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Science Proves That Christians Know God

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mikecap
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
But the real question is: Since angels showed up in BSG and demonstrated/announced that there's only one god, is there an implicit denunciation of pantheism since the decadent humans who believed in many gods prior to the Fall were wiped out and ultimately driven to become monotheists??

(And what does any of this have to do with science fiction?)
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Kevin Jones
04/13/09

@mikecap:

Oddly enough, the idea that early Hebrews and Christians were monotheistic is really more of a grey area:

[search.barnesandnoble.com]

That's an awesome book if you at all interested in learning some history concerning religion without the dogma usually attached.
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corpore-metal
04/13/09

@Kevin Jones: This is a good historical point. Actually the earliest Jewish records we have seem to indicate that they might have acknowledged the existence of other gods for other peoples but, in a fit of nationalism, said there is only one god for the Jewish people. There is the one god for us and then there are the alien gods.

Eventually this evolved into a pure monotheism.

Although you have to wonder about the Angle of Death and so on. Not a god sure, but not mortal either. If you look at all the monotheisms you find pantheism and lesser spirits lurking in dusty corners. Sometimes it gets a little like Shinto's kami at times.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/13/09

@corpore-metal: The first commandment says "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", not "I am the only god there is".

Islam says there is no god but Allah, and yet many Muslims believe in djinni and such.

Real, complete, 100% monotheism without other angels, saints, spirits is a tough thing for people to handle.
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twophrasebark
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
Everyone reads this study and... then sees exactly what they want out of it.

Maybe we should run some MRIs of people reading studies about contentious issues.
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Mecharine
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
Obviously Santa is real. That poster Mulder had in his office, "I Believe", is really about Santa.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/13/09

@Mecharine: No, Mulder's poster was "I Want To Believe". So, he must have had a disappointing Santa experience as a kid, but it wasn't completely crushing. Maybe he only got half the stuff he asked for.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
Also, they need to test devout people of other faiths -- it would be awesome to test polytheists. And have the believers imagine conversations with people they know are real, but who aren't there at the time.

This sample and methodology is too limited and not well-constructed. Worse than Jamie and Adam on their worst day, without even the fun of an explosion at the end.

It's proved that people who believe in God believe in God. Duh?
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
"The prefrontal cortex is key to theory of mind. Crucially, this area was inactive during the Santa Claus task, suggesting volunteers viewed Santa as fictitious but God as a real individual."

I agree, do this with small children and see what they think regarding Santa (vs. God vs. objectively real folks vs. things they know aren't real).
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icy_one
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
"while Christians said it was evidence that God is real"

So, identical sections of the brain trigger when making a personal prayer (to God) or making a request to Santa, therefore God is real because Santa is fake?

Lolwut? There must be something missing from this story that bridges the gap between the results and the conclusion.
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Moff
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
You're not alone, Graeme -- the Santa question is a really good one.

I know science happens in steps and that it's important to establish a sometimes really basic foundation before moving on to more complex questions, but man, this study reveals nothing especially interesting: "'Atheists said it shows that it's all an illusion,' says Schjødt, while Christians said it was evidence that God is real. And people who used their brains said it didn't show either of those things, but we're publishing this quote anyway."
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Rasselas
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
If prayer is a conversation, it's a pretty one-sided one. Although to be fair God has probably heard it all before, making every prayer like hearing the eight-year-old Rasselas rehearse the plot of The Empire Strikes Back.
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Altarkation
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
@: Unprotected sex is a "pleasure seeking behavior" that doesn't make it "not as irrational as it may outwardly appear".The fact that it makes some folks happy does nothing to prove it's validity. It's plenty irrational, it just getting their theistic rocks off.
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tetracycloide
04/13/09

@Altarkation: i belive you missinterpreted 'not as irrational' to mean 'rational' or 'valid' when it actually means 'less irrational' i.e. still irrational, only less so than, say, prostrating yourself before a vengful god without getting any pleasure out of it.
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corpore-metal
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
In other news MRI images indicate that people who think they enjoy something, stimulate the parts of their brains involved with enjoyment.

Film at 11.

People who don't enjoy that activity or who have no interest in it, apparently don't need it to be happy.

And yeah, if they scanned kids brains while they talked to Santa, the results would probably be remarkably similar.
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twophrasebark
04/13/09

@corpore-metal:

Your comments are ironically very unscientific. In fact, there a number of studies that show prayer and meditation to have very significant effect on brain waves and blood flood and acitivity in the brain.

Monks in particular have brain patterns that are rarely seen in the general population.
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corpore-metal
04/13/09

@twophrasebark:

And is this brain activity really necessary for the best mental health? Do we know that?

And from what I've read, the brain activity of trancing, self-hypnosis and monomania can be induced in a variety of entirely secular ways.

This suggests to me that religion is not a requirement good mental health nor really necessary for anything actually.
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twophrasebark
04/13/09

@corpore-metal:

"And is this brain activity really necessary for the best mental health? Do we know that?"

Oh. I don't know.
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tetracycloide
04/13/09

In reply to Science Proves That Christians Know God
this proves nothing we didn't already know, namely that religion is not as irrational as it may outwardly appear; clearly piety and prayer can be pleasure seeking behaviours.
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corpore-metal
04/13/09

@tetracycloide: At the same time it seems to indicate that piety and prayer aren't necessary for pleasure or enjoyment of life.
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twDarkflame
04/13/09

@Lamar Henderson: Indeed. Pleasure-seaking has got no correlation with rationality.
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Pope John Peeps II
04/13/09

@twDarkflame: So.... I guess I shouldn't ask you the question "cake or death"?
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Pope John Peeps II
04/13/09

@corpore-metal: This study doesn't investigate anything of the kind? Where did you get that from?
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tetracycloide
04/13/09

@twDarkflame: if the total benifit of an action, short and long term, combines to be greater than the total risk of loss, short and long term, than pleasure seeking is rational. it's entirely possible religion for some is a part of their life that's value additive for themselves and value additive or neutral for everyone around them, which makes it a rational behaviour.
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