Do you believe there is a universal cognitive susceptibility to religion?

Question

... and if so, cognitively speaking, how can one account for atheism. Is it to do with all humans asking the same questions about the unknown and wanting to find answers or does it go deeper than that? Whilst all religions may be considered 'rational', all violate what I believe to be intuitive knowledge and none are based on fact... why are these violations so recurrent in human nature?

Steve_ronin: I am asking neither. I'm afraid I cannot make my question any clearer, sorry!

Answer 1

In order for there to be a universal cognitive susceptibility to religion, you have to assume that 1) religion is a universal phenomena, or rather, that religion possesses some universal quality and that 2) some carry genes that makes them susceptible and some who do not. If we can qualify both assumptions, then atheism can be accounted for by genetic variation--where some do not carry such genes.

However, on point 1) a survey of the various religions would show significant differences not only interculturally but intraculturally. Accordingly, if all religions share a common thread, such as "asking the same questions..." as your question suggest, we would find that some religions don't answer the unknown. They leave the unknown as it is. On point 2), attributing a social description to a gene is absurd. Some phenotypic traits can be discrete, but most are not. For example, eye color and skin color are some polygenic traits that invoke several genetic loci. With that in mind, it be more than difficult to attribute a set of complex behaviors to one or even several genetic loci.

Granted that some facets of religious behavior violate intuitive knowledge (cf. Dan Sperber and Pascal Boyer), as eroticohio mentions above, common behaviors also violate intuitive knowledge, not just religious behaviors. Self-interest, greed, altruism, may all provoke decisions to what some may consider intuitive. Since religious behavior and intuitive knowledge are not mutually exclusive, it makes little sense to characterize religion as the primary agent for violations of intuitive knowledge.

Answer 2

Susceptibility: Yes, but not just to religion, as such. There seems to be an inherent need for answers, which can often manifest as a fleeing from the questions, which is why addiction to drugs, video games, porn, etc., are so common. Once we get a taste of what it is like to get a good explanation for something, it eventually occurs to us that we want an explanation for our own existence. Many people find the apparent unanswerability of the questions to be intolerable, so they attach themselves to whatever answer is most available at the moment (typically the dominate religion of their society, family, or peer group) Some individuals, however, will discover some personal sense of reward in rejecting all of the religious alternatives. This personal reward may be a certain sense of community (with other atheists) and/or an ego-boost coming from their perceived strength in resisting the crutch of religion, or pride in their ability to stare the unknown in the face without flinching. One way or another, we want to feel that we belong to someone or something greater than ourselves, whether it is a god, a nation, a political party, an idolized lover, or simply a community of loved and/or respected fellow beings. This is the sort of universally susceptibility that leads many (but not all) people to religion.

Additional thought:
Of course it is also possible that we are in fact part of something larger and more meaningful that our momentary ego-based existence, and that we have a phenomenologically pre-reflective awareness of this fact, that manifests periodically in the emotional and/or cognitively reflective form of awe, wonder, or an unshakable intuition that there is something more to our existence. This happens to be my own personal view. I see the source of our personal being as grounded in a universal Being – a sort of cosmic Oneness that underlies our individual sense of self. Perhaps this, too, is just a crutch, but it is my crutch.

Answer 3

I do not believe there is a universal cognitive susceptibility to religion. I myself am an atheist/agnostic. My 5 year younger sister "somewhat" believes there may be truth to what the church preaches, and the rest of my entire family are religious to other degrees. I personally believe the link to be simply in the nurture aspect of our childhood. If our parents took us to church every Sunday, made us say a prayer each night, and spoke of religion often enough, then we have no choice but to grow up believing in a God. If however, it was not talked about, not "enforced", then we grow up - maybe understanding our parents faith - but not necessarily agreeing with it. My Mother decided she wanted us to go to Sunday School when I was 12. I had only ever been to church twice in my life before that. I remember sitting there listening to the teacher and not believing a word she was saying. I believe that if my parents had made me go at an earlier age, I would have felt differently. My sister was 7 when we started going, so that could explain her "mild" belief and it could explain my atheist tendencies. Bottom line is that religion is or isn't passed down through generations. If your mother or father believe & practice it, then so do you.

Answer 4

No, I don't believe that. Human beings are diverse and variable.
I do however believe it goes deeper than wanting to find answers. It is to do with Identity, belonging and making sense of the world, but not necessarily in a rational way. It also has to do with psychological, social and emotional security.
I think a problem in understanding is that religion is a social construct. Few of us have our own personal religion, the institutions don't allow cherry picking. If you did have your own religion you would lose the comfort of belonging to a group that religion can supply.
We all subscribe to currently perceived wisdom in one way or another. We have to slot these things together with our own experience to manufacture a satisfactory mental image of reality. Religion gives it to you ready made. All you have to do is study the teachings. This and the sense of belonging (and often superiority) are what I think are the perennial attraction of religion.

Answer 5

I agree with eroticohio who claims that we have a need for answers, and Religion grew from a time in our history that couldn't offer answers, So I think there is a human need to answer question even when we can't, and so you get religion. But in this day and age of mankind finally able to start answering these questions we see the need for religion fading away.

Answer 6

I would imagine that everyone including atheists have their own religion. Religion doesn't presuppose the existance of a god (at least in the traditional sense). Perfection is a god to some. We gravitate toward a state of being that is permanent and infinite and are compelled to have everyone believe in this condition. However, it is within our power of choice to accept that things change and that the most important moment is the present one.

Answer 7

It isn't so much a susceptibily to religion as a deep need to find some kind of meaning in their life. For some it is religion which is itself based on society; for others, such as atheists, the need is filled elsewhere.

Answer 8

The first sign a species is becoming sentient is when they have evolved to the point where they can abstract enough to invent a god. The first sign a species is achieving sentient maturity is when they get rid of their gods.

Answer 9

Possible because science cannot explain everything.
The bible is only a guide...

Funny thing is, Religious people go on about "seeing the light", funny comment, bearing in mind everything is made out of light...

Co-incidence?

Answer 10

Greed!! power over land and man.
power over women Islam