The Brain Creates Religion

[Cheese]

A brain soother per se.
Not saying I agree or disagree, just another point to "discuss" over 30 pages and 30,000 views.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/20159

It is of course a very vexing issue because people who believe devoutly in religion will tell you that there is no question there. It is already answered, which is that we’re obligated to respect and believe and follow the word of God however that word is determined. I did with a colleague of mine who had been at the UCLA Medical School, head of the Psychiatric Research Institute, Michael McGuire, a book called God’s Brain in which we were I think able to suggest, if not demonstrate that religion is really made by the brain. It is a secretion of the brain and this gets us away from the issue of whether religion is true of not true. The fact is that there are 4,200 religions in the world, each of them believing they’re absolutely correct and everyone should follow their views and some 90% of human beings are describable by themselves, if not other, as religious, so we’re not dealing here with a casual phenomenon even though no one has any evidence of the stories behind the religions and so we got interested in this massive unreality, which is in fact finally a real reality, namely religions and so there are cathedrals and towns. There are tax exemptions. There are people donating money to religions still in America. Religions receive more donations than any other part of the community and so we were fascinated with what animated this and as I said I think we were able to suggest, if not also demonstrate that the brain creates religion and the brain consumes religion.

and a good article from Pharyngula on the distortion of information

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2...illiam_lan.php

[Five-hole]

But God made your brain. QED.

[frinkprof]

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by Five-hole

But God made your brain. QED.

Oh Snap! There's no debating that one.

/thread

[Flames_Gimp]

yup the brain creates fantasy

[blankall]

Does this really require a seperate thread? Really?

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by blankall

Does this really require a seperate thread? Really?

It's a part of his ideology, man.

[burn_this_city]

Some atheist seems to take more interest in religion than any theist I know.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Cheese

The fact is that there are 4,200 religions in the world, each of them believing they’re absolutely correct and everyone should follow their views...

I don't necessarily disagree with the idea that religion is created in the brain. Maybe not all, but maybe... I don't know. I do take exception the above statement though.

Of course a lot of the major religions are like that, but there a some that don't require belief, behaviour or worship. Not all say that everyone should follow their beliefs.

Making a blanket statement like without proof makes me doubt that this was without innitial bias.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Pardon me, but I believe this has already been concluded....

Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo

Oh Snap! There's no debating that one.

/thread

[calgaryrocks]

yea cuz people's minds just imagined there was a guy named Jesus walking with them, getting crucified by the romans, and they all managed to imagine the same things happening, at the same time. then when they talked about it, they decided they would later write down what they had imagined, and people who were around at the same time as the things that happened mysteriously believed it, and other religions agreed it happened, even though it was made up in someones mind. right.
our brains are smart, and if they go through experiences that would lead them to believe in GOD, then they will believe in GOD. So the brain realizes spirituality or a sense of something greater than itself. mankind twists things to suit its own purposes, creating religion, but it is based off a belief in GOD(s) (in most cases at least). it's no surprise this thread was created by Cheese though. If people want to believe GOD exists (which I do) that's fine

[sclitheroe]

I dunno...an anthropologist talking about "brain juice" doesn't seem to do the topic much justice or depth of insight, regardless of which side of the debate you want to fall on. There are far better starting points for the conversation than "brain juice".

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by calgaryrocks

yea cuz people's minds just imagined there was a guy named Jesus walking with them, getting crucified by the romans, and they all managed to imagine the same things happening, at the same time. then when they talked about it, they decided they would later write down what they had imagined, and people who were around at the same time as the things that happened mysteriously believed it, and other religions agreed it happened, even though it was made up in someones mind. right.
our brains are smart, and if they go through experiences that would lead them to believe in GOD, then they will believe in GOD. So the brain realizes spirituality or a sense of something greater than itself. mankind twists things to suit its own purposes, creating religion, but it is based off a belief in GOD(s) (in most cases at least). it's no surprise this thread was created by Cheese though. If people want to believe GOD exists (which I do) that's fine

Not sure what you are saying here, but its highly unlikely you spent 5 seconds listening to what the guy had to say.
The idea that there was a man named Jesus is food for another post..hope your ready to discuss, bring a pen and paper.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

I dunno...an anthropologist talking about "brain juice" doesn't seem to do the topic much justice or depth of insight, regardless of which side of the debate you want to fall on. There are far better starting points for the conversation than "brain juice".

It wasnt brain juice as per lets pour a glass of that juice and all get some love, its brain juices like getting the blood flowing to the brain.

Believing in God generates soothing "juices" in the brain that make us feel good.

[photon]

Originally Posted by calgaryrocks

If people want to believe GOD exists (which I do) that's fine

I don't see anywhere in the video where it's proposing that it shouldn't be ok (i.e. allowed) for people to believe God(s) exist, they're proposing that organized religion is a phenomenon with psychological origins rather than supernatural ones.

They didn't say Jesus (or Khrisna or Mithra or any of the other religious figures) was an imagined or not either.

[Redliner]

Religion threads on CP are always so much fun.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Redliner

Religion threads on CP are always so much fun.

No, they are pretty much wretched and repetitive.

[jeremywilhelm]

I for one welcome our new Brainjuice loving gods!

[Yasa]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Some atheist seems to take more interest in religion than any theist I know.

Is that a bad thing, or just an observation?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by peter12

No, they are pretty much wretched and repetitive.

While I agree, this post is an official warning to not use the word wretched more then twice a week. This is your 2nd time now, be careful peter.