Malleable Memories (and influences
impacting disbelief/belief)
(Top Posts - Distance From Belief
in christianity - 062701, updated 040909)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98195&page=1

Excerpt:

"Our memories can be very selective, and it turns out, very
creative.

"Memory is not like a tape recorder," says Jacquie Pickrell,
a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of
Washington, who has come up with evidence that it may
be possible for outsiders to "implant" memories of phony
events in our brains.

Her research suggests it doesn't take much, maybe just the
right advertisement. ..."

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Comments: The experiment resulted in 30 to 40 percent
of subjects 'knowing' or 'remembering' an event which
had been implanted in their minds, but did not, in fact,
occur.

Do religions use the technique of implanting events over
and over in the minds of their parishioners?

Yes.

Does this explain, perhaps, why so many believers claim
to 'know' god or to have 'heard from' god or that god is
'real' for them or that 'Jesus lives' or that ... [list of reli-
gious claims treated as real experiences goes here]?

Quite likely, it's a significant factor, along with many
other social/psychological factors, as the message canted
over and over in churches and by the religious is something
that many seem to be unable to assess objectively, upon
reaching adulthood.

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This article has led me to ponder the following, not testing
for false memories, per se, just testing what is involved in
the mind when childhood influences are juxtaposed against
the knowledge one has gained over a lifetime.

This test is designed to ascertain how influenced you may
have been by religion and other childhood experiences, and
how those influences may have impacted whatever your
stance is today.

Answer the following with True, False, Maybe, or Sometimes.

Ponder the thoughts and struggles you go through *while
deciding* your response, the memories/influences you
accessed, the emotions you feel, and ponder where those
memories and emotions are coming from and what, if any,
struggle is taking place between what an emotional-childlike/
parental-dependent mind wants to respond with and what
an educated adult logical mind wants to respond with.

Remember, the key here is pondering the thought process
and how you arrived at your answer - it would be helpful
if while responding you document the thought process
along with your response, demonstrating the childhood
influences along with the experiences up to now that have
led you to your answer ...


_______ 1) Saving sinners is good. Disbelief is bad.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 2) All devout Muslims go to heaven. Non-Muslims
go to hell.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 3) Churches are good. Not going to church is bad.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 4) God is good. The Devil is bad.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 5) Speaking about faith is good. Speaking about
non-faith is bad.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 6) Heaven is good. Hell is bad.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 7) Good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 8) Jesus loves the little children. Bad children don't
believe in Jesus.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 9) The bible is holy. Bad people don't believe the bible.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 10) Christians are saved. Non-christians go to hell.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 11) All humans are sinners. Humans must ask God
for forgiveness.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 12) Prayer works. Bad people don't pray.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 13) Worship of God is good. Bad people don't
worship God.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 14) Baptism is good. Bad people don't get baptized.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



_______ 15) Faith is good. Atheism is evil.

In childhood you were taught:

As an adult, you've concluded that:



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