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  4. Brain Differences Found Between in Believers in God and Non-Believers

Brain Differences Found Between in Believers in God and Non-Believers

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  • N Nagy Vilmos

    I disagree. To be a practising Christian one needs to believe in God.

    Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol

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    Rhys Gravell
    wrote on last edited by
    #8

    Really? I'd have thought that to be an actual Christian you would need that belief, but if you are still just practising being one... ;P

    Rhys "If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the Universe"

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    • J Jorgen Andersson

      I guess it depends on how you define practicing. I remember a guy at school that was "practicing" because it was expected by his family, he didn't actually believe. How does that count?

      "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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      Pete OHanlon
      wrote on last edited by
      #9

      Jörgen Andersson wrote:

      I remember a guy at school that was "practicing" because it was expected by his family, he didn't actually believe

      Then he wasn't really practicing was he? He was just going through the motions.

      I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
      CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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      • P Pete OHanlon

        Jörgen Andersson wrote:

        I remember a guy at school that was "practicing" because it was expected by his family, he didn't actually believe

        Then he wasn't really practicing was he? He was just going through the motions.

        I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
        CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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        Bassam Abdul Baki
        wrote on last edited by
        #10

        So come on, come on, do the loco-motion with me. Sorry! Not sure what got over me there for a second. :sigh:

        Web - BM - RSS - Math - LinkedIn

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        • N Nagy Vilmos

          I disagree. To be a practising Christian one needs to believe in God.

          Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol

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          Bergholt Stuttley Johnson
          wrote on last edited by
          #11

          History seems to disagree, in fact it shows you dont even need to one to be pope!

          You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

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          • P Pete OHanlon

            Jörgen Andersson wrote:

            I remember a guy at school that was "practicing" because it was expected by his family, he didn't actually believe

            Then he wasn't really practicing was he? He was just going through the motions.

            I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
            CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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            Jorgen Andersson
            wrote on last edited by
            #12

            Maybe I have the wrong understanding of the word practicing then. Just curious what was wrong with my message, what in that message was abusive?

            "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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            • A AspDotNetDev

              http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304160400.htm. I suspect believers make terrible programmers.

              Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

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              ZurdoDev
              wrote on last edited by
              #13

              Quote:

              I suspect believers make terrible programmers.

              How so? The article states, "They're much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error." I see that as a good thing. In my experience, those who get all stressed out perform worse than those who remain calm because they can't think straight. Based on that evidence I would have to say that believers would make better programmers.

              There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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              • A AspDotNetDev

                http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304160400.htm. I suspect believers make terrible programmers.

                Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

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                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #14

                It doesn't say which God.

                “I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks

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                • J Jorgen Andersson

                  Maybe I have the wrong understanding of the word practicing then. Just curious what was wrong with my message, what in that message was abusive?

                  "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                  Pete OHanlon
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #15

                  Maybe it was the same person who voted mine abusive as well.

                  I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
                  CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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                  • P Pete OHanlon

                    Maybe it was the same person who voted mine abusive as well.

                    I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
                    CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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                    Jorgen Andersson
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #16

                    Doubt it, mine was gone in one click. And I don't think it's supposed to be THAT easy to remove a message. So I guess there are more people around that has a bit more power than they are supposed to. Should I ask in sugs 'n' bugs about it you think?

                    "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                    • J Jorgen Andersson

                      Practician does not necessarily equal believer. I also didn't find any references to whether this would affect coding in the article.

                      "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                      SalCon
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #17

                      Completely agree. I practise my religion because of huge peer\societal expectations (read pressure) NOT because I am a believer ( hold the Belieber jokes already).

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                      • L Lost User

                        It doesn't say which God.

                        “I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks

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                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #18

                        ChrisElston wrote:

                        which God

                        Higgs Boson, the god of the scientific community.

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                        • J Jorgen Andersson

                          Doubt it, mine was gone in one click. And I don't think it's supposed to be THAT easy to remove a message. So I guess there are more people around that has a bit more power than they are supposed to. Should I ask in sugs 'n' bugs about it you think?

                          "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                          Pete OHanlon
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #19

                          I doubt it's worth it.

                          I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
                          CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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                          • J Jorgen Andersson

                            Maybe I have the wrong understanding of the word practicing then. Just curious what was wrong with my message, what in that message was abusive?

                            "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                            Pete OHanlon
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #20

                            Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                            Maybe I have the wrong understanding of the word practicing then

                            Anyway, back to the point. I always took practicing Christians to mean the ones that actually believed. It's the whole concept of choice and responsibility. If you are just going because your parents go, and you have no actual belief in it yourself, then you are letting others make the choice for you. Hence, you aren't practicing - you're merely pleasing others.

                            I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
                            CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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                            • L Lost User

                              It doesn't say which God.

                              “I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks

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                              ZurdoDev
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #21

                              Quote:

                              It doesn't say which God.

                              That is an interesting point. Studies have shown that belief in any god will cause behavioral changes. In this case it does not matter. Believing in something higher than oneself that dictates a level of standards and morals has an impact on one's anxiety levels, among other things. To believe is better than to not believe, in my opinion. Of course there are radicals that don't quite follow this but they are the exception.

                              There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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                              • Z ZurdoDev

                                Quote:

                                It doesn't say which God.

                                That is an interesting point. Studies have shown that belief in any god will cause behavioral changes. In this case it does not matter. Believing in something higher than oneself that dictates a level of standards and morals has an impact on one's anxiety levels, among other things. To believe is better than to not believe, in my opinion. Of course there are radicals that don't quite follow this but they are the exception.

                                There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #22

                                Deities and belief in them stems from man trying to explain things he couldn't. No deity has ever dictated levels of standards or morals, men claiming to act on behalf of deities have done that in order to control other men. If it doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as you pick something, then that gives anyone free range to act as they want so long as their particular deity has provided them the mandate.

                                “I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks

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                                • L Lost User

                                  Deities and belief in them stems from man trying to explain things he couldn't. No deity has ever dictated levels of standards or morals, men claiming to act on behalf of deities have done that in order to control other men. If it doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as you pick something, then that gives anyone free range to act as they want so long as their particular deity has provided them the mandate.

                                  “I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks

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                                  ZurdoDev
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #23

                                  That's quite a cynical view and I would protest that most people that believe in God do not fit into your description. You clearly do not believe and you are biased by the radicals that make the news or your own isolated experiences.

                                  Quote:

                                  Deities and belief in them stems from man trying to explain things he couldn't.

                                  Certain men, prophets, have claimed to talk with God. Billions and billions believe in God and it has nothing to do with trying to explain things we can't on our own. I challenge you to survey people who do believe in God and find out why. It has nothing to do with trying to fill a gap of knowledge.

                                  Quote:

                                  No deity has ever dictated levels of standards or morals

                                  That's your opinion. I disagree.

                                  Quote:

                                  in order to control other men.

                                  Again, quite cynical. Yes, some in history have been that way. But what benefit do I get from claiming that god says killing is wrong? How am I "trying to control other men." What's the purpose then?

                                  Quote:

                                  then that gives anyone free range to act as they want so long as their particular deity has provided them the mandate.

                                  And how is that different than not believing in God? Where do morals come from then?

                                  There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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                                  • P Pete OHanlon

                                    Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                                    Maybe I have the wrong understanding of the word practicing then

                                    Anyway, back to the point. I always took practicing Christians to mean the ones that actually believed. It's the whole concept of choice and responsibility. If you are just going because your parents go, and you have no actual belief in it yourself, then you are letting others make the choice for you. Hence, you aren't practicing - you're merely pleasing others.

                                    I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
                                    CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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                                    J Offline
                                    Jorgen Andersson
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #24

                                    The word we use in Sweden would translate to exercising. Both practicing and exercising are synonyms to training. What would the word be for the ones that are "practicing" without believing? Because I know several people that considers themselves as believers but they usually don't go to church and don't think of themselves as practicing. So in my world the ones believing were called believers, and the ones going to church, practitioners.

                                    "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                                    • J Jorgen Andersson

                                      The word we use in Sweden would translate to exercising. Both practicing and exercising are synonyms to training. What would the word be for the ones that are "practicing" without believing? Because I know several people that considers themselves as believers but they usually don't go to church and don't think of themselves as practicing. So in my world the ones believing were called believers, and the ones going to church, practitioners.

                                      "The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise." Matthew Faithfull

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                                      Pete OHanlon
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #25

                                      Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                                      What would the word be for the ones that are "practicing" without believing

                                      I'd call them cowards.

                                      I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
                                      CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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                                      • Z ZurdoDev

                                        That's quite a cynical view and I would protest that most people that believe in God do not fit into your description. You clearly do not believe and you are biased by the radicals that make the news or your own isolated experiences.

                                        Quote:

                                        Deities and belief in them stems from man trying to explain things he couldn't.

                                        Certain men, prophets, have claimed to talk with God. Billions and billions believe in God and it has nothing to do with trying to explain things we can't on our own. I challenge you to survey people who do believe in God and find out why. It has nothing to do with trying to fill a gap of knowledge.

                                        Quote:

                                        No deity has ever dictated levels of standards or morals

                                        That's your opinion. I disagree.

                                        Quote:

                                        in order to control other men.

                                        Again, quite cynical. Yes, some in history have been that way. But what benefit do I get from claiming that god says killing is wrong? How am I "trying to control other men." What's the purpose then?

                                        Quote:

                                        then that gives anyone free range to act as they want so long as their particular deity has provided them the mandate.

                                        And how is that different than not believing in God? Where do morals come from then?

                                        There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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                                        L Offline
                                        Lost User
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #26

                                        ryanb31 wrote:

                                        Quote:

                                        Deities and belief in them stems from man trying to explain things he couldn't.

                                        Certain men, prophets, have claimed to talk with God. Billions and billions believe in God and it has nothing to do with trying to explain things we can't on our own. I challenge you to survey people who do believe in God and find out why. It has nothing to do with trying to fill a gap of knowledge.

                                        I was talking there about deities from the earliest times. Why does that thing keep happening? Must be some sort of god. If it is a bad thing, then how can we appease it. If it is a good thing then how can we keep it happy.

                                        ryanb31 wrote:

                                        Quote:

                                        No deity has ever dictated levels of standards or morals

                                        That's your opinion. I disagree.

                                        Exactly, you and I disagree. Neither of us have any proof, but your belief is based on having a belief in a god and mine isn't therefore your belief is more valid in your opinion.

                                        ryanb31 wrote:

                                        Quote:

                                        in order to control other men.

                                        Again, quite cynical. Yes, some in history have been that way. But what benefit do I get from claiming that god says killing is wrong? How am I "trying to control other men." What's the purpose then?

                                        I didn't know that you were the one to claim that god said it was wrong to kill. If you are trying to control a large number of people, and a large number of people who all live together then you try to eliminate that which makes controlling them difficult. Can't say I've ever been in such a situation, but I'd guess that people killing each other is probably a pita. The thou shalt not kill thing has a get out clause for war (amongst a number of other things), that is certainly convenient.

                                        ryanb31 wrote:

                                        Quote:

                                        then that gives anyone free range to act as they want so long as their particular deity has provided them the mandate.

                                        And how is that different than not believing in God? Where do morals come from then?

                                        It's not, that's kind of my point. If it doesn't matter what god you believe in then believing in any specific god is the same as believing in no particular god. It is how you act

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                                        • Z ZurdoDev

                                          Quote:

                                          I suspect believers make terrible programmers.

                                          How so? The article states, "They're much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error." I see that as a good thing. In my experience, those who get all stressed out perform worse than those who remain calm because they can't think straight. Based on that evidence I would have to say that believers would make better programmers.

                                          There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

                                          L Offline
                                          L Offline
                                          Lost User
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #27

                                          ryanb31 wrote:

                                          How so? The article states, "They're much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error."

                                          It also says that they have less activity in recognizing their own errors. That is horrible programming and horrible engineering... In fact science itself is the based on the idea of making a hypothesis and then proving it wrong or right. If you can not even recognize your own errors, then by default you are a poor scientist.

                                          Quote:

                                          "Obviously, anxiety can be negative because if you have too much, you're paralyzed with fear," he says. "However, it also serves a very useful function in that it alerts us when we're making mistakes. If you don't experience anxiety when you make an error, what impetus do you have to change or improve your behaviour so you don't make the same mistakes again and again?"

                                          Quote: Albert Einstein

                                          Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

                                          I have a few other definitions of insanity that are applicable here, but I will keep it civil ;)

                                          Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.

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