telling me you're not certain in your beliefs? When you teach people that there is a God, and there is a Heaven, and there was a Jesus who performed miracles, are you not certain? Is it just apparent certainty in others which you decry?

 

You're not a Hindu or a Muslim or a Shintoist. You don't follow their creed, because you don't believe them. All an atheist does is to treat your particular religion no differently to the way you treat all the others. But I'm sure you're far too humble to explain why your religion is the right one and all the others aren't.

[General Dryness]

I'm saddened by the overt hostility, intolerance and disrespect I see in this thread. If you don't believe in God, well done! Have a biscuit or a gold star or something. But why the strident insistence on chest thumping? Why the inability to live and let live?

 

I see more unfairness, bias and vitriol in some of the comments in threads like this than I have ever witnessed in any religious community I have participated in. There's no balance or interest in balance. I see not the slightest inclination to countenance the good that is done by people of faith.

 

I also see far too much pseudo-intellectualism, far too much certainty, and far too little humility.

 

Grrr. I hate religion me. Grrr.

 

Bunch of cocks.

 

I can't remember the last time an atheist knocked on my door or collared me in a shopping mall to ask me if I'd considered not believing in anything.

 

Religion causes at least as many problems as it solves. Thats why some people hold in such disdain. Its got fuck all to do with being intellectual.

[VladimirIlyich]

"Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man" - Sir Jimmy Saville

Fixed

[Rico1304]

I'm saddened by the overt hostility, intolerance and disrespect I see in this thread. If you don't believe in God, well done! Have a biscuit or a gold star or something. But why the strident insistence on chest thumping? Why the inability to live and let live?

I see more unfairness, bias and vitriol in some of the comments in threads like this than I have ever witnessed in any religious community I have participated in. There's no balance or interest in balance. I see not the slightest inclination to countenance the good that is done by people of faith.

I also see far too much pseudo-intellectualism, far too much certainty, and far too little humility.

Grrr. I hate religion me. Grrr.

Bunch of cocks.

Yes, all those atheists strapping bombs to their chests and blowing people up...

 

I've no objection to religion as long as it doesn't impact me in any way.

[PestiRed]

To be fair, the two biggest psychopaths of the 20th Century were committed atheists. Islamic/Christian/Hindu fundamentalists are barely a blip on the radar when it comes to the tens of millions that those two notched up between them

[Cardie]

To be fair, the two biggest psychopaths of the 20th Century were committed atheists. Islamic/Christian/Hindu fundamentalists are barely a blip on the radar when it comes to the tens of millions that those two notched up between them

But was what they did in the name of aetheism?

 

 

[Cardie]

Not sure you could call Hitler a committed aetheist either.

 

[PestiRed]

But was what they did in the name of aetheism?

They were both responsible for killing millions of victims, many of whom were selected by their religion. Both had an intense dislike for Jews and Stalin went after the Christian church as well.

[Cardie]

They were both responsible for killing millions of victims, many of whom were selected by their religion. Both had an intense dislike for Jews and Stalin went after the Christian church as well.

Think the original question still stands.

 

 

[PestiRed]

For me the question would be, is there a difference between an atheist killing a Christian because he's a Christian and a Christian killing an atheist because he's an atheist?

[Stu Monty]

Yes, all those atheists strapping bombs to their chests and blowing people up...

 

I've no objection to religion as long as it doesn't impact me in any way.

 

The problem is that it does. You could very well argue that people would still be doing bad things and good things without religion (by definition they are good or bad people by choosing the bits on love to follow or the bits where genocide is cool) because it's basically a man-made tool, but it's hard to argue that there's a more pervasive force for making people utterly useless at questioning information. The indoctrination of people with idiotic ideas leads to millions (possibly billions) not being able to challenge the idea of stuff like Adam and Eve or Noah's big boat.

 

So if you can't trust someone to work out if an old man built a boat big enough for every species on the planet to get on then why on earth would you trust them to be able to filter the news properly and make reasonable decisions in a democracy?

 

And, as I've pointed out before when religious people demand respect for their beliefs, it is not a policy they are willing to extend to others. They feel that having greater numbers allows them more right to respect than someone who thinks Elvis runs the world from and underwater lair (who is obviously mentally ill) and they also see themselves as above other cults that have a couple of dozen members. Now that's one-eyed.

 

*Cue offence at having their beliefs about people being made out of ribs compared to something as ridiculous as the Elvis cult* 

[aikido]

To be fair, the two biggest psychopaths of the 20th Century were committed atheists. Islamic/Christian/Hindu fundamentalists are barely a blip on the radar when it comes to the tens of millions that those two notched up between them

 

Hitler was not an atheist. In the first chapter of Mein Kamp, Hitler says he's doing God's work and executing God's will in destroying the Jewish people.

 

The Wehrmacht oath of loyalty to Adolf Hitler, sworn by all German officers, soldiers and civil servants:

 

""I swear by God this sacred oath that to the Leader of the German empire and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces, I shall render unconditional obedience and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared to give my life for this oath."

 

The belt buckle of every Wermacht German soldier in WW2 said "GOTT MITT UNS", "God on our side."

 

Hitler and Stalin were killing for their ideology of socialism and communism, not atheism. In my humble opinion that is.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

It doesn't matter if Hitler was an Atheist or a devout Christian or Muslim or Hindu. He didn't kill people for any other reason than he was a mental ill fucker. Blaming stuff on religion when it's really about power or greed or psychopathy or whatever just misses the point.

[KopOut]

It doesn't matter if Hitler was an Atheist or a devout Christian or Muslim or Hindu. He didn't kill people for any other reason than he was a mental ill fucker. Blaming stuff on religion when it's really about power or greed or psychopathy or whatever just misses the point.

 

Yeah I agree.

 

Peeling away an onion layer though, I think a deeper point for the thread, is that mankind doesn't NEED religion to make a better world.

[Stu Monty]

Yeah I agree.

 

Peeling away an onion layer though, I think a deeper point for the thread, is that mankind doesn't NEED religion to make a better world.

 

Not really. It doesn't need Orange Twixs either, but that's no good reason to get rid of them. You only get rid of them if they are detrimental. Which I'd argue it is. But orange Twixs certainly weren't...MARS CORP...yeah, I'm looking at you, you dicks.

[Rico1304]

The problem is that it does. You could very well argue that people would still be doing bad things and good things without religion (by definition they are good or bad people by choosing the bits on love to follow or the bits where genocide is cool) because it's basically a man-made tool, but it's hard to argue that there's a more pervasive force for making people utterly useless at questioning information. The indoctrination of people with idiotic ideas leads to millions (possibly billions) not being able to challenge the idea of stuff like Adam and Eve or Noah's big boat.

 

So if you can't trust someone to work out if an old man built a boat big enough for every species on the planet to get on then why on earth would you trust them to be able to filter the news properly and make reasonable decisions in a democracy?

 

And, as I've pointed out before when religious people demand respect for their beliefs, it is not a policy they are willing to extend to others. They feel that having greater numbers allows them more right to respect than someone who thinks Elvis runs the world from and underwater lair (who is obviously mentally ill) and they also see themselves as above other cults that have a couple of dozen members. Now that's one-eyed.

 

*Cue offence at having their beliefs about people being made out of ribs compared to something as ridiculous as the Elvis cult*

 

You're preaching to the choir here mate.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

All orange chocolate should be outlawed. Mint chocolate should be government issue.