Do atheists have any evidence to support their beliefs?

[Belk]

I would sincerely doubt there's a link between autism and atheism. I don't know if you meant to be offensive in suggesting as much, but I doubt you have the ability to identify autism so easily.

There's been multiple studies which correlate atheism with intelligence. It would be surprising to find out that learning disabilities and atheism are also linked.

There are also multiple studies that link learning disabilities with intelligence.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

There's been multiple studies which correlate atheism with intelligence. It would be surprising to find out that learning disabilities and atheism are also linked.

My theory, atheism leads to intelligence rather than vice versa. Its a matter of focus. They have more time for crosswords.

 

[Ana the Ist]

My theory, atheism leads to intelligence rather than vice versa. Its a matter of focus. They have more time for crosswords.

Lol Sunday morning is free...

 

[stevevw]

Atheism is actually an unnatural position to take for humans. We are natural born believers from the day we are born and belief is gradually indoctrinated out of us. As adults we have to work hard to maintain a disbelief as belief in divine concepts is a noraml cognitive position for humans.


Some recent findings suggest that two foundational aspects of religious belief — belief in divine agents, and belief in mind-body dualism — come naturally to young children.
Religion is natural. - PubMed - NCBI

Children are "born believers" in God and do not simply acquire religious beliefs through indoctrination, according to an academic.
Children are born believers in God, academic claims

Like it or not, religious belief is ingrained into human nature.
The God issue: New science of religion

 

[Allandavid]

Atheism is actually an unnatural position to take for humans. We are natural born believers from the day we are born and belief is gradually indoctrinated out of us. As adults we have to work hard to maintain a disbelief as belief in divine concepts is a noraml cognitive position for humans.


Some recent findings suggest that two foundational aspects of religious belief — belief in divine agents, and belief in mind-body dualism — come naturally to young children.
Religion is natural. - PubMed - NCBI

Children are "born believers" in God and do not simply acquire religious beliefs through indoctrination, according to an academic.
Children are born believers in God, academic claims

Like it or not, religious belief is ingrained into human nature.
The God issue: New science of religion

There are two aspects at play here...

Humans are evolved as pattern seekers. From the early times as we tenuously hung on to survival on the savannahs of Africa, it was to our advantage to believe things that may have not been true. It was safer to imagine that those shadows in the long grass were caused by a stalking lion, whether or not one was there. That tendency has remained with us, particularly as children...the ‘bogey man’ might be there around any corner.

But, the other aspect is our intellect. We also have steadily grown bigger brains, capable of a mature appreciation of our surroundings. Just as our intelligence has more than compensated for our inferior physical make up in assisting us to dominate the planet, so has it also enabled us to overcome the primal fears and superstitions which served our ancestors...

 

[Larniavc]

Children are "born believers" in God

Which God?

 

[KCfromNC]

Atheism is actually an unnatural position to take for humans.

Kinda like using indoor plumbing. Doesn't make it a bad thing.

 

[stevevw]

There are two aspects at play here...

Humans are evolved as pattern seekers. From the early times as we tenuously hung on to survival on the savannahs of Africa, it was to our advantage to believe things that may have not been true. It was safer to imagine that those shadows in the long grass were caused by a stalking lion, whether or not one was there. That tendency has remained with us, particularly as children...the ‘bogey man’ might be there around any corner.

But, the other aspect is our intellect. We also have steadily grown bigger brains, capable of a mature appreciation of our surroundings. Just as our intelligence has more than compensated for our inferior physical make up in assisting us to dominate the planet, so has it also enabled us to overcome the primal fears and superstitions which served our ancestors...

That may have something to do with it but it seems there is something beyond an evolutionary influence. It seems that belief is part of a humans natural cognition and a default position. Even if belief in god and the afterlife was influenced by evolution because it gave us a survival advantage it still shows that it is an important and natural part of being human and not something that should be mocked like those with belief have something wrong with them and we all should just grow out of silly religious belief. If anything the research is showing it is atheism that is unnatural.


So is religion an adaptation or a by-product of our evolution? Perhaps one day we will find compelling evidence that a capacity for religious thoughts, rather than 'religion' in the modern form of socio-political institutions, contributed to fitness in ancestral times. For the time being, the data support a more modest conclusion: religious thoughts seem to be an emergent property of our standard cognitive capacities.


“The mind has myriad distinct belief networks that contribute to making religious claims quite natural to many people.”

Being human: Religion: Bound to believe?

 

[stevevw]

Which God?

I dont think the studies/research set out to discover which gods or even prove there was a god or gods. But it does seem that all people regardless of the differences claimed by religion and culture all have similar basic beliefs such as that there is a creator behind what we see and an afterlife.

 

[stevevw]

Kinda like using indoor plumbing. Doesn't make it a bad thing.

But it seems that atheism is going against the natural grain for human cognition.

 

[Allandavid]

But it seems that atheism is going against the natural grain for human cognition.

But it goes with the grain for rational thought...

 

[ToddNotTodd]

But it goes with the grain for rational thought...

It also stands to reason that an atheist, sloughing off unnecessary ancient evolutionary programming, is a more developed human. I mean, it comes so naturally to all the atheists I know...

 

[Silmarien]

But it goes with the grain for rational thought...

I would not be so sure. Irrationalism has got quite the history in the modern West. If you think the world is devoid of rational structure, meaning, and purpose, it's hard to say that "reason" is more than an aesthetic choice or a useful tool in certain circumstances. Lots of atheists seem to care about it, but I can't really figure out why. I never did. It's my sympathies for Platonism that make me take reason more seriously than I otherwise would.

 

[Allandavid]

But it seems that atheism is going against the natural grain for human cognition.

So what...? Humans have developed many behaviours and practices which “go against the natural grain”, yet have benefited us greatly...

 

[Allandavid]

I would not be so sure. Irrationalism has got quite the history in the modern West. If you think the world is devoid of rational structure, meaning, and purpose, it's hard to say that "reason" is more than an aesthetic choice or a useful tool in certain circumstances. Lots of atheists seem to care about it, but I can't really figure out why. I never did. It's my sympathies for Platonism that make me take reason more seriously than I otherwise would.

However we arrived at it, rational and logical thought have proven to be an extremely successful framework for human advancement, even though it runs counter to many of our baser instincts...

 

[Larniavc]

religious thoughts seem to be an emergent property of our standard cognitive capacities.

That makes sense. Far from being intrinsic it is simply a product of human cognitive evolution.

Like out grouping and language.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Atheism is actually an unnatural position to take for humans.

For humans? Or do you mean for human children? I suppose that language is also "unnatural" for human beings, since we are not born speaking a language. Nevertheless, we naturally pick up a language. At some point, a language becomes "second nature" to us, just like riding a bicycle.

We are natural born believers from the day we are born and belief is gradually indoctrinated out of us.

I remember having to be told that "God" exists when I was little. I didn't have any "natural" concept of God. I was not a natural believer if by that you mean a believer. I'll agree that "God" may have been a simple enough entity to conceptualize at that age because I could see "God" as a sort of person, and God may have been a convenient answer to various questions I might have had.

I can believe that little children can't easily conceptualize natural processes in the manner of the "efficient causation" of modern science, and may find conscious intentions easier to understand at their tender age, but I'm not sure why that should be a big deal. All that means is that the natural process of human maturation allows us as adults a greater range of abstract understanding -- and the capacity for abstract understanding is natural to human beings. Scientific understanding is not in any way unnatural for us, but simply represents an accomplishment that may accompany greater brain development.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Silmarien]

However we arrived at it, rational and logical thought have proven to be an extremely successful framework for human advancement, even though it runs counter to many of our baser instincts...

Which baser instincts are these? I went full Nietzschean once and tried to toss off all of morality as well, so it's not terribly obvious to me. When you've been flirting with genuine nihilism, it's a bit hard to keep track of what parts of human nature are supposed to be higher or lower--it all just looks like ideological warfare on all fronts. Anyway, enjoy your technological dystopia!

 

[stevevw]

But it goes with the grain for rational thought...

You dont have to be an atheist to think rationally.

 

[stevevw]

For humans? Or do you mean for human children? I suppose that language is also "unnatural" for human beings, since we are not born speaking a language. Nevertheless, we naturally pick up a language. At some point, a language becomes "second nature" to us, just like riding a bicycle.

The studies actually say that belief in divine concepts is a natural cognitive position for adults as well.

Religious thought and behaviour can be considered part of the natural human capacities, such as music, political systems, family relations or ethnic coalitions.

Religious thoughts seem to be an emergent property of our standard cognitive capacities.

“The mind has myriad distinct belief networks that contribute to making religious claims quite natural to many people.”

Some form of religious thinking seems to be the path of least resistance for our cognitive systems. By contrast, disbelief is generally the result of deliberate, effortful work against our natural cognitive dispositions — hardly the easiest ideology to propagate.
https://www.nature.com/articles/4551038a

This review examines recent research into religious rituals, communication and transmission of religious knowledge, the development of god-concepts in children, and the origins and character of religious concepts in adults. Together, these studies consistently emphasize and support the notion that the cultural phenomena typically labeled as ‘religion’ may be understood as the product of aggregated ordinary cognition.
http://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(99)01419-9

I remember having to be told that "God" exists when I was little. I didn't have any "natural" concept of God. I was not a natural believer if by that you mean a believer. I'll agree that "God" may have been a simple enough entity to conceptualize at that age because I could see "God" as a sort of person, and God may have been a convenient answer to various questions I might have had.

I dont think the studies are about any particular god but belief in divine and supernatural concepts.

I can believe that little children can't easily conceptualize natural processes in the manner of the "efficient causation" of modern science, and may find conscious intentions easier to understand at their tender age, but I'm not sure why that should be a big deal. All that means is that the natural process of human maturation allows us as adults a greater range of abstract understanding -- and the capacity for abstract understanding is natural to human beings. Scientific understanding is not in any way unnatural for us, but simply represents an accomplishment that may accompany greater brain development.

As one of the papers alludes to even as adults religious thinking seems to be the path of least resistence and disbelief takes more effort to achieve and maintain.

Some form of religious thinking seems to be the path of least resistance for our cognitive systems. By contrast, disbelief is generally the result of deliberate, effortful work against our natural cognitive dispositions — hardly the easiest ideology to propagate.
https://www.nature.com/articles/4551038a

Disbelief may be overcome with filling the mind with more critical thinking but I think belief is a natural state for the human mind. Not everyone can achieve a high level of critical or scientific thinking so they may never be in that position to know.