Turkish Sociologist Fehmi Kaya Apologises For Suggesting Link Between Atheism And Autism

[rug]

The Huffington Post UK | By Jessica Elgot Posted: 30/04/2013 12:58 BST | Updated: 30/04/2013 12:58 BST

The head of an autism association in Turkey has apologised for suggesting that autistic people were natural atheists, and that atheism could be a form of autism.

Sociologist Fehmi Kaya, head of the Health and Education Associations for Autistic Children, was reported in numerous Turkish media outlets as saying autistic children were “atheists due to a lack of a section for faith in their brains.”

“That is why they don’t know how to pray, how to believe in God. It is necessary to create awareness [or religion] in these children through methods of therapy.”

"Autistic children were atheists from birth without being aware of it," he was quoted as saying. “Research says atheism and autistic children are linked. Researchers in the USA and Canada say that atheism is a different form of autism.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/30/turkish-autism-autism_n_3183843.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

The article also refences a 2011 Boston University Study which compared belief and nonbelief to the autistoc spectrum.

http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/proceedings/2011/papers/0782/paper0782.pdf

[AlbertCat]

1. "Autistic children were atheists from birth without being aware of it,"

Uh.... EVERY child is an atheist from birth, until indoctrinated into the local religion. That's why most children are whatever their parents' religion happens to be. They embrace it to be part of the group, and because from the get go they are told the punishments of questioning and thinking for one's self.

Fehmi Kaya sounds like a lousy scientist with too much religious baggage to be efficient.

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Mark Embleton said everything that needs to be said on this topic.

He speaks for me.