Religious belief is human nature, huge new study claims

Religious belief is human nature, huge new study claims

religion.blogs.cnn.com

Religion comes naturally, even instinctively, to human beings, a massive new study of cultures all around the world suggests.

"We tend to see purpose in the world," Oxford University professor Roger Trigg said Thursday. "We see agency. We think that something is there even if you can't see it. ... All this tends to build up to a religious way of thinking."

Trigg is co-director of the three-year Oxford-based project, which incorporated more than 40 different studies by dozens of researchers looking at countries from China to Poland and the United States to Micronesia.

Studies arou

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Interesting. Maybe this facet of human nature helps us in long term survival? Im personally open to all ideas of our creation and dont subscribe to any particular religion. This reminds me of lone African tribes who were visited by christian missionaries and created a shrine of the airplane the missionaries arrived in to worship. It seems we people NEED something to believe in.



religion.blogs.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Could it be that we were created this way for a purpose? No, it's not survival, it's because we have a soul which longs for a better place? As a Christian I believe that we were hardwired to need a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

I think this study doesn't take into account the difference between religious beliefs and spirituality. They aren't the same.

Originally posted by Ghost375
I think this study doesn't take into account the difference between religious beliefs and spirituality. They aren't the same.

Well lets wait until the study is fully released to determine that.

reply to post by ziggyproductions05


The findings of this study aren't surprising to me at all. I was raised in a secular household, but I sometimes wish I had more religious or spiritual experience growing up. I appreciate the fact that my parents didn't indoctrinate me and wanted me to develop my own personal beliefs, but I sometimes feel as if there's a spiritual void in my life...as if a piece of the puzzle's missing.

Makes you wonder if we were actually a created race.
And that instinct was put in us by our creators to instantly know them and obey.

Originally posted by grey580
Makes you wonder if we were actually a created race.
And that instinct was put in us by our creators to instantly know them and obey.

And sense their presence and understand messages.

For thousands of years and over many different cultures across the world they did necessarily have a belief system usually quite different from others. So this finding deems true, we should not totally hold our beliefs currently to deem true though for it when deemed wrong we'll be ashamed of our selves. Thats part of the Human Ego so lets put that aside and keep an open mind about this study.

reply to post by Royalkin


Well as stated in the article, this doesnt mean a God or afterlife exisists

"This project does not set out to prove God or gods exist. Just because we find it easier to think in a particular way does not mean that it is true in fact," he said.

If you were never told of God, The bible, or any other religious idealism, would people eventually figure out the idea of christianity or muslim or would they worship an airplane like those in that African tribe I talked about in my OP?

Originally posted by Royalkin
Could it be that we were created this way for a purpose? No, it's not survival, it's because we have a soul which longs for a better place? As a Christian I believe that we were hardwired to need a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

You have elequently stated what I believe as well. We are hard wired to search and discover the greater meaning of life.

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13


It's all just a game. We incarnate forgetting what we are. The goal is to experience first and foremost but religion gives us the motivation to remember what we are. For those who remember it's like entering a cheat code. You remember it's just a game and you experience joy. The need for religion I think is the motivating force to remember what you are and make the burdens of life so much easier to bear for those that take the correct spiritual path.

Of course that's just my opinion... I'm likely wrong. =)

i'm pretty sure studies like this have been done before. Here is one example - www.guardian.co.uk...
"In his book Darwin's Cathedral, David Sloan Wilson, professor of biology and anthropology at Binghamton University in New York state, says that religiosity emerged as a "useful" genetic trait because it had the effect of making social groups more unified."

We are/were hardwired to believe in a religion, the super natural, god. You could say that it created social cohesion. Strength in numbers. It helped us become a society. However, this is not what religion does now. It may bring personal comfort to some but it causes an awful lot of other problems around the globe doesn't it.

One last (off topic) point, one of the previous posters had a good point to make about religion and spirituality being different.

reply to post by Buddha1098


I like how you think Buddha1098.

I absolutely think that it's human nature to want to believe in something - to think that there's a grand design and purpose to all that we don't understand - that someone is taking care of it all - that for suffering the hardships of life, there will be a wonderful and great reward someday...

Who wouldn't want that? But just because we want something, doesn't mean it's true.

I think people look at the order of nature and extrapolate that there must be a divine purpose and grand design to it all. There MUST be. I think they jump to a conclusion to explain something they don't know or understand. It's also human nature to want to know. To want to have the answers.

As the article states, atheists and the religious alike could use this study to support their positions. In my opinion, neither should. This whole idea of convincing others to believe as we believe is what brings on religious wars.

Originally posted by Taffygirl
....

However, this is not what religion does now. It may bring personal comfort to some but it causes an awful lot of other problems around the globe doesn't it.

Sure does. Most of our wars are completely based on belief and religion. Its all faith based and not fact based. None of us truly know one way or another exactly who is right or who is wrong.

reply to post by ziggyproductions05


I wouldn't say most. The Muslim conquest of India is the bloodiest war in history, but many refute the 80,000,000 casualty number as inflated. More people have died in secular wars throughout history than in religious ones.

reply to post by Buddha1098


You're right. It seems more deaths have occured in secular wars than holy wars. If you throw in martyrs and human sacrifices i wonder how/if those numbers would change. Its hard to really get accurate numbers. Muslims have Jihad and Christians had 'crusades' where they pillaged because the Popes promised 'indulgences' for those who participated. This is very interesting stuff

reply to post by ziggyproductions05


Whoa whoa whoa! Did someone on ATS actually research the facts and admit that they were wrong!? Maybe the world really is going to end! =)

I agree with you though, if people stopped arguing or killing each other over something that any intelligent person can see is unknowable the world would be a much better place. No more suicide bombers and no more Westboro Baptist Church.. That's the kind of planet I want to live on.

Originally posted by Royalkin
Could it be that we were created this way for a purpose? No, it's not survival, it's because we have a soul which longs for a better place? As a Christian I believe that we were hardwired to need a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

Oh? Well than how about the people who lived before Jesus was born?