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Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09
#1
Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09






"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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#2
RE: Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09
So children will spontaneously invent the concept of God without adult intervention? I thought we were all born atheist.. well goes to show you what I know.... Tongue
"There ought to be a term that would designate those who actually follow the teachings of Jesus, since the word 'Christian' has been largely divorced from those teachings, and so polluted by fundamentalists that it has come to connote their polar opposite: intolerance, vindictive hatred, and bigotry." -- Philip Stater, Huffington Post

always working on cleaning my windows- me regarding Johari
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#3
RE: Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09
Like all "children" we invent "Invisible friends"....many of us grow out of this infantile mindset...the religious do not.
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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#4
RE: Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09
(January 10, 2012 at 4:58 am)tackattack Wrote: So children will spontaneously invent the concept of God without adult intervention? I thought we were all born atheist.. well goes to show you what I know.... Tongue

Not me. I was brought to church until the age of four or so. After that there was no bible reading or further trips to church. From that and my imagination arose a very strong but eclectic sense of god. In my mind, the point of living was to become a person who would be a worthy companion to god. I pictured this very old, perhaps lonely sentience waiting for people to join him. It always struck me as unlikely that He'd want fawning followers. It seemed to me that the only thing that would count would be that I made my own decisions regarding right and wrong and stand behind them. I though Jesus/God was someone who always knew and did what was perfect. That's probably how I would have defined god. It never occurred to me that there would be a judging. I just figured everyone's mind would persist somewhere else where God was and that He just wouldn't want to hang with people who hadn't become thoughtful.

That mindset lasted until I was about 10 and then, with some regret, I had to concede that a man in the sky wasn't very likely. I can't say that I regret having my early development warped in this way.

Still I suppose I didn't re-invent the concept of God spontaneously. Parent talk and church planted the seed. I just had room to flesh the concept out in my own way without too much interference.
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#5
RE: Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09
I'm loving Dawkin's shirt Tongue
Cunt
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#6
RE: Cognitive Mechanisms - Andy Thomson - American Atheists 09
(January 10, 2012 at 6:49 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote: Like all "children" we invent "Invisible friends"....many of us grow out of this infantile mindset...the religious do not.

"All children" don't invent invisible friends, only smart ones with a good imganation.

My Mum told me ( I had forgotten) that I had an invisible friend called 'Mr Bailey' when I was about 4. That I used to blame Mr Bailey for every thing. At 5 the good nuns got their talons into me,and it became "the devil made me do it", at least until mum had words with the head nun.Thinking
(January 10, 2012 at 10:03 am)frankiej Wrote: I'm loving Dawkin's shirt Tongue

Me too. I have eleventy two similar ones.
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