Are all aspies atheists -- or is it just me?

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This is true, and probably correct for me. I don't take anything for granted, but I find tested theories to be more likely than those that rely on blind faith.

The experts in analysing the neurology of religion (daniel dennet, dawkins) find that a big contributing factor is mirror neurons, which aspies have lower functioning for. We evolved mirror neurons to quickly attribute human intentions and motives to others. They makes us function socially by allowing to feel where other are by watching others.

When NT's are confused, they often missatribute a human intention. This can be anything from mild paranioa to believing that a great human like intention exists in the design of life, earthquakes etc..

How about faith in your own basic senses?

It prevents you from getting run over by a car when you cross the street, and lets you distinguish your dinner from a big steaming pile of dog poo.

I don't think this theory holds much water. There are Aspies who believe in a personal god, which goes against the idea that a lack of mirror neurons means you won't be attributing the nature of the universe to some sort of benevolent intention.

Besides, as others have said, even lack of faith is an act of faith. It's all a shot in the dark when it comes to the mystery of existence. Choosing not to believe in anything is a shot in the dark as much as choosing to believe in something. I don't think neurology has anything to do with it at all. We are not just our neurological systems. We share human yearnings and fears with everyone else on the planet, and the soul can't possibly be reckoned with in any kind of scientific way.

I am a Christian. I am also a member of the United Methodist Church where I serve as a church organist.

neshamaruach

I don't think this theory holds much water. There are Aspies who believe in a personal god, which goes against the idea that a lack of mirror neurons means you won't be attributing the nature of the universe to some sort of benevolent intention.

Statistically it seems like aspies are mostly athiests but for exceptions, there are many reasons for that which could be discussed, but it’s a big area, and if you are a believer I would not waste time trying. That’s not a shot in the dark, it’s a statistical probability that if I gave a believer irrefutable proof they were deluded they would deny and confabulate anyway.

It's all a shot in the dark when it comes to the mystery of existence. Choosing not to believe in anything is a shot in the dark as much as choosing to believe in something.

I never said atheists didn’t believe in anything. It’s a non issue would you call yourself a non astrologer ?

I don't think neurology has anything to do with it at all. We are not just our neurological systems. We share human yearnings and fears with everyone else on the planet..

And those people are also neurological system…with brain parts to turn single brains into mass neurology..thats whole the reason why we are considered aspies because our brains aren’t fully expressing the neurological machinery which connect single brains into group brains.

the soul can't possibly be reckoned with in any kind of scientific way.


Of course it can, its your physical energy, mind, emotion and memory, which arise due to biological machinery generating them. All these things are being described increasingly well by science. In about twenty years time we will have a full understanding of consciousness and memory.

i believe in weed and alchohol

I agree, the freedom anyone has to believe in whatever they want, is to be respected and is their right.


I believe in nothing, well, almost
Anyway, your are right, no one can claim to lack faith unless they are either strong philosophical skeptics or perhaps solipsists, even so, I wonder if a human being can actually exist 100% faith free about any aspect.

I am an atheist but I would choose the New Age Movement if I had to choose a religion to follow.

I'm an atheist. I don't think there's any deities or supernatural events.

I think religion has declined more in Britain than in most other places.

I believe in God, but I don't believe that any religion is accurate. I think of religion as being a manmade thing.

It depends on your view of atheism.

I believe that somehow, someway, the universe had to of had a beginning; though we don't know how it happened. Though, I do not believe in this "God" character.

Don't label me agnostic.

Faith doesn't work for me, it's not an emotion and it smells like a faulty, man-made construct. I recall being given the idea of faith for the first time at school. I felt that I was never going to be able to blot out my genuine doubts, and thought that probably meant that if there was a god, he'd notice that and I'd not make the grade.

I felt slightly better after hearing the New Testament story of the guys who made a hole in the roof in order to lower their sick friend down to Jesus. As that was said to be a demonstration of faith that earned the healing miracle, I felt that the rule was a little easier - those guys might have had serious reservations about the validity of the whole exercise, just acting out of desperation rather than any great inner certainty of Jesus being a supernatural healer. So I figured there was a chance my honest doubt might be acceptable after all, as long as I acted as if there was a chance of the Bible being right. That seemed like something that I at least could do.

I don't think in terms of faith, I find myself expecting certain things to happen because they've happened before pretty reliably, but beyond that I don't feel able to "know" something will happen. Somebody tried to explain faith as being like waiting for a bus.....but the analogy didn't work for me because I trust the bus in proportion to how reliable it's been in the past, I know that buses do let people down sometimes. I have to live in the assumptive world or I'd never get anything done, but when I look at it all I really believe are probability estimates, and even those are only estimates.

I guess my closest approximation to a "leap of faith" is that I believe there are no deities, just as there are no fairies, there's an outside chance that one is hiding somewhere, but the evidence for that looks very weak, so I have to be practical and ignore it. Even my belief in myself, it's only there because I have to have that or I can't continue. It makes no sense to aviod my biological self-preservation instinct.

Faith never worked for me eighter. Another thing is experience , and i have had deep and profound spritual experiences , both using pychedelics and with yoga and kiirtan (chanting mantra).

But the last ten years of my life have been a fatiguing battle not alloving me to do consitent spititual practice. I miss that feeling of meaning , syncronicity wholeness so much it hurts sometimes, it has become mostly a memory now.
This has cased me to become more and more agnostic as i cant rely on memories of experiences, like my mind had dried up and got caught of in the mundane and finite due to lack of nourishment from the source and the soul.
Altough im frustrated about it, i dont worry to much, all things has its time in life. If it was really there then,its always there and here..And then its just a matter of seeing trough the veil.

two words... sensory hallucinations. You need faith that what you are sensing is actually there.

thanks to math sclence and cake I do believe!