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 Noteworthy
Sophyphile
Registered: 10/05/08
Posts: 5,539
Last seen: 1 month, 7 days
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 Re: Assumptions about nature of religion?  [Re: deCypher]
#9494778 - 12/25/08 08:04 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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you lost me with that analogy !
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 deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 52,515
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: Noteworthy]
#9494811 - 12/25/08 08:15 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Meaning is found when doing things that make you happy.
These generally tend to be those things that come most naturally, such as continuing to live, or enjoying social companionship, or the act of sexual love in a good relationship.
Decrying these for a sham and pointing to the absence of any kind of meaning within the grand scheme of things is possible, certainly, but this begs of the question of finding a new motivation for one's actions if everything is meaningless.
I think you'll find total nihilism is an inherently contradictory concept--even suicide cannot be attempted by a true nihilist as this would imply more meaning to death than to life.
Do what makes you happy. This will provide the most meaning out of anything in this universe.
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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
  
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OrgoneConclusion
Pharoah & Balanced
Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 29,358
Loc: Luxor
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: deCypher]
#9494821 - 12/25/08 08:17 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Do what makes you happy.
Torturing small, fluffy animals?
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This is your drain on brugs.
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deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 52,515
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Especially torturing small, fluffy animals.
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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
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mr_kite
The Watcher
Registered: 09/16/02
Posts: 2,577
Loc: shambhala
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: Bernackums]
#9500637 - 12/27/08 01:09 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bernackums said:
Quote:
OrgoneConclusion said:
Is there also a UFO/alien gene or is that sort of the same thing?
Myself, I think it is just ignorance + cultural programming.
Agreed. Mr. Kite, this could be the scenario, but it's very likely it's not. It's a mix of of the above plus fear as far as I can tell. I would say you're also just bad at convincing people, but for people with faith it doesn't matter how logical or sound your arguement is, it's only a test of their faith. 
...that's the point. And while obviously there are many unthinking/blind "believers", and "faith" can simply be lying to yourself, I think for some people faith really is a genuine part of their make-up, where others maybe just like the feeling of safety and security that pretending theres a God can give, and so I disagree it's as clear cut as you make out.
Where's the line between genetics and cultural programming since birth? I think its too easy to say "it's programming and ignorance".
There are many people who you might expect to be agnostic but have this hard-edged belief! My dad is one. It seems he needs religion. Its the way he is; hes not ignorant, he questions, of course he grew up with religion but he has not simply unquestioningly persisted with it. He is also an extremely intelligent intellectual who has published many papers in his field.
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let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love
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Bernackums
The universe will have its way.
Registered: 08/06/07
Posts: 865
Last seen: 2 years, 3 months
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: mr_kite]
#9501057 - 12/27/08 04:38 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Get some funding and get some studies going, see if you can find the God Gene.
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Let's get the fuck out of here.
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Noteworthy
Sophyphile
Registered: 10/05/08
Posts: 5,539
Last seen: 1 month, 7 days
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: Bernackums]
#9501178 - 12/27/08 06:37 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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I dont think there is a point looking for a god gene. What good would it do? Divide people further? You would need to get to know someone well to understand their beliefs enough in order to code their manner of belief. You can look at their genes all you want but how could you say which people believe in got because of some sort of stubborn genetic factor disabling them from doing otherwise.. and how many just believe it for the simple fact that it was what everyone believed when they were growing up and they were told it as the single truth through their crucial developing years. NO ONE grows up surrounded by groups of people with equal importance, each demonstrating and explaining the virtue of every belief system on earth. Very few, all up, grow up with more than one main belief system exposed to their minds. The genetic influence may be there in society but it is rather pale in comparison to the cultural ones. Remember that basically all the ancestors of the atheists today were believers of some religion.
I think if you are looking for genetic influences to religion, in a scientific way, youre going to have to develop the psychology of religion more.. if you dont first determine a reliable way of measuring someone's interaction with a belief system, you will not be able to correlate your genes.
I dont think there is a good enough way of measuring someones 'religious tendancies' atm to correlate with genes.
maybe you could correlate 'belief rigidity' or something...
im imagining now that one genetic factor that might be involved would be a factor that determines when the child goes through stages of brain development. Certain periods of brain development are more suitable for absorbing or creating or comparing ideas. Although most children are under a single belief system throughout their many stages, every persons life is slightly different and unique and in this way the gene could make some people more susceptable to honest religion, and other people less susceptable. The difference between the people is that one of them might recieve isolated or intense spiritual influence or reference in teaching at very young ages, which leveled out as the child got older, lifestyle might have changed, less religion, etc. the other one might experience a rich open learning with minimal mention of god, and the part of the brain that was developing during this stage might end up without such a rigid assumption / (takes it for granted) that god is behind everything or that jesus christ is our role model.
if the factor was that the child stayed in this developmental role for longer, then it would only take effect in the people who were experiencing a particularly indoctrinous point in their life.. otherwise it would probably end up leading to the opposite behavioural effect (less religious). How can you tell how people were educated of their belief in a scientific way in order to eventually claim to find a 'god gene' or something along such effect?
now, this factor is just something i imagined, but i further imagine that most of the genetic factors which really are involved, are similarly as vague/convoluted/multifaceted in their direct relationship to religious tendencies.
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Bernackums
The universe will have its way.
Registered: 08/06/07
Posts: 865
Last seen: 2 years, 3 months
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: Noteworthy]
#9501196 - 12/27/08 06:48 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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I think you should be replying to Mr. Kite, I had never agreed there could be a God gene, I think in his examples the individuals are fearful that life cannot be as fulfilling without God more than anything.
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Let's get the fuck out of here.
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Noteworthy
Sophyphile
Registered: 10/05/08
Posts: 5,539
Last seen: 1 month, 7 days
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: Bernackums]
#9501229 - 12/27/08 07:01 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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im replying to anyone who actively supports 'god gene' research, or who actively supports the concept that there is a 'god gene'
then
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OrgoneConclusion
Pharoah & Balanced
Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 29,358
Loc: Luxor
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Re: Assumptions about nature of religion? [Re: Noteworthy]
#9501831 - 12/27/08 10:45 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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I would do it except that I do not have the 'Research the God Gene' gene. 
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This is your drain on brugs.
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