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Belief in God Boils Down to a Gut Feeling LiveScience.comBy Stephanie Pappas

Belief in In God Boils Down to a Gut Feeling

For many people, believing in God comes down to a gut feeling that a benevolent deity is out there. A study now finds that gut feelings may be very important in determining who goes to church every Sunday and who avoids the pews.

People who are generally more intuitive in the way they think and make decisions are more likely to believe in God than those who ruminate over their choices, the researchers found. The findings suggest that basic differences in thinking style can influence religious belief.

"Some say we believe in God because our intuitions about how and why things happen lead us to see a divine purpose behind ordinary events that don't have obvious human causes," study researcher Amitai Shenhav of Harvard University said in a statement. "This led us to ask whether the strength of an individual's beliefs is influenced by how much they trust their natural intuitions versus stopping to reflect on those first instincts."

Shenhav and his colleagues investigated that question in a series of studies. In the first, 882 American adults answered online surveys about their belief in God. Next, the participants took a three-question math test with questions such as, "A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?"

The intuitive answer to that question is 10 cents, since most people's first impulse is to knock $1 off the total. But people who use "reflective" reasoning to question their first impulse are more likely to get the correct answer: 5 cents.

Sure enough, people who went with their intuition on the math test were found to be one-and-a-half times more likely to believe in God than those who got all the answers right. The results held even when taking factors such as education and income into account.

In a second study, 373 participants were told to write a paragraph about either successfully using their intuition or successfully reasoning their way to an answer. Those who wrote about the intuitive experience were more likely to say they were convinced of God's existence after the experiment, suggesting that triggering intuitive thinking boosts belief.

The researchers plan to investigate how genes and education influence thinking styles, but they're quick to note that neither intuition nor reflection is inherently superior.

"It's not that one way is better than the other," study researcher David Rand of Harvard said in a statement. "Intuitions are important and reflection is important, and you want some balance of the two. Where you are on that spectrum affects how you come out in terms of belief in God."

Five arduous months without your presence...

Dear Justin;

Today you have been physically missing from our lives for five extremely long and emotionally charged months honey. Odd how just a short year ago we were on the phone constantly; remember babe your broken tooth our major conversation topic. I felt your pain and was so helpless then in my attempts to offer you solace. Then it was just your tooth and now in light of all that has occurred this was so insignificant but we could not see this at the time. With great certainty I can say had we a glimpse of what the future held we would have been more concerned with the time we had left. But life is strange like this....what we see or feel as inconceivable in one moment of our lives can quickly be surmounted by a more significantly devastating moment. Thank you for being such a wonderfully loving and caring son.

I WANT MY SON BACK.

Chaotic Birthday Fun!

Age 10. Choosing to explain the happenings of this birthday party with a mathematical equation will enable all to see the impending calamity for which Justin's 10th birthday party became known! Seven 10 year old boys + a large park + amusement rides + a lake with paddle boats + a small ocean aquarium with various aquatic species + a jelly fish + a petting zoo + a nerf gun which can be pre-loaded with 10 large nerf darts at one time + 4 janitorial employees of Dan Nicolas Park collecting trash on golf carts no less + me experiencing the inability to stop repeatedly calling Randy's name in a high shrill voice = a day of fun for the birthday goers & a slight nervous breakdown for me! I love all you guys...you remain Justin's brothers and had I medication this party may not have been so nerve wracking; especially for the employees who kept getting shot with the nerf gun! It's a miracle they allowed us back into the park...well leaving the nerf gun at home and disguises helped!! This day was too much fun! Do you remember driving to the park, we road in my trusty mommie van, and 'raised the roof' at every stop light to hip-hop blaring on the radio; well I do! Thanks for making my life an adventure and so much fun! I love & miss you Justin my wonderful, gregarious, precious son....I remain Justin's momma ♥

The simplicity of childhood

Justin (age 4) believed spraying 'monster rid' before bed rid-died his room of any potential nightmares. Justin (age 4) ended up at the Disney Store at Southpark Mall in Charlotte. Knowing he could only spend $5.00 he surveyed the entire stores contents very carefully and after taking in every possible item Justin chose a bottle of Tinkerbell's pixie dust. He never opened it because he was certain the dust could enable one to FLY! Justin (age 5) arrived at the conclusion eating mushrooms contain properties which make one smart! Hhuumm? Maybe he was on to something!? Justin (age 7) was adamant that he be in his own home on Christmas eve; how else would Santa find you? Justin (age 8) after reading a letter he received from Santa he concluded Santa has a great signature!