Scientists discover link between brain damage and religious fundamentalism

Published On: January 15, 2019|Categories: News, Top News|6 Comments|

Share This Story

6 Comments

  1. goSUPPORTHEUSA January 17, 2019 at 1:55 pm

    The scientists here, have only scientifically researched, tested and studied the effects of violence and the trauma of war in evaluating Vietnam Veterans.

    A large number of Vietnam Veterans were gathered in a case study among all of them a large number of them had damages found in brain scans.

    Then they all were asked to take a religious survey to determine who was religious among them. While the majority of participants were Christians of some kind, 32.5% did not specify a particular religion.

    Why does this study not quote the actual value or number of Veterans who had brain damage in comparison to the Veterans who had no brain damages ?

    All we know from reading the study as reported – is that 32.5% of them – did not specify a particular religion. It is as if the researchers are attempting to categorize all of the Veterans as ” all ” being already messed up in the head or partially damaged – therefore the researchers are certain to find religious people in the group.

    Why did the researchers not scan the NFL Football leagues or a large group of professional boxers ? There is even a study that suggests that pilots who fly at high altitudes may be at an increased risk for brain lesions. Why not check their religious status ?

    Should we not study other groups of different types of people who have not been subjected to horrific and terrifying fears, violence, bloodshed and episodes of gruesome threatening and life – taking experiences. – who probably many times turned to God in one of the most desperate and horrific experience that a person could possibly experience ?

    If it was just damage to the brain or a dysfunctional brain, why not study people who were just simply born with brain damage at birth. Also, the survey never indicates the results of how many Veterans who indicating brain damage – it only tells that 32.5% of them – did not specify a particular religion.

    Is this simply – just classifying all Veterans as a whole as the best study group because they are cold-blooded experienced killers and fighters who have violently hunted and have been hunted and marked for death and torture in a war situation ? – Therefore religious people have the same exact mentality – and only this thinking and mentality would normally lead one to believe that there is a God. ?

  2. Mark Sebree January 17, 2019 at 6:00 pm

    Some of those questions I can answer.

    Why did the scientists choose veterans? As a control of the type of individuals being tested. Why veterans with brain damage? Because that damage is generally from external causes, and specific to a limited number of areas of the brain, which eliminates variables.

    In your writing, you stated that it was “as if the researchers are attempting to categorize all of the Veterans as ” all ” being already messed up in the head or partially damaged”, that is because that is the reason why those particular veterans were chosen in the first place, because they suffered brain trauma during their service.

    “Why did the researchers not scan the NFL Football leagues or a large group of professional boxers ?” The researchers probably were already working with the Veterans Administration. Additionally, the types of injuries suffered by NFL players and pro boxers is different in nature, and likely to be more systemic due to repeated injury, whereas with the veterans, the injury is specific to particular areas, and the trauma was mostly from a single incident rather than repeated injury.

    “Should we not study other groups of different types of people who have not been subjected to horrific and terrifying fears, violence, bloodshed and episodes of gruesome threatening and life – taking experiences. – who probably many times turned to God in one of the most desperate and horrific experience that a person could possibly experience ?” Answer: we do study other groups frequently. However, an single research project such as this wants to control as many variables as possible. Thus, all subjects received similar class of injuries affecting the brain in a similar manner while experiencing similar circumstances. The more variables that can be controlled, the better and more relevant the results will be. In this case, they chose veterans who had received head injuries related to combat which affected different parts of the brain.

    “Also, the survey never indicates the results of how many Veterans who indicating brain damage – it only tells that 32.5% of them – did not specify a particular religion.” That is because the article assumed that you can do basic math. There were 149 veterans in the study, 119 who had suffered brain trauma, and 30 who were healthy as controls. That means that 48 did not specify a particular religion.

    “Is this simply – just classifying all Veterans as a whole as the best study group because they are cold-blooded experienced killers and fighters who have violently hunted and have been hunted and marked for death and torture in a war situation ? – Therefore religious people have the same exact mentality – and only this thinking and mentality would normally lead one to believe that there is a God. ?” None of your conclusions have anything to do with the peer reviewed study or its conclusions. Perhaps the Veterans Administration was chosen as a partner because that is the best group to get a usable group of subjects for a specific series of tests to look into a specific behavior. Nothing in anything I read in the article implied that their conclusions applied to ALL veterans, or most veterans, or even most veterans with head trauma. This study is meant to present a possible explanation for a specific behavior, as well as provide a possible avenue for more study into the question.

    Your rant shows that you know very little about science or how human behavior studies are conducted. Perhaps you should take the time to learn before criticizing more psychiatric or neurological studies.

  3. goSUPPORTHEUSA January 19, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    It is nothing more than the ranting and ravings of people pretending to be professionals as they express – how that most ill-willed and fanatical Christians who obviously ( factually ) have perfectly normal and easy going lives, obviously must have something wrong with their brains,

    and this is proven because of the fact that we found us a Vietnam Veteran out on the streets and he has no brain damage and he promised us – that he has never spoken a single religious word nor felt a single religious feeling a single day in his entire life.

    nothing more.

    The article has nothing whatsoever to do with psychiatric or neurological evidence.

    How – are brain injuries suffered by NFL players and pro boxers just ( too different ) in nature – ?

    Why pretend that Church going Christians even have any brain damages to begin with ? – and if some were found – how are their damages of the same identical nature as most damaged Vietnam Veterans ? – or even to football players or anyone elese ?

    The behaviors and physical activities of preachers who ( commonly / generally ) live a life of complete peace, happiness, and warmth, smiling and rejoicing while giving their time and energies to the dedication and task and duties of assisting others, feeding the poor, – giving the churches collected monies and resources to the poor and needy.
    Serious Christians are most generally / commonly someone – who lives a very gentle life with no external natures of any stress related incidences, a very sensitive, delicate and gentle life with little children around them and laughter, smiles and nice dinners and lunches. –

    Bible Believing Christians, live lives in harmony and look for the most nonviolent and peaceful path in every situation that they come to. They are the only people on the planet who want to do everything possible to protect their heads from violence.
    This has nothing comparable or even coming close to someone on a battlefield with bombs, bullets, knives and every possible violent situation that can be possibly imagined for weeks at a time, even for a period of years ..

    So the researchers take a study of a group of individuals who have experienced the most violent, wicked and most frightening and painful and mind damaging experience on the planet and they run directly to the religious group while pretending that there is absolutely no other scenario or possible group that could also be factored into the experiment or study. – of the brain. if we assume and pretend and imagine and take on the role of a total nut or a quack or a fanatic person – who imagines and invents an alternative reality – that the study was proving something – AND HERE IS WHERE WE GET to the real evidence of what it really says.. You notice that the article says the words

    “ the experimenters predicted “

    and this is your math. – a prediction. / You would get better results by studying the brains of horned goats compared to the brains newborn babies.

  4. goSUPPORTHEUSA January 19, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    According to a 1971 report by the Department of Defense, 51 percent of the armed forces had smoked marijuana, 31 percent had used psychedelics, such as LSD, mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms, and an additional 28 percent had taken hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin.

    How can You expect to get results when nearly half of all Vietnam Vets – have also been subjected to harsh chemicals, toxins and gasses. ? – What percentage of them was complete dope heads long, long before they even joined the service ?

    Why not study a group of people at least who we can PRESUME are drug-free ( such as Christians ) who have not been exposed to gasses and chemicals.

  5. G January 29, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    @gosupporttheUS

    How do you know if many of the Vietnam veterans were dope heads before they join the service? Then again, how many people who join the service were complete alcoholics? Many Christians have been exposed to gasses and chemicals when you look at how corporations were systematically polluting the air, ground, and water which led to the creation of the federal EPA.

    Why not study police officers, doctors, nurses, EMTs, and firemen with regards to brain damage during their careers when you look at all the stuff they see day in and day out

  6. Beth Zion February 7, 2019 at 3:09 pm

Leave A Comment