At Mind Matters News: Believers in God detect patterns more easily

Psychologists found that both devout Christians and Muslims unconsciously detected patterns in a test more easily:

The researchers concluded that, indeed, “People whose brains are more predisposed to implicit pattern learning are more likely to believe in a deity”:

“Individuals who can unconsciously predict complex patterns, an ability called implicit pattern learning, are likely to hold stronger beliefs that there is a god who creates patterns of events in the universe, according to neuroscientists at Georgetown University.”

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, “UNCONSCIOUS LEARNING UNDERLIES BELIEF IN A GOD” AT NEUROSCIENCE NEWS (SEPTEMBER 9, 2020)

Senior investigator Adam Green noted another significant finding as well:

““A really interesting observation was what happened between childhood and adulthood,” explains Green. The data suggest that if children are unconsciously picking up on patterns in the environment, their belief is more likely to increase as they grow up, even if they are in a nonreligious household. Likewise, if they are not unconsciously picking up on patterns around them, their belief is more likely to decrease as they grow up, even in a religious household.”

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, “UNCONSCIOUS LEARNING UNDERLIES BELIEF IN A GOD” AT NEUROSCIENCE NEWS (SEPTEMBER 9, 2020)

For several reasons, such a finding should not be surprising. The world around us shows considerable evidence of order.

Observing and reasoning about the many intricate patterns in nature is a common reason why people believe in God; it’s sometimes called natural theology.

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God’s existence is proven by science Arguments for God’s existence can be demonstrated by the ordinary method of scientific inference. (Michael Egnor)

and

Jerry Coyne hasn’t got a prayer He understands neither natural theology nor natural science. We are more scientifically certain of God’s existence than we are of quantum mechanics or Newtonian or relativistic gravitation. The logic is rigorous. (Michael Egnor)