Here’s why you believe in God (but lots of people don’t)
Many religious people think that their faith is just something they ‘know’, or even something that they were born with.
Atheists, by contrast, tend to imagine that they’re just a bit more analytical, and less instinctive, than religious people.
But that’s not actually the case, according to a new study: atheists are no more analytical than believers, and people of faith are not born that way.
Researchers stimulated an area of the brain thought to be related to analytical processes – and also questioned pilgrims taking part in the famous Camino de Santiago.
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They found no link between analytical thought and faith.
Leading author Miguel Farias said, ‘What drives our belief in gods – intuition or reason; heart or head?
‘There has been a long debate on this matter but our studies have challenged the theory that being a religious believer is determined by how much individuals rely on intuitive or analytical thinking.
‘We don’t think people are ‘born believers’ in the same way we inevitably learn a language at an early age. The available sociological and historical data show that what we believe in is mainly based on social and educational factors, and not on cognitive styles, such as intuitive/analytical thinking.
‘Religious belief is most likely rooted in culture rather than in some primitive gut intuition.’
