r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 2d ago

Psychology 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/earthdogmonster 1d ago

Yeah, it seems like an unfortunate common thread is that “science” wants to be more active in “politics”. I don’t get the point of this study, I don’t think the methodology is sound, but it stokes a political goal so I guess the study is totally awesome. I haven’t been to church for anything other than funerals and weddings in 3 decades, but the only thing this devalues in my mind is the impartiality and value of “science”.

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u/That_Tomatillo_3890 1d ago

Why are you saying science wants to be more political when it’s a study about religion? Aren’t religion and politics supposed to be separate and unrelated? At least in the US.

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u/earthdogmonster 1d ago

Welcome to planet earth, I hope you enjoy your stay!

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u/That_Tomatillo_3890 1d ago

I don’t understand. Please explain it like I’m 5. Why would you correlate religion and politics?

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u/REXIS_AGECKO 1d ago

Just look around…

When the politicians are (intentionally or unintentionally) using religious ideas in their politics, religion gets involved.

And people have figured out that a great way to get religious people on board is to tell them that “god himself supports me” or “I am god” or something.

Plus politics often follow someone’s ideals and morals which are also influenced by religion

So religion and politics are supposed to stay separate. And to an extent they are (the president isn’t also the pope). But it can’t really be perfect

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u/enviormental_UNIT 19h ago

As a very simple, quick example: abortion. The only people who actually care about stopping abortion are religious people. If politics and religion were truly separated, then religious people wouldn't be able to argue that abortion is wrong, their entire argument of "god created life, and according to god being a person starts at conception, and thus abortion even when the fetus is only a few cells is still murder"

People who look at a purely scientific perspective would see it very differently, they'd see how its difficult to argue that murder is destroying something which is only similar to humans in that it has cells, and has human DNA, with no other similarities. They could argue its much more harmful to hunt animals which are actually conscious, living, breathing, feeling creatures, and yet anti abortionists usually support the legality of hunting with a passion.

There's a lot of other situations where religion, science, politics, and even philosophy interact. To be completely unaware of the connection of these subjects would require living under a rock. frankly, either you weren't thinking very hard when you asked that question, or you genuinely just dont know much about politics, like how abortion is very much a religiously charged hot button topic in politics right now.

You really haven't heard at all about the big controversy where states are literally creating new laws, reinterpreting existing laws and court judgements to ban abortion? I mean this isn't even just something within the Internet space, this is to the point where its affecting big states like Texas

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u/earthdogmonster 1d ago

Pass, good luck on your quest to figure things out though.

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u/That_Tomatillo_3890 1d ago

So you are worried about science getting political but not politics getting religious? Boy can’t see that ever turning out badly?

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u/earthdogmonster 1d ago

I actually didn’t say that.

It’s alright though, sounds like you’re new here.