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Military.com Forums Hot Topics & Current Events Religion In The Military Is religion bad for your brain?|
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Experienced Member |
Is religion bad for your brain? That's a conclusion that could be drawn from a recent study of the "brainiest states"...
"Louisiana, the "least brainy" state, tied with Mississippi and Utah for the highest rate of involvement in religious and spiritual activities..." So much for the "mind of Christ"! |
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Religion? Only? What about poverty, lack of education, etc? Could you share a link for the research? Thanks. Ixcatl |
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Experienced Member |
Opps, forgot that! Here it is:
"http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100245092>1=31036 Lots of factors, but Utah is no "..poverty, lack of education, etc?"..state. But it is very religious. Fish eating seems to be the major factor in the smart states. Washington State, where I live is number 4... we eat lots of clams, crab and other 'abominations unto the Lord' as well as salmon, etc. |
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On the other hand it could be ambient temperature.
The top ten states are, I notice, relatively pleasant in the summer if a bit chilly in the winter whereas the "thickie" states that you mention tend to be (mountains excepted) a bit over warm. Therefore I pose the alternative hypothesis that excessive heat makes people thick. And, judging by the number of religions that have issued from the Middle East, it also make people religious. |
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I don't know about that... ask Ada Yonath, she lives in Israel (very hot) and just won (with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz ) the Nobel Prize for chemistry. "http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8294421.stm Ixcatl |
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She's the exception that proves the rule.
On the other hand maybe she isn't and so think how much cleverer she'd be if she lived somewhere with a pleasant climate.  Mind you I suggest my hypothesis goes some way to explaining the collective insanity that seems to plague the increasingly misnamed Holy Land. Think about the enormous number of Jewish Nobel laureates there have been from North America and Europe (even when they were being picked-on by all and sundry) yet now they've decamped to sunnier climes... |
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So, it is the climate and not religion... Wait, what about cold (very cold) areas? Are people from these regions clever? Ixcatl |
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Experienced Member |
Well, I bet they are less religious. Scandinavia has the highest number of Atheist. It's cold, too, but also has the highest living standards and Norway is considered the best place to live. So, we could hypothesize that the further north you go the less of God there is but the better the living standards.... up to a point. |
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Hmm, how does Canada compare with the US.
There may be a fly in the ointment though, Alaska is a bit on the chilly side yet seems a bit religious. Closer to home Orkney and Shetland are somewhat more religious than mainland Britain. |
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Isn't Louisiana 49th or 50th of all the United States in spending on public school teacher salaries? If it is, that could account for the problem more than religion or lack of it.
In all fields, the best in the field go to where the salaries are the largest and the worst to where the salaries are the smallest. If the worst teachers end up in Louisiana public schools because the better teachers went elsewhere to get better pay and working conditions, it stands to reason that the quality of public education in Louisiana would be less, and Louisiana would be rated "least brainy". |
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Experienced Member |
So we could assume then that the poorer quality of education leads to a higher level of religion? |
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No, poor education seems to influence the overall 'brain smarts' in people (which seems to be influenced by diet, physical health, and social well-being). If I read the article correctly, religion, faith, etc. were not included in the analysis. So how did you reach the conclusion that religion is bad for your brain? Ixcatl |
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Experienced Member |
Note I said "could be drawn". I didn't say I drew that conclusion but it is an interesting observation. As Jesus said "the poor are rich in faith".... I sure Judaism has a similar saying? |
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Military.com Forums Hot Topics & Current Events Religion In The Military Is religion bad for your brain?
