Scientists have discovered a link between brain damage & religious fundemntalism

[AntivaxHunters]

Scientists have established a link between brain damage and religious fundamentalism (among Vietnam vets).

This tracks given the age of Trump's base.

Article link -- https://onlysky.media/aduval/scientists-have-established-a-link-between-brain-damage-and-religious-fundamentalism-among-vietnam-vets/

You may have seen a flurry of articles bouncing around the ‘net recently, with reference to a paper in Neuropsychologia, called ‘Biological and cognitive underpinnings of religious fundamentalism.’ Here, for example, is an article on AlterNet that popped up on my Facebook feed, and here is another, on Salon, that I found during my research. The headlines typically sensationalize the findings as “Scientists have established a link between brain damage and religious fundamentalism,” or similar.

The fact that this paper has popped up now is a little odd, as the original article was published in mid-2017, and the free version of the author manuscript was posted in mid-2018. As it’s doing the rounds again, and as it was about time that I wrote a new blog post, here goes.

Links to the paper are above, and all images below are from that paper. What follows is a synopsis, and brief commentary (you can go to the original paper for citations).

skipping ahead....

The participants were 119 Vietnam veterans, with penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury (pTBI) to one or other of the two regions of interest, to other regions but not the PFC (see image below), and a control group of 30 healthy individuals who also served in Vietnam. Of the veterans with pTBI in the regions of interest, 2.5 % were Mormons, 38.8% Protestant, 16.3% Roman Catholic, and 10% had some other affiliation. Of the healthy controls, 35.3% Protestant and 23.5% Roman Catholic. Amongst both cohorts this question was not answer by 30-45% of respondents. Both cohorts did complete Altemeyer and Hunsberger’s ‘Religious Fundamentalism Scale’, which will detect the shy fundamentalists that did not respond directly to the religion question, with questions like “To lead the best, most meaningful life, one must belong to the one, true religion”; “It is more important to be a good person than to believe in God and the right religion.” In addition, standardized tests were administered for flexibility and openness.

More at link and there is a LOT. https://onlysky.media/aduval/scientists-have-established-a-link-between-brain-damage-and-religious-fundamentalism-among-vietnam-vets/

[Bayard]

1. Bookmarking

[Maraya1969]

2. I got a 34. I always thought Veterans and others with significant problems turned to religion

as a means of coping. I think evangelicals, and probably other fundamentalists, believe they are chosen people. That would be beneficial or desirable if you have suffered a tremendous loss I think. It would counter the tendency to think that you are being punished perhaps.

I know my brother taught his kids and his parishioners that they were born sinful BUT Jesus saved them from the effects of their sins and so therefor they are "chosen" and "lucky" I remember thinking what a horrible thing to teach a young child in the first place though - that they are born sinful. And what a great marketing campaign for your religion that it is the only thing that will save you from your rotten self.

Either way there are a lot of contradictions in his religion so you have to either learn how to not think about those things or maybe brain damage makes it so that you just don't think about those things.

I remember being in college after I had made the same conversion that he did years ago, (I later changed my mind) and asking some older student about Jewish babies and what happens to them after they die since they are not, "saved" and he just matter of fact-like said, "Well they go to Hell. It's sad but that's just the way it is". I was absolutely stunned. But truthfully now I think he didn't really believe that with his whole mind, (unless like this article states he had some brain damage). I think a lot of fundamentalists learn to live with cognitive dissonance.