I have actually been researching this piece for well over a year. I originally intended this to be the second or third installment in the series and – as you can see – it has taken a lot longer than intended to get the piece out… as you read it, you will see why…
There have been many discussions on the websites I belong to on the subject of religion… and I will admit it – I was surprised… NO… I was shocked by the number of Aspies that actually have some form of devout religious beliefs.
“Why would that be shocking, oh Feral One?”
Well… I was looking at it from the standpoint of truth and literal nature.
NOW, before we continue, NOTHING IN THIS ISSUE has anything to do with the validity of ANY religious beliefs. If you comment on this piece with anything in reference to your religious beliefs, I will point you to this paragraph and MOCK YOU UNMERCIFULLY… I will taunt you a second time, you sons of electric donkey bottom biters! No, seriously… I respect your views, so shut up already…
By truth and literal nature, I mean that most of the Aspies I know, and the studies on the behaviors and mentalities of Autistic Spectrum Individuals, intangibles are rarely something that Aspies are interested in… Facts, quotes, figures and the trivium of our special interests, things that can be documented, things that prove that there is an actual right or wrong answer to something… those are the kinds of things that Autistic Spectrum Individuals tend to be fascinated with or fixated on.
So, when I conceptualized this piece, I was expecting it to be a simple, cut and dry, stick and move, hit and run piece that was basically fluff… I had no idea how wrong I was.
For the record: I grew up in an excessively christian home. My mother prayed for years for my father to “find the lord” and when he did, he did it with a fervor. The man became an ordained baptist minister. I was raised christian, nominally, but only because I was never given the option to explore anything else. I was unaware that there was anything aside from christians and those who were going to hell.
In spite of this, after I discovered my own religious path, I kept a fairly open mind about it. So my statements do not come from a stance of anti-religion, but from the stance of an open mind.
So… I started my research… and I was surprised… Shocked really.
You see, I spend a lot of time highlighting the differences between Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Neurotypicals. HOWEVER, in this instance, there does not seem to be any difference. No… really… There seems to be no difference.
As near as I can tell, all of the religions are represented in the same percentages as with NTs.
What does that mean for you under the auspices of this series? Well… It means that you need to approach the subject of religion in the same manner as you would with any other person. Actually, that’s not true… since you are dealing with an Aspie, it might be advisable to approach it with the respect that religion is due.
The reason I say that is simple: Aspies are very deeply rooted in truth… EVEN IF THE TRUTH IS A SUBJECTIVE OR A PERSONAL TRUTH. So… approach it with caution and respect, and you should be fine.
Images in this issue SHAMELESSLY stolen from the following sources:
http://images.zap2it.com/assets/p186617_b_h3_aa/most-shocking.jpg
http://psychdblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/download.jpg
http://snarkecards.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SpT7B4xY7r4yrOy.png
http://30somestudent.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/11.22.12-162-e1353605844225.jpg
Shocking to me, as well. I am always pretty curious when I find a religious aspie….The majority of the aspies I have met are atheist or agnostic with a heavy leaning toward ‘REALLY don’t know, and REALLY don’t care, busy living and making things!’…
Most are able to give very clear, logical reasons why they can: do “good”, be “good” and care about the world and people in it and make decisions that support ‘good’…..and also have behavior that reflect that w/o having to have god or the belief of a god in their lives. No promise of reward after death or damnation of fire forever burning them if not. Many of the people I have met who say they are christian don’t seem very happy/content/joyful or fulfilled. They also seem to get a weird shot of mean-spirited pleasure in gossiping about who ISN’T a ‘good’ person and who is “going to hell without a doubt…” I am glad I do not have to be around these people very often and that their opinions don’t have any weight for me, other than to serve as a warning to do something else and keep it brief….my tattoos and conduct don’t make for a trauma free match! (For some reason tattoos, smiling,laughing and enjoying oneself are sinful and a solid indicator of a bad person….?)
“HOWEVER, in this instance, there does not seem to be any difference. No… really… There seems to be no difference.”
That is the first time I actually seen this. Usually it is all Aspies are fundamentalists or rational atheists (or should be)!
“since you are dealing with an Aspie, it might be advisable to approach it with the respect that religion is due.”
I like that thought.
I went through a fundamentalist phase. But since I made may faith my special interest my search for truth took me away from that. No simple answers, you see. Too much respect for my scriptures to take them too literally or read my own world view into them.
How about another challenge? Aspies and spirituality?
I really don’t have any frame of reference for this topic, so I am not sure how I would write this essay.