Is atheism what results from being "smart," intelligent, a critical thinker, and responsible for your actions?

Question

In reference to this question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApBK9THlWYMWWLpbCD1LTHvsy6IX?qid=20070213094128AA23lFG

I'd like to ask: Is atheism the result of being "smart, intelligent, and taking responsibility for your own actions," as I have found several people have been positing?

NH Baritone: You're lack of unbiased thinking is absiolutely pathetic. Just because "93% of the membership of the National Academy of Sciences deny the existence of a personal god," doesn't mean I can't walk out on the street and find 93 out of 100 uneducated people who don't believe in the existence of God. To say that a group of scientists exclusively has the "correct" assumption to not believe in God is the same arrogant assumption that the world is 100% logical. Logic is only a paradigm not reality.

Answer 1

Yes, but not necessarily. In other words, a strict adherence to rationality and logic will lead to atheism, but the reverse is not true. Some people are atheists because they hate their Christian parents or never bothered to think about the god concept. These are not necessarily rational positions.

Therefore, a strictly rational person is necessarily an atheist, but an atheist is not necessarily a strictly rational person.

(Sidenote: Religious people sometimes have a problem when you tell them that rationality and logic don't support their religion, but I never understood why this makes them upset. The whole POINT of religion is faith -- which by its very definition is an irrational leap of belief. If you have reasons for believing in something, you don't need faith. They are mutually exclusive.)

EDIT: I was focusing on the critical thinker part of your list. Being responsible for your actions has very little to do with shaping your beliefs.

Answer 2

If you search through the archives, you'll see that the concept of atheists taking full responsibility for our own actions actually comes in response to a certain genre of question from Christians. You know, the one where someone insists that atheists can't possibly have any sort of morality or ethics. Several of Christians will then witness as to how *they* lived a sinful life until they were saved and see that as proof that atheists can't be ethical.

So 'responsible for our own actions' has entered the shorthand of this forum. Anytime you see that, it's referring back to those sorts of questions.

The short answers you're quoting have long histories behind them. Learn the context before you criticize them.

Answer 3

It is one possible result.

Although that's not an extraordinarily articulate sentence. Perhaps it was taken out of context.

93% of the membership of the National Academy of Sciences deny the existence of a personal god. They ARE smart, and they are non-believers.

Studies have indicated that non-believers score consistently higher on IQ tests and SATs.

This is not to say that there are no stupifyingly dumb atheist nor genius believers. However, as a group, atheists are more likely to be more rational, better at critical analysis of data, and better generally informed.

(Keep asking the same question and you'll keep getting the same answer.)

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 4

I would not say that being an atheist is a result of those things. Atheists DO tend to be intelligent, critical thinkers, and yes we take responsibility for our own actions. I wouldn't say we are MORE of those things than anyone else.

Answer 5

I'm with zero cool.

I have no one else to blame but myself for my own actions. I'm responsible for me and what I do.

I can't force myself to believe in what I think is impossible. It doesn't work that way. My analytical mind won't do it.

Those people of high intellect that actually believe in any god are very rare. Religion, by its very definition, asks that you forgo intellect. Logic and faith don't go together.

Answer 6

Not relying on a old Book and a group of other people to tell you what to think has its advantages, and one of these is the motivation to learn.

I think that atheists are generally better people because they are motivated to do so by the realization that life is what we make it.

This shouldn't be true. Christians SHOULD be more motivated to learn about the world around them and grow in this knowledge, but we suffocate ourselves with bumper sticker phrases and misunderstood Bible verses. WE should be the ones setting the example, but we've really messed up on this.

Answer 7

Yes... I'm responsible for my actions. No, that responsibility isn't what lead me to atheism.

Atheism is the only logical conclusion. I couldn't believe in God anymore even if I tried. I can't undo the realization that the god concept is impossible.

Answer 8

Not necessarily. I'm smart, intelligent, and take responsibility for my own actions and I'm a pagan :)

Answer 9

It's the result of having the capacity to critically and objectively analyse the available evidence for God.

Answer 10

There is a strong correlation between the traits mentioned. However, there is no evidence of direct causal relation.

There are genuis theists.
There are moron atheists.