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Why Do People Believe in God? New Research Says We're Not Born Believers After all

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prasad1

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Is it intuition that causes people to believe in gods? Or logic?

According to researchers from the universities of Coventry and Oxford, the answer is neither.


Previous research has generally held that religious people rely more on gut instinct than factual analysis, and in the event that they do become more analytical, they become less religious. But now, new research shows the biggest factor in determining a person’s religiosity isn’t intuition, but culture. Your upbringing and social environment are probably what determined your degree of faith, not your gut; people aren’t "born believers," meaning they aren’t religious because of certain characteristics in their personalities. A study detailing the research was published today in the journal Scientific Reports.


"Religious belief is most likely rooted in culture rather than in some primitive gut intuition,” lead author Miguel Farias said in a press release. “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.”


The team says the results indicate that assumptions about religious people being intuitive people are premature. Rather, faith is informed by a “nurture-based process,” which includes things like your education and the way you were raised.


"We don't think people are 'born believers' in the same way we inevitably learn a language at an early age,” Farias said in the press release. “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.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-people-believe-god-research-144016024.html




I think our society and parents in general Brain Wash us.
 
Tradition/Religion itself affirms we are never born believers.
Dwija/Twice born/Born again etc all denote " conversion" into believing.

No wonder we spend the rest of our lives reciting..

Asato Ma Sadgamaya!
 
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Shradda or fàith in the teachings of the guru and scriptures is the basis for any one to become and remain religious That Faith comes by upbringing and culture.
 
It is not surprising "God" is based on belief of individual. No one can describe God, but describe only the attributes of the word . It is an experience beyond expression say சித்தர்கள்.
"கண்டவர் விண்டிலர் விண்டவர் கண்டிலர்" .

When the search fails the reasoning surrender to faith is the only way as Sri Krishna advises in Gita:

सर्व-धर्मान् परित्यज्य माम् एकम् शरणम् व्रज । अहम् त्वा सर्व- पापेभ्यः मोक्ष्ययिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥ (Ch.18.66)
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. (Ch.18.66)

Brahmanyan
Bangalore.
 
Lord Krishna said keeping aside all your dharma, surrender unto Me.I will give liberation to you from the ill effects of all your sins. Arjuna accepts this advice of the Lord in total and tells the Lord that his delusion has fled by His grace and he will abide by His bidding. This kind of surrender to the Guru and acceptance of His words is Shraddha which comes through one's up bringing and Vasana
 
Lord Krishna said keeping aside all your dharma, surrender unto Me.I will give liberation to you from the ill effects of all your sins. Arjuna accepts this advice of the Lord in total and tells the Lord that his delusion has fled by His grace and he will abide by His bidding. This kind of surrender to the Guru and acceptance of His words is Shraddha which comes through one's up bringing and Vasana

Dear Sir...

Revelations are very personal in nature.
Its seldom to do with any external factors like upbringing.

Valmiki didnt have a real religious upbringing yet he receieved revelation.

Finally its purely up to the individual.
Many come from religious atmosphere and might even be well versed in religion/ spirituality..but very few humans can actually surrender lock..stock and barrel.

Most humans are afraid of losing their external identity so almost 99.999999% humans do not surrender.

Total surrender needs 100% commitment and utmost valor which most of us humans are not equipped with.

Just try to imagine total surrender..where one is in original state sans name..identity..caste..creed..relationships..religion..
Its not an easy state..hence Lord Krishna ends His stanza with Ma Suchah..( worry not)..becos its not an easy state to handle...also elsewhere is Geeta Lord Krishna says.." among the thousands that strive to know Me..hardly even one truly knows Me"

So its goes without saying that total surrender is almost a mission impossible but still there is a glimmer of hope and it might be eventually possible.
 
Dear Sir...

Revelations are very personal in nature.
Its seldom to do with any external factors like upbringing.

Valmiki didnt have a real religious upbringing yet he receieved revelation.

Finally its purely up to the individual.
Many come from religious atmosphere and might even be well versed in religion/ spirituality..but very few humans can actually surrender lock..stock and barrel.

Most humans are afraid of losing their external identity so almost 99.999999% humans do not surrender.

Total surrender needs 100% commitment and utmost valor which most of us humans are not equipped with.

Just try to imagine total surrender..where one is in original state sans name..identity..caste..creed..relationships..religion..
Its not an easy state..hence Lord Krishna ends His stanza with Ma Suchah..( worry not)..becos its not an easy state to handle...also elsewhere is Geeta Lord Krishna says.." among the thousands that strive to know Me..hardly even one truly knows Me"

So its goes without saying that total surrender is almost a mission impossible but still there is a glimmer of hope and it might be eventually possible.
Doctor,
Very well said. Surrender is Vaishnava concept of Saranagathi (சரணாகதி).
Complete surrender is very difficult. Annihilation of ego or the I'ness in self is the result of great effort.
The great poet Sri Narasi Mehtha has wonderfully described the character of
true Vaishnava in his memorable poem
" Vaishnava janatho ".

Brahmanyan
Bangalore.
 
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Doctor,
Very well said. Surrender is Vaishnava concept of Saranagathi (சரணாகதி).
Complete surrender is very difficult. Annihilation of ego or the I'ness in self is the result of great effort.
The great poet Sri Narasi Mehtha has wonderfully described the character of
true Vaishnava in his memorable poem
" Vaishnava janatho ".

Brahmanyan
Bangalore.

Dear Sir...

I will read the poem you mentioned.
Thank you for mentioning it..it will add to my knowledge.
 
Dear Sir...



Most humans are afraid of losing their external identity so almost 99.999999% humans do not surrender.

Total surrender needs 100% commitment and utmost valor which most of us humans are not equipped with.

Just try to imagine total surrender..where one is in original state sans name..identity..caste..creed..relationships..religion..
Its not an easy state..hence Lord Krishna ends His stanza with Ma Suchah..( worry not)..becos its not an easy state to handle...also elsewhere is Geeta Lord Krishna says.." among the thousands that strive to know Me..hardly even one truly knows Me"

So its goes without saying that total surrender is almost a mission impossible but still there is a glimmer of hope and it might be eventually possible.

Total surrender is possible.

It is not really felt as 'total surrender". If it it is part of life. It is a common practice to do anything uttering " Sarvam Krishnarppanam".

I know lot of persons meant it when they said it Most vaishnavas would have noticed it.

Anway, that's my opinion though...
 
Total surrender is possible.

It is not really felt as 'total surrender". If it it is part of life. It is a common practice to do anything uttering " Sarvam Krishnarppanam".

I know lot of persons meant it when they said it Most vaishnavas would have noticed it.

Anway, that's my opinion though...

Uttering a sentence is different from the actual act of surrender.

Sometimes the utterance gives a momentary feel of surrender but it doesnt linger beyond that moment.

For eg..in deep sleep (Sushupti) the mind is not active hence there is temporary absence of the Ego principle or " I " ness but this doesnt mean we have attained a state of liberation.

Likewise anyone who utters Sarvam Krishnarpanam is having a "Sushupti" moment..its just transient.

But not many would want to admit that total surrender might be rarely possible becos we seldom want to doubt our Bhakti.
 
[video=youtube_share;oIiHAKDfksk]https://youtu.be/oIiHAKDfksk[/video]



Dete hain -2 bhagwan ko dhokha, insaan ko kya chhodenge
Kasme waade pyaar wafa sab, baate hain baato kaa kya
 
The above song was copied by Ilaya Raja and sung by Jesudoss in the film Neengal Kettavai directed by Balu Mahendra.
 
I totally agree that complete surrender is not possible I when the ego is dominant. It requires tremendous efforts or Sadhana to eradicate ego which will not be possible in this janma or in many more Janmas that we may take. At least as a spiritual Sadana we may try to put our foot one step further to achieve that supreme goal ultimately.
 
Is it intuition that causes people to believe in gods? Or logic?




I think our society and parents in general Brain Wash us.
Parents or society say what they think is in our best interest. There is never an intent to brain wash anyone. Most people raised in good families encourage questioning. That is why many Indian parents like their children to study engineering, science, and medicine.

People believe in all kinds of things. Rather than challenge a belief ask them what is it that they believe. If they say God, ask them what that is and you will get 1000 different answers.
 
Even the claim of "total surrender" is an act of ego. People who do not have ego would not be debating about "my God is better than your God" like they sometimes do here.
 
What is the difference between a homeless man who claims to speak to God and a saint who says the same? When I posed this question to Andrew Scull, the author of the recent book Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity, he chuckled and cited a quip by the philosopher Bertrand Russell: “From a scientific point of view, we can make no distinction between the man who eats little and sees heaven and the man who drinks much and sees snakes.”
 
The person with vivekam ( endowed with power of discrimination) will certainly go in the right path leading to heaven than making merry and leading a life of recklessness which will take him/ her to utter chaos and self destruction.(snake / hell)
 
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