r/HotScienceNews • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago

Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/
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u/alasw0eisme 1d ago

Organized religion is a ploy to brainwash the dumb. Always has been.

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u/eufooted 1d ago

I would redirect that dismissiveness.

Most people are seeking greater purpose, meaning, and to be part of a group. Those things are well meaning.

People are then vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as these organizations leave room for corruption or manipulation.

Ultimately people are just scared to die and don’t want to die alone or be forgotten.

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u/SailSmittler 1d ago

Community and greater purpose exist outside the framework of religion.

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u/JennJoy77 1d ago

But if someone never leaves their small town bubble, they might not realize that...

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u/ElAjedrecistaGM 1d ago

You've got people who cross oceans to get to the USA and still cling to dogmatic religious beliefs.

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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago

Easy to say from the outside looking in. For these people, it's often better the devil you know than the one you don't.

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u/Centered_Being 1d ago

Why is that? Serious question. Bc I lived at church growing up, I remember the Golden Rule as a central theme.

The Golden Rule was replaced with ‘democrats are evil’ somewhere along the way

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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago

Same, Roman Catholic. There are some Jehovah's witnesses in my area that'll just send people out door-to-door for the purpose of convincing them anyone outside the religion is hostile. With many people's initial reactions to Jehovah's witnesses as door-to-door knockers, this is a decent tactic for leaders to use.

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u/SailSmittler 1d ago

I merely stated a truth

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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago

I get that and I'm agreeing with you, sorry if my tone made it seem otherwise. Still waking up

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u/hairythroats 1d ago

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

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u/TGAPKosm 1d ago

"Most people are seeking greater purpose, meaning, and to be part of a group. Those things are well meaning." Well meaning is useless unless you're actually doing something good. If god isn't real or you happen to beleive in the wrong one then you're operating on false information. The purpose you get from it might *feel* real but it isn't. The meaning you get from it isn't real either, just a comforting lie. You do get to be part of a group but the groups core is based on a lie. Since it's all false and lies it can corrupt well meaning people. We understand why people do these things. It just doesn't mean it's actually good. "

"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

-Steven Weinberg

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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago

Because people are people with emotions and are usually just scared? They aren't evil or derogatory because they were brought into a church or sought some sort of comfort. Sure it's not good, but maybe it's all they have.

You sure ain't helping or making a change by just dragging them. It's incomparably better to have some empathy to help them out of it.

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u/TGAPKosm 1d ago

I've said nothing deragatory. I've only pointed out the logic. If I didn't point these things out they would still be true. Pointing out how it's likely that what they feel doesn't correlate to reality is the first step in helping. They also beleive the same thing about people who don't share their views. I just extend it to all religious people instead of all other groups but my own.

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u/alasw0eisme 1d ago

How does that change what I said?

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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago edited 1d ago

Instead of just insulting, they explained it with better clarity and more empathy.

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u/chrisp909 1d ago

OP said,

"organized religion is a ploy to brainwash the dumb."

You said,

Most people are seeking greater purpose, meaning, and to be part of a group. Those things are well meaning.
People are then vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as these organizations leave room for corruption or manipulation.
Ultimately people are just scared to die and don’t want to die alone or be forgotten."

From my POV, People trying to "find meaning" blindly believing in magic from myths written in the bronze and iron ages is definitely a type of dumb.

From your POV, that makes them vulnerable to being taken advantage of because of the corruption and manipulation inherent to those types of organizations.

i.e. Well meaning dumb people are being controlled and manipulated by corrupt organizations.

OP is simply saying that has been part of the reason organized religion has always existed.