pluckypalaeontologist: soultired: sylviasybil: soultired: goldenheartedrose: dailymedical: Autism and the Inability to “Mentalize” May Diminish Faith and Belief in God People with traits associated with autism, particularly traits associated with mentalizing deficits, are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study. Oh, look, an entire article that basically depends on the false idea that autistics have no theory of mind.  While it may be true that autistic people tend to be a little bit more skeptical about religion (I know that I have my own problems because uh, logic?), I don’t think that it has anything to do with my supposed lack of theory of mind.  Much of religion just isn’t logical.  There’s no denying that, especially when it comes to Christianity.  I have a tough time personally wrapping my mind around some of its facets and find it a little weird that there is a large percentage of the church that believes that every single little thing in the Bible is absolutely true, no doubt about it, and happened exactly like the Bible says.  Anyhow, it’s an interesting article, but it’s based on a false premise, so meh. I’d think the bigger problem would come from literal thinking.  If you’re prone to taking everything seriously (and not being friendly towards logical conflicts), religion falls apart pretty fast.  Which isn’t to degrade religion or insult believers, it’s just hard to take things on faith, especially when a lot of religion is presented as a solid set of beliefs and rules.  I mean, okay, God loves me, but if I don’t believe in him, I’m screwed?  I can be forgiven if I just ask for it and repent, but I can’t ask for it or repent after I’m dead, even though the essence of me still exists?  I don’t know what it’s like for allistics, but the internal discrepancies in canon just turns me off the whole affair. I was five years the first time I asked a question no religious authority could answer. I know the exact age because it was in my first communion class. The teacher had been in the habit of taking me up to the older classes’ teachers to get my questions answered, and for this one none of them could answer it. So she told my mom I was being disruptive and needed to stop questioning her teachings. And that was the root of my atheism - a five year old stumping every teacher in the parish. You wanna blame that on my autism, go ahead. IDGAF. I went to a quazi-religious school, and in first grade, really early in the year, God came up and everyone was taking it for granted that God existed and I was so confused.  Naturally, I asked, “How do you know there’s a God?” and they answered just like, “Because if there wasn’t we wouldn’t be around.”  GUYS THAT MAKES NO SENSE.  And so agnostic/atheist Soultired was born. I would have projected it to have more to do with literalism and concrete thinking than any inability to project what a God figure may or may not be thinking/feeling which seems to be what this ‘theory of mind’ thing is about. What an odd assertion. …one of the most religious friends I HAVE is autistic, so I’m pretty sure this is a bunch of B.S. Actually, several autistic or autistic-spectrum friends of mine are way more religious in various ways than I am. Meanwhile, the same frustration with not being able to reconcile what an omnicient being thinks or cares about (or whether they do) with the kinds of tropes that get used around God, as well as just literalism and having trouble with inconsistencies, do bother ME, who has never been diagnosed with anything (I have lots of traits that score marks on ASD tests but am probably allistic and don’t really care either way).
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pluckypalaeontologist:

soultired:

sylviasybil:

soultired:

goldenheartedrose:

dailymedical:

Autism and the Inability to “Mentalize” May Diminish Faith and Belief in God

People with traits associated with autism, particularly traits associated with mentalizing deficits, are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study.

Oh, look, an entire article that basically depends on the false idea that autistics have no theory of mind.  While it may be true that autistic people tend to be a little bit more skeptical about religion (I know that I have my own problems because uh, logic?), I don’t think that it has anything to do with my supposed lack of theory of mind. 

Much of religion just isn’t logical.  There’s no denying that, especially when it comes to Christianity.  I have a tough time personally wrapping my mind around some of its facets and find it a little weird that there is a large percentage of the church that believes that every single little thing in the Bible is absolutely true, no doubt about it, and happened exactly like the Bible says. 

Anyhow, it’s an interesting article, but it’s based on a false premise, so meh.

I’d think the bigger problem would come from literal thinking.  If you’re prone to taking everything seriously (and not being friendly towards logical conflicts), religion falls apart pretty fast.  Which isn’t to degrade religion or insult believers, it’s just hard to take things on faith, especially when a lot of religion is presented as a solid set of beliefs and rules. 

I mean, okay, God loves me, but if I don’t believe in him, I’m screwed?  I can be forgiven if I just ask for it and repent, but I can’t ask for it or repent after I’m dead, even though the essence of me still exists?  I don’t know what it’s like for allistics, but the internal discrepancies in canon just turns me off the whole affair.

I was five years the first time I asked a question no religious authority could answer. I know the exact age because it was in my first communion class. The teacher had been in the habit of taking me up to the older classes’ teachers to get my questions answered, and for this one none of them could answer it. So she told my mom I was being disruptive and needed to stop questioning her teachings.

And that was the root of my atheism - a five year old stumping every teacher in the parish. You wanna blame that on my autism, go ahead. IDGAF.

I went to a quazi-religious school, and in first grade, really early in the year, God came up and everyone was taking it for granted that God existed and I was so confused.  Naturally, I asked, “How do you know there’s a God?” and they answered just like, “Because if there wasn’t we wouldn’t be around.”  GUYS THAT MAKES NO SENSE.  And so agnostic/atheist Soultired was born.

I would have projected it to have more to do with literalism and concrete thinking than any inability to project what a God figure may or may not be thinking/feeling which seems to be what this ‘theory of mind’ thing is about.

What an odd assertion.

…one of the most religious friends I HAVE is autistic, so I’m pretty sure this is a bunch of B.S. Actually, several autistic or autistic-spectrum friends of mine are way more religious in various ways than I am.

Meanwhile, the same frustration with not being able to reconcile what an omnicient being thinks or cares about (or whether they do) with the kinds of tropes that get used around God, as well as just literalism and having trouble with inconsistencies, do bother ME, who has never been diagnosed with anything (I have lots of traits that score marks on ASD tests but am probably allistic and don’t really care either way).

(via pluckyminna)

Source: medicaldaily.com

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