Agnosticism linked to poor parental bonding?
Dawkins postulates that the origin of man's "internal need for a god" stems from the original innate neural mother model with which we are born. After infancy it lies dormant, according to Dawkins, and is sparked when we are feeling helpless and needy - like in a foxhole with bombs going off overhead.
But what happens in cases where that instinct is denied or damaged? If my own mother gave me up soon after birth and I was raised in a cold, sterile environment such that I never developed a maternal bond then would I also lack the requisite mental faculties necessary to embrace thoughts of a divine, loving god?
I wonder if studies have been done to evaluate this idea?
2
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Not being fucking superstitious is not a mental illness. I don't believe the moon is made of cheese either, you raging earlobe, is that because I didn't spend enough time outside as a child?
OpposingOpposum
Level 9
Jan 31, 2019
1
what?
@kauva you are attempting to claim that not believing things without evidence is some sort of mental derangement. A) that is profoundly stupid and B) it's offensive as fuck.
@OpposingOpposum no, I'm not. Dawkins has a theory that humans inevitably develop some sort of god due to their innate model of a nurturing mother instinct at birth. I wondered if messing with that instinct would remove someone's need for that god figure and make them more impervious to the need. And stop calling me names and insulting me. I'm not stupid. You're being rude.
@kauva again, I see stupid, I call it stupid. I'm not being rude , I'm telling you the truth. This is profoundly inane.
@OpposingOpposum actually you're still being rude. and if I am supposed to decide between you or Dawkins in terms of credibility then I choose Dawkins.
Oh, goody, back to the days when schizophrenia was the "cold withholding" mother's fault, or homosexuality was because of a bad dad and/or smothering mother. Yessirree, those were the days!
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Jan 30, 2019
2
some of them have merit. some dont.
@kauva ummmm.....which ones, exactly? Because schizophrenia can be controlled by meds in most cases, making it obviously a chemical problem.
Homosexuality is either
- God's will, since obviously an omnipotent gawd wouldn't make a mistake, or
- A behavior seen in almost all species and therefore on the normal spectrum/ Bell curve.
You are of course not going to argue it is a "choice"...not with the charming reactions of homophobes
@AnneWimsey not everything has an organic component and some things that do yield effects that may have remedial therapeutic measures. I see a lot of success with anxiety disorders and PTSD through therapy. My depression and BPD see both pharmaceutical and therapeutic remediation.
@kauva anxiety, PTSD, etc are externally caused problems, from trauma, for example, that respond to external measures. Depression can be caused by chemical imbalance and/ or external pressure, therfore needs to be treated with combo therapies. But the days when mothers (i.e. women) were the go-to blame for things unexplained (like at the time schizophenia) need to be Over!
Especially things that are the result of intelligent thought like Atheism/Agnosticism! To BLAME a reasoned outlook on anything is just ridiculous!
Its important to remember that Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist. Dawkins is not a neuroscientist. I would at least somewhat discount any hypothesis outside of his field of expertise, until what he posits could be tested further.
That said, these findings don't seem to fall far from some of the known responses of the more basic parts and functions of the brain; such as the reptile brain / brain stem and fight or flight responses to stimuli.
SCal
Level 7
Jan 30, 2019
4
Yes I think that this is someone postulating an idea only vaguely based badly on Dawkins not Dawkins himself, since it sound very un-Dawkins to, me. Not that I get direct output from his brain.
Seeing how so many people have poor parental bonding, no, I don't think so. Otherwise more people would be agnostic and they are not. From the statistics and my own experience with many people of all sorts it's rare to find someone agnostic or atheist.
The average mind seems susceptible to the belief in God. Even more so when you have a majority of people and especially people with influence slamming religion down their throats.
I also don't put much belief into the mother bonding theories. I think it's exaggerated.
gueronihilista
Level 4
Jan 30, 2019
4
Actually, Agnosticism is linked to a comprehension of reality.
chucklesIII
Level 7
Jan 30, 2019
1
what?
Thank you. Nice to see at least one other person sees the sheer idiocy of this post.
My 'mother,' the cruelest nastiest, meanest bitch ever to draw breath, was a full on God-bothering Theist, my Dad was a full on Atheist, I got love, guidance and support from my Dad and nothing but abuse, emotional, physical and mental from the Queen of Bitches, yet,thanks to my Dad, I grew up to be a kind, compassionate, caring person with decent morals and ethics even though there are some that CAN manage to piss me off from time time out there, but hey, I'm ONLY human.
Triphid
Level 9
Jan 30, 2019
5
how was she as a nurturer when you were an infant? I know you were little but do you know of stories one way or another or have a siblings' experience to recount?
@kauva I wasn't really wanted, she wanted daughters only. I was bottle fed, changed only when necessary when Dad was at work. When Dad was home he did all the caring for me.
My 'mother' told me everything about how she hated having me but had to do only what was legally necessary, that's how I know. Plus my older sisters told me exactly the same things as well.
@Triphid now THAT sounds like my childhood. my mom went back to work a week after giving birth to me. left me crying in the crib all the time. and was always telling me how much I ruined her life and how she hated me being born as I grew up. I wondered if this contributed to my lack of religious beliefs after seeing Dawkins postulation that the need for a god comes from that motherly instinct. but it seems so far, empirically, that the results are mixed.
@kauva I was supposed to be one of twins, she tried to abort us both but I alone managed to hang on and survive. When I was born the medical records, which I gained access to whilst being a Nurse, showed that the mummified remains of what would have been my twin brother where clenched in my left hand.
@Triphid that would make a good horror movie!
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