Interesting news release on the long term effects of being "born again" on the human brain...

by cedars 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  cedars

  Hi everyone

  I just stumbled upon an interesting article on the following link:

  http://www.philly.com/philly/health/132456883.html

  The article is entitled:

  Being 'Born-Again' Linked to More Brain Atrophy: Study

  . If I understand correctly, the gist of the article is that those who claim to have undergone a life-changing religious experience that puts them at odds with the mainstream beliefs or practices of the world around them tend in general to have an increased rate of shrinkage of the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain critical to learning and memory. . Although the study targeted those with strong religious beliefs (i.e. those believing they are "born again"), when reading the article I couldn't help but think of the experiences of many of us who may be similarly affected - albeit through a very different experience. . For example, when we "awaken" from the teachings of the Watch Tower Society, this can create immeasurable stresses and strains on family relationships, and immediately place us at odds with our established social community. I can't help but wonder whether such turmoil might have long term mental effects, as suggested by these findings. . If we do "reduce" our brain functions by going through the stress of leaving, might this be yet another crime for which the Watch Tower Society are culpable? After all, they're the ones who make it so damned hard to leave. . Thoughts? . . Cedars
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  Fernando

  Hey Cedars!

  I do believe all religion is cultic (to varying degrees) and hence causes "cognitive dissonance" which stresses the brain and is intended to create a whole range of mental illnesses.

  The more sincere and committed one is to the system the more at risk one is, I believe. The same if one's family has several generations of membership.

  Being genuinely SPIRITUALLY regenerated (born again) though I believe has an opposite healing effect.
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  WTWizard

  Once you narrow your experiences because of religion, you have to suppress parts of your brain. Your spirituality suffers--no matter if you pious-sneered, went to Beth Hell, went and wasted 60 years in Nigeria on missionary work, went through the Value Destroyer Training School, or served as a hounder-hounder-hounder, your spirituality is zero. Five minutes with a Ouija board can stimulate more spirituality than sitting through a whole lifetime of boasting sessions and field circus.

  Much of this is because they do not want you to find the real truth. Born again Christians, and Jehovah's Witlesses, both have this issue. Even if they are at war with each other, both insist that their way is the only right way and do no further research. That is what stifles their brains. Now, I can think of one religion that goes totally against the mainstream, yet requires its members to do independent research (even on sites that blatantly contradict its own doctrine). It is called spiritual Satanism, and I have learned more by just studying it than I learned in a lifetime as a Christian or a witless.

  In fact, they are pro-science. They actually believe that science will eventually prove them right (as long as Christians leave the scientists alone when they come up with this proof). Thus, I believe that spiritual Satanists will probably prove to be an exception to brain shrinkage as long as they continue researching both sides of the issue. And, if you develop it, you might even be able to start using the other 90% of your brain that most of us don't even bother using. Try that with Christi-SCAM-ity.
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  donuthole

  I think the same could be said for those turn off the "spiritual" portion of the brain to rely exclusively on logic and rational.
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  Witness 007

  I saw a doco. today about thousands of years ago the Nascar who's spiritual witch-doctor would give human sacrifices to the gods when their was no rain.....and they covered the landscape for miles with pictures to the gods.....this time consuming effort reminds me of the Witnesses and religious people today spending time to appease the angry god's or God.
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  life is to short

  I have thought this since my finding the truth out about the "truth". My stress level in the middle of things was beyond what I could handle. I truly thought I was having a nervous breakdown.

  I got my drivers license renewed right in the middle of things and I swear my eyes had a sort of crazed look to them. I had always thought tort lawsuits were disgusting and that those who filled them were greedy money hungry people. Now I see it as totally different. I was able to keep my business going but I was so out of it, I truly think I lost a couple of jobs during that time because of my being so stressed out but they said that because of the economy that had to let me go, and that was also true but I know that I could not function like a normal person during that time.

  Now I do not think suing because of the pain and suffering they cause is wrong anymore, its just that the WT legal would bankrupt anyone who tried.
  I really and truly do think they miss with your mind in such a horrible way especially those of us who were unfortunate enough to have been born into religion. I also feel I woke up to the real truth in a very destructive way when I realized that there were extreme child molesters walking around and interacting with me and I was demanded to treat these child molesters like they had done nothing wrong or risk being disfellowshiped myself. That alone really did a mind trick on me.

  LITS
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  Chariklo

  I agree so much with all of the above.

  I know that while I was studying, I was consciously at one point suppressing my training in logic and reasoning to comply with the blind acceptance required by the WT indoctrination process. I also know that most of the problems I was encountering right at the end derived from the neuroses that were magnified among some of the JW's, mainly sisters. But not only sisters. The whole system is psychologically unhealthy.

  Five minutes with a Ouija board can stimulate more spirituality than sitting through a whole lifetime of boasting sessions and field circus.Much of this is because they do not want you to find the real truth. Born again Christians, and Jehovah's Witlesses, both have this issue. Even if they are at war with each other, both insist that their way is the only right way and do no further research. That is what stifles their brains.

  WTWizard, you are so right. I used to feel very frustrated at the constant misuse and misapplication of the concept of spiirituality. For JW's, "spirituality" means the extent to which one agrees or not with the WT and their interpretation of the Bible. It's nothing to do with real spirituality.

  As life is too short says, they really do mess with your mind. I was in for such a short time, but even for me the process of disengaging from it was traumatic. My thinking was awry, and I was damaged.
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  NewChapter

  I think the same could be said for those turn off the "spiritual" portion of the brain to rely exclusively on logic and rational.

  Humans almost never exclusively rely on logic. We just aren't the most rational of species. But spirituality is not the only medium with which to feed those portions of our brains. Symbolic, emotional things do quite well. I have the exact same feeling, emotionally, when I delve into these things, as I had when I thought about spirituality.

  Music, art, ideas, fiction, performances, just thinking about the possibilities. For some it may be nature or gardening. Dancing, drawing. I believe these activities exercise the same parts of our being as does spirituality.

  NC
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  Yan Bibiyan

  I think the same could be said for those turn off the "spiritual" portion of the brain to rely exclusively on logic and rational.

  Should we, perhaps, rely on a study or some more formal results set, rather than on our thoughts about it?
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  AnnOMaly

  Yes, interesting article. I don't quite know what to make of it. As JWs we're doomed. As ex-JWs/'conscious class' we're doomed. From the article:

  "One interpretation of our finding -- that members of majority religious groups seem to have less atrophy compared with minority religious groups -- is that when you feel your beliefs and values are somewhat at odds with those of society as a whole, it may contribute to long-term stress that could have implications for the brain,"

  Well, that's certainly the case while a JW.

  And when you learn 'the truth about the Truth' and your beliefs become more mainstream and less dissonant with those of society as a whole ...

  "Other studies have led us to think that whether a new experience you consider spiritual is interpreted as comforting or stressful may depend on whether or not it fits in with your existing religious beliefs and those of the people around you," ..."Especially for older adults, these unexpected new experiences may lead to doubts about long-held religious beliefs, or to disagreements with friends and family."

  I wonder if that's why my memory is as retentive as a colander LOL.