Atheists are more intelligent than Religious people

[crookedspire]

What has religion got too do with intelligence anyway to me that's demeaning a person purely on religious grounds. I have family who deeply believe in their faith it's their right basically it's no elses business. I not religious in any shape or form I don't think they are less intelligent than a non believing family member crazy idea.

[Olive]

Yes, I have to agree with that. But is a belief in nothing, better than a belief in something? Genuine question.

 

Hmm, not sure what you mean exactly, but people behave the way they do for all sorts of reasons, innate personality, they way they've been brought up, cultural influences, peer pressure, education, media. Religion is just one part of it. A major influence for some, non existent for others.

 

Perhaps a belief (in something, or nothing) could give people a reason to do good things, or an excuse to do bad things. An absence of belief means people act under all the other influences, doing good things and bad things as well, just not attributing their behaviour to religious influence.

 

If you're asking whether religion is a benign influence, then that's very difficult to answer. My instinct is to err on the negative. Just looking at the history of this country, the turmoil that has happened since the Church started to influence nearly every aspect of peoples lives and thoughts since the middle ages. The persecutions after Henry broke with the Roman church. The utterly second rate status bestowed on women.

 

The centuries spent arguing over one theological detail over another (antisacrementarianism, why would that take up so much thought space??), the oppression of important learning. People like Copernicus regarded as heretics for daring to explore new theories. I think humankind could have done without all that.

 

But like I said, people are perfectly capable of being awful, however they justify it. And there's a lot of good work done by church goers.

Edited May 20, 2017 by Olive

[Cyclone]

What has religion got too do with intelligence anyway to me that's demeaning a person purely on religious grounds. I have family who deeply believe in their faith it's their right basically it's no elses business. I not religious in any shape or form I don't think they are less intelligent than a non believing family member crazy idea.

 

And you think it's impossible that there is any correlation between intelligence and religious belief?

Or you're just offended on their behalf about a generalisation that includes them?

[RootsBooster]

Yes, I have to agree with that. But is a belief in nothing, better than a belief in something? Genuine question.

 

You mean like believing in unicorns might be better than not believing in unicorns?

 

As has been pointed out all already, absence of belief is not a belief in nothing. Even for those who do hold the belief that there are no gods, what benefits would there be if they started believing in one (or several)?

[Obelix]

I've just been to a funeral, I go to quite a few these days, and most are fairly secular affairs and non the worse for that.

 

But this one was different. The lady (very intelligent) was a regular church goer and a firm believer. The full congregation knew her well. They had given her unending support and love, visited her regularly in both her home, care home and hospital, and spoke of the comfort her beliefs gave her towards the end. The service was also personal and beautiful.

 

I was impressed. I might not share her beliefs, but I have no doubt it supported her, as did her many church friends.

 

When I compare this to the general callousness that seems to permeate society these days it was incredibly refreshing to see that such love and kindness exists somewhere.

I wouldn't dream of knocking it. Maybe the non believers have something to learn here.

Weve just had it cnofirmed again there is systematic prejudice against atheists. Thats what is to learn.

 

Atheisim isnt a positive beleif in nothing. Its a belief in the absence of gods

[RootsBooster]

 

Atheisim isnt a positive beleif in nothing. Its a belief in the absence of gods

 

...for some atheists yes, for many others it's simply absence of belief in gods.

 

---------- Post added 21-05-2017 at 09:22 ----------

 

Studies with these results aren't new, I'm pretty sure a thread covering this topic has already taken place on SF, possibly more than once. Does it feel familiar to anyone else?

Edited May 21, 2017 by RootsBooster

[Cyclone]

Absence of belief and belief in absence are identical, unless by the former you mean they haven't reached a conclusion, in which case that's agnosticism.

[Hairyloon]

Absence of belief and belief in absence are identical...

I don't think they are, but I think I agree with what I think you mean.

unless by the former you mean they haven't reached a conclusion, in which case that's agnosticism.

 

I think strictly agnosticism is a belief that it is impossible to say, which is not the same as being undecided.

 

Personally I am Born Again A gnostic. I know with certainty that god(s) may or may not exist, but I believe it matters not either way.

I think the logic is irrefutable, but I don't claim that it has been thoroughly tested.

[Tim Grindley]

Absence of belief and belief in absence are identical, unless by the former you mean they haven't reached a conclusion, in which case that's agnosticism.

 

Not technically true.

 

It is slight quibble but significant as the theists like to portray atheism as a belief in it's own right, it is not.

 

The statement "I do not beieve in God/gods" is the definition of atheist.

 

The statement "I believe that God/gods do not exsist" is obviously over reaching. How can I know that there are no gods out there just because I have no evidence of them? I can say that "I see no evidence for gods" and thus they are as real as unicorns but that does not mean that on some distant planet there are unicorns.

 

Again obviously the Bible talks drivel very often.

[RootsBooster]

Absence of belief and belief in absence are identical, unless by the former you mean they haven't reached a conclusion, in which case that's agnosticism.

 

I suppose that thinking about critics is the same as critical thinking then?

 

A coat of arms is an arm of coats!

 

Seriously though, how can not having a belief be the same as having a belief?

Edited May 21, 2017 by RootsBooster