Solid credit on ideas to Raw Story https://www.rawstory.com/2018/09/neuroscientist-explains-religious-fundamentalism-hijacks-brain/
Religious fundamentalism, Christian, Islamic, Jewish fundamentalism (s)---being the main contenders--over an extended period, have been scientifically demonstrated to alter brain chemistry and physiological functioning.
Particularly true in the areas of analysis, evaluation, reason and the ability to digest facts and apply them to situations. It is not something mystical; it is neurological and there are empirical studies on it.
Religion came about among early humanoids as they increased their cognitive capacity to reason and plan for a future time. In the sense of looking into the future, humans became the only species that could do so and worry about it. Plan for it. Fear it. Humans, in a word, became aware of their mortality.
Once aware of mortality and the idea of death, rotting away and ceasing to exist---compounded by the inescapable collateral realization that not only they, but all their loved ones will die, ceasing to exist, was terrifying, This fear set the stage for ways to reduce anxiety and fear. A "never ending life" in some paradise for the dead is a natural outcropping of this fear; of course, it is also absurd.
However, fostering and imprinting this belief upon humans and then CONDITIONING their passing into a paradise forever upon regulating what they said, did or believed??--THAT??...THAT was perfect! It gave the masses hope AND bestowed upon the priests/judges POWER and CONTROL.
Privileged humans, like priests, various leaders, or church 'fathers" were then in a position to judge people. Thereby, they controlled and decreed WHO was going to paradise. BOOM! Power city. Religions were born and flourish and force ritual, rules, control, behavior and even force killing and destruction, as "requirements" for entry to "paradise".
Christian fundamentalism, along with most other "religions" and sects, is parasitic--it inserts itself into brains via thoughts and exhortations, commanding individuals to act and think in a certain way—a rigid way that is intolerant to competing ideas. The eventual ability to enter an infinite paradise (heaven) is conditioned upon thinking and acting in certain ways.
It also requires vigorous science denial. Science is an accepted method of determining truth, by using empirical measurement and hypothesis testing. Denying science requires denial of obvious / objective truth and discounting or ignoring tangible evidence. It is replaced with magical thinking, or drawing conclusions without any basis, because they fit the situation
Here is a "magical thinking" example:
A horrific earthquake and tsunami is forecast to hit and destroy an island where Christian Fundamentalists live.
The Christians already feel that, if they die, they will be swept up and transferred to a paradise, forever, somewhere. So there is that.
Nevertheless, they get together, prior to the earthquake and tsunami, and pray to "God" to help them; to save them from destruction. Perhaps they think they can convince God to "spare" them, should they say the right thing. Maybe "God" will change "His" mind?
If the earthquake hits, and the tsunami destroys them, then the survivors feel that it was pre-ordained, or meant to be, or that the are being "tested" in their faith.
They also feel that anyone killed is "in paradise" and in a "better place" anyway. The absurdity of that assertion is hotwired out of their brains, somehow.
If the earthquake turns out to not effect them, and there is no tsunami, and all is well, then they are certain their prayers were answered and that "God" has saved them.
There is simply no way to explain to these people that, under a rather simple, almost childish scientific method examination, that earthquakes are the product of shifting plates on the surface of the planet and are not under the control of anything except chance and geology--and time.
Or that tsunami's are the movement of vast amounts of water, suddenly, due to shifting geology, or volcanic activity, and are random geological events, which are not connected to Gods or prayers. They are things that just happen, over the course of time, on a planet covered with water--where that water and surface sits on top of shifting plates and a molten core.
Since the earthquake/tsunami will either hit and destroy, or not, the Christians on the island win the day either way! It is classic magical thinking to fit the circumstances, which, of course, has no connection to any factual basis.
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