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Originally Posted by braisler
Mistakes like believing in a god when there is no rational proof that one exists. Mistakes like praying for things to get better when you should actually be doing something to make things better.
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I think this is a bit of a misunderstanding as to the function of faith and prayer. It's a common belief of non-believers to view them as a crutch, when in many cases they're used as guidance (ie. "What should I do?" or "Give me the strength for what I must do."). There are core teachings to all religions, and prayer is meant as a way to abide by them and to reassert the belief in them. I won't go into detail about the differences between literal and metaphoric approaches, but what I refer to is not the kind of religious faith where people use it as a crutch or excuse.
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Also the article claims that they 'controlled for personality and cognitive ability'. I didn't go far enough to look up the journal article that this Science Daily article was based on, but I would make the legitimate criticism of the work that it may not be possible to control for cognitive ability between believers and non-believers. Believers have that unknowable quantity they refer to as 'faith' which allows them to ignore the rational world and remain ignorant, perhaps blissfully so, as to the workings of the world.
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Having religious faith does not automatically make one ignorant to the world around them. In many ways it heightens their sense of it.
That said, one doesn't need anxiety to know they've made a mistake or to know they need to correct something. I think those of faith have a lesser ACC response because they are more tuned in to a moral code, which would suggest they don't necessarily need an anxiety-ridden behavioural response so much as a confident evaluation of the situation (i.e. how should one change their behaviour, if necessary).
And did I read that right? The stronger the belief, the fewer errors?