Asperger's and Atheism
I was raised an atheist and have never been able to understand religion (although I do see spirituality as different).
I'd be interested if there are any Aspergers who were raised as atheists who subsequently became believers. I'd find it pretty amazing (especially for someone outside the US).
Also, it's be interesting to compare statistics from United States responses to these sort of questions and non-US responses. I find it incredible to read what percentage of people over there believe in God.
Since you are a stickler for literalism, you should be informed that it is entirely possible to get pregnant without penetration.
Barely possible and highly unlikely, especially back in those bad old days. If a Roman Centurion had his way with poor Miriam he would have busted more than her hymen.
Unless she was supplementing her income in creative and even more ancient ways. Or she just had an eye for foreigners.
ruveyn
I myself cannot conceive - ha! - of any other possibility.
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davidred wrote...
I installed Ubuntu once and it completely destroyed my paying relationship with Microsoft.
There hasn't been any statistical data, so I'm just speculating here. But I do think there's a correlation - not enormous, but still stignificant - between Asperger's and atheism. I will not offer a propogandistic or self-serving hypothesis for this. Some attachment to platonic ideals of "logic" or "independence" does not explain this. Rather, the chief characteristic of Asperger's (an atypical mirror neuron system), does the job nicely:
Excrepted from PZ Myer's Richard Dawkins hasn't stopped his tirade against religion and its "dangerous nonsense"—he's fighting smarter. Has Darwin's rottweiler been house-trained?
The notion of a personal god never made sense to me for the same reason people acting as if malfunctioning devices have evil intentions never made sense to me, it's an imposition of human social reality on the physical worl. It's delusional, to be frank.
Some things seemingly seem so obvious and logical to me that I think I act as if I knew them but actually I probably only think them to be highly probable. Some things I may have experienced, but I seem not to know if the "I" in the past is the same "I" I seem to experience right now... This - I guess - is the closest to "belief" I seem to come.
I maybe could say I don't believe in knowing, and I really don't know about believing at all
phewww! OK I GIVE UP! I BELIEVE TO THINK WHAT I AM THINKING, at least! And I BELIEVE to experience what I call ME and I just f*ing assume you know what I mean....
awesome, I get it...
I used to be more autistic and logical, but now I'm more schizophrenic...The gods to me are emotions, Love, Truth, Justice, Lust, Power, Envy, Compassion...They are the spirits with no reason.
Check out this theory:
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/badcock ... index.html
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As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.
-Pythagoras
Some things seemingly seem so obvious and logical to me that I think I act as if I knew them but actually I probably only think them to be highly probable. Some things I may have experienced, but I seem not to know if the "I" in the past is the same "I" I seem to experience right now... This - I guess - is the closest to "belief" I seem to come.
I maybe could say I don't believe in knowing, and I really don't know about believing at all
phewww! OK I GIVE UP! I BELIEVE TO THINK WHAT I AM THINKING, at least! And I BELIEVE to experience what I call ME and I just f*ing assume you know what I mean....
awesome, I get it...
I used to be more autistic and logical, but now I'm more schizophrenic...The gods to me are emotions, Love, Truth, Justice, Lust, Power, Envy, Compassion...They are the spirits with no reason.
Check out this theory:
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/badcock ... index.html
Considering the negative effects of male genes by Mr. Badcock theory he seems most appropriately named. I have noticed the most peculiar coincidence of names and accomplishments by people I have read about in the news and it only adds to the suspicion that we are mere characters in a story by an Author with an ironic wit. This is, of course, an inappropriate comment in this thread but what the hell.
Autism in my mind is not a mental disorder or disease but a neurological malfunction of sorts. But I can only speak for myself. I have had a lot of environmental stressors that do cause mental disorder like depression and PTSD but there is a drastic difference between mental illness and a pervasive developmental disorder that is caused by neurological damage both to the brain and nervous system. It's hard enough to cope with it all without more and more confusion that's constantly being generated by "science" and so-called research, and I'm just personally at my capacity with trying to cope with it all. Sorry this is off topic.
Although I do not have any of the problems of severe autism I do feel severely set apart from the enthusiasms of general humanity and I feel not so much deprived as released from what appear to me to be meaningless and time wasting activities and interests.
Although I do not have any of the problems of severe autism I do feel severely set apart from the enthusiasms of general humanity and I feel not so much deprived as released from what appear to me to be meaningless and time wasting activities and interests.
I'm sure you know what you're talking about but I know I don't know what you're talking about. In association with what I said, it makes no sense but I guess one must get used to this sort of thing around here from what I can gather.
To get back to the OP it seems to me that autistic and Asperger people have great difficulty with normal social comprehensions and interactivity. Aside from the morality and the supernatural aspects of religion a huge proportion of it is involved with regular social interaction, an activity that is lost on a great many Asperger and autistic people who have great difficulties there. Perhaps atheism as such is not so important as the general lack of interest in group gatherings. I know for myself I am comfortable with a couple of friends but when it comes to large groups I shy away.
There is definitely something to that. Just tonight I was watching a program where they interviewed an ichthyologist named Doctor Fish. One of our local news casters has some name that directly relates to his job too. I think hes a meteorologist but his actual name escapes me.
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davidred wrote...
I installed Ubuntu once and it completely destroyed my paying relationship with Microsoft.
I used to be more autistic and logical, but now I'm more schizophrenic...The gods to me are emotions, Love, Truth, Justice, Lust, Power, Envy, Compassion...They are the spirits with no reason.
Check out this theory:
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/badcock ... index.html
it's a rare gem! thanks for the link!
I can see some relation to my own state of mind, but even more so to a good friend, who is obviously expressing ASD as well as PSD.
There is definitely something to that. Just tonight I was watching a program where they interviewed an ichthyologist named Doctor Fish. One of our local news casters has some name that directly relates to his job too. I think hes a meteorologist but his actual name escapes me.
Claude Raines? C.P. Snow?
ruveyn
