It was a torturous journey, the flames of childish fears fanned, no doubt, by my Catholic primary school education. Somewhere along the way, I somehow became convinced that I was probably dying and, as a consequence, spent many long, lonely bedtime hours making deals with some distant and unimaginable Supreme Being... if he would only let me live.
It seems now, that I was not alone.
Now scientists are asking, "Are we hard-wired to believe in God? And if we are, how and why did that happen?"
His research interests include cognitive science and evolutionary biology, and sometimes he presents students with a wooden box that he pretends is an African relic.RELATED: Hey, I could be wrong
“If you have negative sentiments toward religion,” he tells them, “the box will destroy whatever you put inside it.”
Many of his students say they doubt the existence of God, but in this demonstration they act as if they believe in something. Put your pencil into the magic box, he tells them, and the nonbelievers do so blithely. Put in your driver’s license, he says, and most do, but only after significant hesitation.
And when he tells them to put in their hands, few will.
If they don’t believe in God, what exactly are they afraid of?
I should preface this by saying that, as a 'staunchly former' Catholic, who had religion jacked up his ass a nickel at a time at a Catholic primary school, this piece by Charles Krauthammer resonated to the soul I may be closer to believing I possess.
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