Ok, I just read the study. After going through it I don't think the there's much of a basis (from this single study) to say religion causes brain damage. In fact, the study was investing hippocampal atrophy; conflating it with 'brain damage' seems a little misleading. Here's a snippet from the discussion section of the study with a couple of highlights by me:
Quote:Greater hippocampal atrophy was observed longitudinally in this study among born-again Protestants, Catholics, and those reporting no religious affiliation, compared with non born-again Protestants. These findings may reflect potential cumulative stress associated with being a member of a religious minority.Having read the whole study I think the person who made this video went way beyond what is supported by the evidence they linked to. It seems to me (from this particular study) atrophy of the hippocampus can occur as a result of cumulative stress - of which religion may or may not be a factor. In the latter half of the video, the following line from the study's abstract is highlighted:
Quote:Significantly greater hippocampal atrophy was observed for participants reporting a life-changing religious experience.Curiously, however, the next (non highlighted) line says this:
Quote:Significantly greater hippocampal atrophy was also observed from baseline to final assessment among born-again Protestants, Catholics, and those with no religious affiliation, compared with Protestants not identifying as born-again.To me it seems the video's creator is one of the following:
- Operating under a confirmation bias
- Being deliberately deceitful
- Incompetent at research
