Is Christianity inherently anti-intellectual?

Question

One of the first acts of God toward man was to tempt Him with knowledge and then punish him for falling to that temptation.

Martin Luther famously called reason a "whore" that threatens faith

Answer 1

It's unequivocally anti- intellectual. Only a complete moron would argue otherwise. They will tell you it's OK to educate yourself and to use reason but they make it clear what the result of that reasoning must be to be correct, making it a hollow and meaningless gesture. You don't even need a brain to be a christian (in fact it's a liability), never mind an intellectual.

Answer 2

The knowledge of good and evil didn't make man wise. Look around. Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused man's reason to fall, not to be made higher.

The devil lied, but if all we want is the knowledge of good and evil then we will do everything we can to stay in the darkness that we were born in.

The tree of life was the other tree in the garden. It prophetically represented the truth that Jesus would come and die on a tree to give us life. God offers us the choice today: life in him or death because we feel we must rely on our fallen human reasoning which cannot comprehend the truth.

Answer 3

Intriguing question. Catholicism, in particular the Jesuits, have a long history of advancing science, and both the Marianists and Jesuits are noted as teachers, particularly in high schools.

In addition, the Catholic church has had a great number of theologians like Aquinas, who spent years working to create a logical framework explaining contradictions within the bible.

On the other side, ignorance is bliss as they say. Many Christian sects discourage independent thought, and to a great extent Catholics are among those sects today.

It is somewhat ironic that what arose from the Protestant movement was first a suggestion that each person was obligated to interpret the bible for themselves. And from there a counter movement in poorly educated America, the fundamentalist, evangelical Christian movement in the United States.

In this regard, fundamentalism in the US is actively anti-intellectual, as are all fundamentalist religions, such as fundamentalist Islam.

Such movements have to be anti-intellectual, as anyone with the education and intelligence to examine the fundamentalist teachings will invariably find the inherent contradictions within their religious texts, and more importantly discover that much of what their priests, clerics, ministers et al contradicts the teachings of their holy books.

Just my .01

Answer 4

No, Christians are! Christianity encorouges people to learn as well as love others. It teaches that those who follow it should be able to learn and adapt hence the passage 'put me to the test'. It is Christians who allow fear of going to a 'firey hell' (although the original translation terms hell as the common grave) and of that which is not known to cloud thier judgment and close themselves off to new ideas. By the way it was Satan who tempted Eve with the knowlage of 'Good and Evil' (I would find it pretty hard to make an argument the it was knowlage of the universe or science based on the name) and not God, although he did put the rule of not eating from the tree. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Christians, God fearers, pious ones, christians are among the most intellectual , and rational people on earth, that is a blessed reality and fact.
Just look at this question, examine it for a moment, does it not become obvious that it not only comes from a weak and poorly excercised intellect but immature emotion as well?

Our strength. is in quietness and assurance.
Do you want to be in the center of Gods will, then read his word and meditate on it day and night.
Pray the Lord to send laborers into the harvest.

Answer 6

You must take that story allegorically. There are many who say that the allegorical truth to the story is that the "evil" from the tree is actually a belief in the material universe as ultimately "real". To believe that darkness is real is an illusion which is eliminated by turning on a light. The same is true with materiality. Most of Christian belief is based on a dualistic universe which ascribes power to both the forces of good and evil.

Answer 7

in case you verify out the place protestantism took root in Europe, additionally, you spot the place it went. The Puritans feared Catholics and left to slaughter interior sight human beings and blacks. The Germans started a holocaust no longer even a century after human beings slaughtered one yet another over slavery. They have been the two area of the comparable anti-Catholic DNA and that they ended up in very comparable circumstances. If Abraham Lincoln had no longer interfered, i think of the U. S. and Germany could have been allies whilst the holocaust got here to visit. observe how reluctant we've been to do something approximately it, on an identical time as we observed mass migrations and deportations.

Answer 8

Christianity is definitely not inherently anti-intellectual. There are many, many parts in the bible that does not give you direct meanings and purpose of the the stories and requires some inference.

Answer 9

Is Christianity inherently anti-intellectual? Yes, in away.

In 1 Corinthians 1:27 Brother Paul writes; But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Why?

1 Corinthians 2:6-7 Brother Paul writes; Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes (Satan and his minions) of this world, that come to nought:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Which none of the princes (Satan and his minions) of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Answer 10

there have been some very intelligent and thoughtful proponents of every religion. But in the end, it isn't reason that decides, it is faith.
Each faith must do it's part to persuade people that they are sinners, or out of touch with God.
Then, they offer a (often exclusive) path to get back in touch with God and attain eternal salvation.