Faith Is Fatalistic; Therefore Fatal

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 29 November 2024 The erudite writer V A Mohamad Ashrof tries to say in his piece that god and religion are hardwired into human brains and he quotes from the Quran and Bible to buttress his point. When we look at how the brain works, it looks like the brain is able to very easily engage in religious and spiritual practices, ideas and experiences. All the brain scan studies that we've done, show that there are multiple parts of the brain that seem to get involved. The brain is easily capable of having these experiences. (Representative Photo from the Files) ------ Now exactly how that ability got into the brain is a much more complex question, both philosophical and scientific. Scientists might say it was through millions of years of evolution, and that because being religious or spiritual was an adaptive process, it got incorporated into the biological mechanisms of the brain. Religious individuals might say that if there is a god, that we would have a brain that's capable of communicating to god, praying to god, doing the things that god needs us to do. Neuro-theologians argue that the brain's structure and function predispose humans to believe in god. They claim that the limbic system, which is the biological centre for emotion, is the site of god's biological substrate. Scientists say that the brain's ability to engage in religious and spiritual experiences evolved over millions of years. They say that being religious or spiritual was an adaptive process. To encapsulate it, faith is mankind's inexorable fate because faith is fatalistic; therefore fatal. But even if it's right that faith is biological in nature and has an evolutionary history, humans' belief in god, religion and all supernatural phenomena remains irrational (in fact, any belief is irrational) because if faith is innate, intrinsic, instinctive and immanent, it's an evolutionary inheritance. We've inherited it and what's inherited often lacks reason, explanation and logic. It's destitute of an analytical angle and rigour. Our faith in god and religion is comparable to Pavlov's dog. It's a Pavlovian Conditioning. Evolutionary biologists and cognitive scientists like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett are of the view that the reflective instinct of human brains creates the whole concept of belief in the supernatural. So, our faith is often instinctive and defies logic. Despite many of us questioning the existence of god and utility of religion, they continue to believe in god and faith till they die because of their ingrained and inveterate conditioning. Anthropologists believe that the rudimentary belief of our forefathers lakhs and crores of years ago got ossified into humans' current level of collective faith. Perhaps more and more atheists, agnostics and non-believers in our times will be instrumental in the creation of rationalists after millions of years. But will human civilization survive by that time? In short, whether religion is inherited or acquired, it's like a virus that spreads from generation to generation through a mixture of fear, indoctrination, and the absurd notion that faith is a virtue. Religious beliefs are often passed down from one generation to the next through tactics such as fear, indoctrination, and the misguided notion that faith is a virtue. This comparison to a virus implies that religion can be harmful and contagious, spreading throughout society without critical examination. This statement challenges the idea that faith is inherently virtuous, suggesting that blind belief can be used to manipulate and control individuals. Ultimately, it raises questions about the validity and impact of religious beliefs on individuals and society as a whole. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/faith-fatalistic-fatal/d/133861 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism