Scientists have revealed one of the reasons why some folks are less religious than others: They think more analytically, rather than going with their gut. And thinking analytically can cause religious belief to wane — for skeptics and true believers alike.

The study, published in Friday’s edition of the journal Science, indicates that belief may be a more malleable feature of the human psyche than those of strong faith may think.

The cognitive origins of belief — and disbelief —traditionally haven’t been explored with academic rigor, said lead author Will Gervais, a social psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

“There’s been a long-standing intellectual tradition of treating science as one thing and religion as separate, and never the twain shall meet,” he said. But in recent years, he added, there has been a push “to understand religion and why our species has the capacity for religion.”

The curious thing…for a good long while religions *had* the better explanations. Now, of course, they do not and rely largely on leveraging ignorance to remain relevant. 
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Thinking can undermine religious faith, study finds – wsbt.com
http://www.wsbt.com/health/la-sci-religion-analytical-thinking-20120427,0,4925692.story