Religion
In reply to the discussion: People Are Born with Religious Belief Argues New Book [View all]SamG
(535 posts)considerable numbers of years of growth and learning.
The study of children's learning and growth is a huge and complex area of intellectual research, worldwide.
"Barrett, a psychologist at Fuller Theological Seminary" (not a child development cognitive researcher)
So one has to realize when the wool is being pulled over one's eyes, in the name of "science".
At birth, children are no more "predisposed" to being religious believers or nonbelievers than they are to speaking Chinese or English, or to liking peas or broccoli, sushi, or tofu.
And this is where religious believers get off the bus before it turns onto the street of rigorous, double blind, serious scientific inquiry and objective peer review. They draw conclusions before they set up the experiment, or they simply say things like:
"Children come into this world predisposed toward believing in supernatural entities".
Do they?
How about "Chidren me into this world accepting of information provided by their care-provider parents"?
How about "Adults often use supernatural stories and fairy tales to teach children valuable lessons, to inspire, to stir the imagination, or for any number of other reasons". Adults do this with children in story and song and in dance in all cultures worldwide, as part of "child rearing". Those are facts.
Just how would one measure a child to have a "strong, cognitively driven propensity for religious belief preinstalled? How would that measurement differ from any other "strong, cognitively driven propensity" to learn to play, to engage with other humans?
I think one begins to see the nature and tone of this book, it is a response to Dawkins, who, himself, never pretends to be a researcher in child cognitive development, Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist.
But where is Justin Barretts research?
Here's the statement, (much of it in Barrett's own words) for his entry in Wikipedia.
Talk about lack of objectivity in research!