On 13/05/2016 05:09, Muggles wrote:
On 5/12/2016 10:44 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2016 13:35:07 -0500, Muggles
wrote:

On 5/12/2016 1:04 PM, Meanie wrote:
On 5/12/2016 12:49 PM, Muggles wrote:


A good majority of people live by some moral code, so I try to not
attribute their attitudes to any particular belief system when they
behave self-righteously. Often times we all revert back to our base
responses, some more than others.


Most good Atheists live by the "do unto others" code and not one of a
religious nature. IMO, when/if proven wrong in their belief structure,
they will not revert to a book proclaiming their righteousness with an
adamant stance

They just revert back to their human nature which requires them to
display any number of responses, such as, rejection or control
techniques, manipulation, any number of logical fallacies, name calling,
their own version of self-righteous indignation, implications that
attack the character of their opponent, or some even go so far as to
threaten violence in some way. Some of those responses are outright
obvious, and others are passive aggressive, but they all point to a
deeply held belief that something they reject is more valid than someone
else who doesn't reject the same ideas. They justify their responses as
simply supporting their particular point of view, and can't see their
behavior is no different from someone who is religious who responds in a
similar way.

Any belief that prompts such responses to the opposition is akin to
behaving religiously. A book have no bearing in the matter.

whereas a religious zealot will.

A zealot is just as likely to be found amongst Atheists as it is they
can be found amongst computer programmers, even. The mindset of a
zealot if just simply they are right and everyone else is wrong, and
they won't hesitate to go on the attack if anyone challenges them.


Religion is the main problem.

Human nature is the main problem, not religion.



Brain study: Religious belief vs. non-belief - Anxiety/stress
reduction

See also: Atheism and brain function

According to the leading science news website Phys.org:

“ Believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress,
according to new University of Toronto research that shows distinct
brain differences between believers and non-believers.
In two studies led by Assistant Psychology Professor Michael Inzlicht,
participants performed a Stroop task - a well-known test of cognitive
control - while hooked up to electrodes that measured their brain
activity.

Compared to non-believers, the religious participants showed
significantly less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a
portion of the brain that helps modify behavior by signaling when
attention and control are needed, usually as a result of some
anxiety-producing event like making a mistake. The stronger their
religious zeal and the more they believed in God, the less their ACC
fired in response to their own errors, and the fewer errors they
made...

Their findings show religious belief has a calming effect on its
devotees, which makes them less likely to feel anxious about making
errors or facing the unknown.[7]



Interesting! thanks for posting it.

Did you just say "religious belief has a calming effect on its
devotees, which makes them less likely to feel anxious about making
errors or facing the unknown"?

Religion *introduces* fear into believers, ie: hell.
Hmm! I'd better be good or I'll suffer eternal damnation etc.
Much of religion is based on *fear of the unknown*.
--
Bod