Born Again Brain Damage!
Research has shown that being "Born Again" causes brain damage.
Well most of us here have suspected it all along. Now there is research that proves it.
The study, conducted by Amy D. Owen, R. David Hayward, Harold G. Ioenig, David C. Steffents and Martha E. Payne asserts that religion induced stress among those who are born-again Protestants, Catholics and those with no religious affiliation as compared with Protestants who do not identify with being born again (i.e. Lutherans, Methodists, Congregationalists, etc.). Much greater levels of atrophy in the Hippocampus was observed in the former groups. Links have been made between the volume of the Hippocampus and various conditions such as Alzeheimers, dimentias, and depression. See the attachment for the full study.
One of the counterintuitive things here is the comments about those with no religious affiliation, and it makes me wonder about those who take a fundamentalist approach to theosophy or anything else, for that matter. Fundamentalism has its roots in fear, the fear of the other and the fear of negation. After all if what we believe is false, then we must be false, and by extension we are evil. That's a lot of stress.
The positive take away from this is that religion can be healthy or unhealthy. Religion that fosters love, a positive sense of community and promotes its members to find the best in themselves. Whether the object of the belief is Jesus, Buddha or even Haile Selassie the object is the same, to make our lives happier and more productive.
Really, if we have to hate someone to justify ourselves there seems to be something amiss. Don't you think?
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journal.pone.0017006.pdf, 83 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael A. Williams on
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Joe, we can all agree with your statement "if we have to hate someone to justify ourselves there seems something amiss." Plus, I wholeheartly agree that religion, and spirituality, can be healthy or unhealthy. You're also on the beam with pointing out that any group, including atheists and materialists, can be fundamentalists also. And, any religion or metaphysical group that promotes love, positive sense of community and developing the best in ourselves and others is once again on target.
Unfortunately, after reading over the study you refer to, I don't think that's what the researchers are saying. In fact, I think this is just another attempt by materialists to try to reduce all "religious" and "spiritual" experiences to simply a matter of brain chemistry.
I'm no expert, and with no credentials, no credibility in the scientific community, but if I can spot a flawed study, I'm sure a qualified non-materialist scientist could really dismantle this research study.
For one, there's only a vague definition of what "born again Christian" means as opposed to what a "non born again Christian" means. There's no attempt to even take into account what lifestyles these "born again" Christians had during all those years. What was their diet?; exercise regimen, if any?; day-to-day thought and emotional patterns(all which have a tremendous effect on the neuro-plasticity of the brain)? and so forth.
They admit that the study covers only participants in the Southeastern U.S.A. There's no admission that they're covering only a narrow range of spiritual and religious experiences. Plus, the research showing positive effects on the brain with meditation, long and short term, is admitted, but given short thrift.
There are more problems, but I won't belabor the point. In my view this study proves little, if anything, pro or con, except one can manipulate raw data into all sorts of interpretations.
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Permalink Reply by Capt. Anand Kumar on
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Based on the published data the study is inconclusive although the authors have tried to draw conclusions. With the average age being 69.24 years, it is not feasible to relate the present condition of their brain without having studied all the events in their lives. Attributing the presence of some chemicals only to religious beliefs or the absence of it, therefore appears untenable. Also the large mean Standard Deviations and the close range of beta values do not support author's claim. Perhaps a sample size of a million and better statistical analysis tools of generated data will point towards a certain direction.
However, it is a good beginning and many hitherto fore uncharted areas can be traveled. Brain produces an amazing range of chemicals to deal with every situation it encounters. Documenting and relating those chemicals with situations as well as understanding the software that allows brain to produce such chemicals will be perhaps the greatest scientific achievements. Even more interesting will be finding the situation where brain does not produce any chemicals. Perhaps an equivalent of what theosophists like to call the state of Nirvana.
A parallel to stress induced by the change in belief system can be found in the Japanese way of life, where few people change their employment. Most people, after university, join a company and retire from that company. Those who are forced to change their employment due to reasons beyond their control (the company going bust or some other reason) suffer from great mental stress and the loss of self-esteem. It would really be revealing to see the role of glucocorticoids in such situations.
"Someone else is responsible for our ills", is a time tested political tool to get people on your side. It has been used throughout history by everyone including the theosophists. It is being used everyday in every society, by the leaders and the mass media to create "Us Vs Them" culture. It is up to us to think about it.
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