Nervous Wreck wrote: » Thanks to my "atheist mindset," I don't believe in such hokey things as a "gullible gene".
RichieO wrote: » I have found that the vast majority of atheists seem to have a quite different mindset than theists, inasmuch that atheists also discard the likes of astrology, psychics, the supernatural, superstitions, lucky charms, magic, voodoo and just about everything that cannot be proven or explained in sensible, logical terms, on the other hand theists tend to accept some or many of these, so I was wondering is there a “gullible gene” or is it the way the brain is wired, or a combination of some other reasons… Are there any atheists or agnostics who buy into any of the above mentioned?
Nalani Thundering Stocking wrote: » I'm a theist and I totally discard the above list...what's your point?
Samaris wrote: » I've had lucky charms before now, although I tended to lose them [...]
robindch wrote: » If I were you, I'd read that sentence a couple of times - leave the syllables roll around in your mouth for a while - have a think about the meaning of 'luck' and see what kind of thoughts might arise :pac:
Samaris wrote: » I've had lucky charms before now, although I tended to lose them, so I guess I can't have been too attached to them. I suppose a willingness to believe in superstition is a religious trait, so it may well be less likely to appear amongst atheists, but at the same time, people are irrational in lots of different directions and I have no doubt but that some do touch wood, not walk under ladders, get confused as to whether the black cat is lucky or not and/or suddenly greet magpies who never look impressed by it. I did once see seven magpies at once and picked up a £20 note while they were still whirling around overhead, so I kept that one up a bit longer! "Touch wood" is one that I hear a lot, particularly connected to work and the likelihood of things going horribly wrong in the next twenty minutes. I hear that from believers, non-believers, one very-anti-religion and don't-carers. I think they're joking. Mostly. But given I will absolutely get the blame if I haven't touched wood and things DO go wrong (which is a continuous 50:50 chance it seems), I fall in with that one, even if I really do not see how a length of plasticated chipboard is going to prevent a machine break down across the room .
looksee wrote: » Its five or six magpies you need for money, 'seven is a secret never to be told'. So obviously that was coincidence!
December2012 wrote: » I'm not religious but I'm big on Santa with my kids. Can't figure it out myself but happy with it for now!
RichieO wrote: » I have found that the vast majority of atheists seem to have a quite different mindset than theists
branie2 wrote: » Are you the same with the Easter Bunny?
smacl wrote: » Have you met the majority of atheists?
RichieO wrote: » I don't know, how many are there? But of the majority I have encountered / listened to, some are overly pedantic too...
smacl wrote: » And FWIW I know a number of atheists into the liked if reiki, homeopathy, crystal healing and various other nonsense and mumbo jumbo. While critical thinking might leave you less inclined to believe in the supernatural, the reverse does not hold. Not believing in a god doesn't make you a critical thinker.
Samaris wrote: » Mooost of the hrm...non-Christians? Non-mainstream religion? people I know who are into crystal healing and all the rest of it tend, in my experience, to be quite religious, just of a mix of various types of religion often wrapped up in "Pagan", which I'd definitely not call atheist. Even the ones that don't specifically call it pagan, there seems to be hefty drawing from gods or goddesses (usually goddesses as most - but not all - of the people I know into that are female) of various different cultures. I have so far refrained from asking how they can deal with the cognitive dissonance of worshipping Hecate, Isis, Epona and occasionally the Christian Mary at once.
Harika wrote: » That's because "do whatever I say, because santa is watching" is actually working Ot: my guess is that more religious people buy into homoeopathy than atheists, still you find sceptic people wearing their lucky t-shirt to special occasions.
RichieO wrote: » Interesting, that anyone can classify a deity outside of the supernatural...?
You know, the most amazing thing happened to me tonight... I saw a car with the license plate ARW 357. Can you imagine? Of all the millions of license plates in the state, what was the chance that I would see that particular one tonight? Amazing!
Turtwig wrote: » I also don't think that's even the correct framing of the question.
smacl wrote: » The friends I'm thinking of are possibly substituting new age woo for religion having abandoned Catholicism for all the obvious reasons while still wanting the fantasy element. Homoeopathy in particular seems to go down well which always baffles me. That said, whatever floats your boat and I think of most of this as largely harmless. They take there little pills containing one quarter of three fifths of feck all, I have my pint of Guinness. Each to their own.
