Link Between Religious Fundamentalism And Brain Damage

A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia has shown that religious fundamentalism is, in part, the result of a functional impairment in a brain region known as the prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest that damage to particular areas of the prefrontal cortex indirectly promotes religious fundamentalism by diminishing cognitive flexibility and openness—a psychology term that describes a personality trait which involves dimensions like curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness. 

“We need to understand how distinct religious beliefs are from moral, legal, political, and economic beliefs in their representations in the brain, the nature of conversion from one belief system to another, the difference between belief and agency, and the nature of the depth of knowledge that individuals use to access and report their beliefs.” – Grafman

This can't be true of all followers. That brain damage came first and then the fundamentalism. But could being raised or living in a family/community that puts great social pressure to conform to such beliefs shape the brain to a similar pattern? High use of the neural pathways in the belief system making a stronger neural path and unused paths for anything contradictory making it neurologically difficult to question authority? The brain can shape the belief but in an undamaged brain does the belief and frequent reinforcement shape the brain in a way that makes it difficult to question authority?

I know several people who were raised in such households and did give up their blind faiths when going out in the world showed them that many people do have other beliefs and often happier, more successful and have good integrity and character. They escaped the bonds of early imprinting.

For those who refuse to question or question and return to their core beliefs, could their brains have been shaped by exposure to the teachings, rituals, services, and come to resemble that of those who started with brain damage

https://www.patheos.com/

http://churchandstate.org.uk/

Julie Alexander