why am i thought of as "stupid" for believing in God?

Question

I have a BS in Physics, a minor in mathematics, im taking post secondary education courses in philosophy and have 2 letters of recomendation to attend a Masters course in consciousness research, well versed in the Pythagorean Quadrivium(mathematics, harmonic theory, geometry and astronomy) and how those 4 subjects are related. I know mathematical history better than most of the professors I have had. But yet when I mention I believe in God and an underlying intelligent order to the Universe I am automatically labeled " Christian fanatic"( Im not Christian) or a believer in superstition or weak of mind etc etc etc . I know how science works, I know the laws physics and astronomy, but I still believe in God, so why does that make me "stupid"?

Answer 1

Well if your not Christian as you say you have to be more specific as to which god you do believe in. Secondly you being of a scientific backround should know that nobody can fully prove or disprove the existence of any god or godesses. I personally don't care if you choose to believe in "God" and I don't think your stupid.

Answer 2

I did not say that theists were unintelligent. But a large proportion of religious belief (not necessarily yours) seems to rest on emotional and psychological arguments constructed at a time when the human species did not know much about the universe and relied on deities to explain natural events.

I suppose it's hard to imagine that a god exists. Why is something so invested in the universe also too elusive to leave evidence? And where did a deity come from? That requires a whole other set of explanations. How can you explain gods in natural terms, especially when scientific theories explain reality in more elegant and simple ways?

Secondly, many religions can be disproved to a satisfactory degree. Ancient theistic religions make specific claims about the origin of human beings or Earth that can be scrutinized using modern scientific understanding. None of these religions claimed that the universe is billions of years old or that life evolves through natural selection.

On a third note, it doesn't make sense to me that a god would follow religious standards. In a universe with billions and billions of galaxies, stars, and planets, with over millions of species on Earth (and possibly elsewhere), why would anyone believe in an invisible humanoid male who uses complex social and cultural rules to govern human behavior? Especially with over 2,000 different religions, and no evidence for any of them? Religion seems to be the product of human ego, not reality.

I do not think you are stupid. I simply do not feel that evidence is sufficient for any religious world view.

Answer 3

Just curious if you are not a Christian, how do you know anything about god? And how do you reconcile your presumably favorable mental view of god with the enormous evil and suffering here on Earth?

I don't think you're stupid. I also have a degree etc. and believed in a deist god until I was in my 40s. Then I started studying my religion to get "closer to god" and realized there was no evidentiary basis for all the assertions people make about god.

If you are interested in understanding why atheists reject the god hypothesis, see the links below. Although Richard Carrier is specifically addressing the Christian god in his essay, I think his arguments apply to most modern Western perceptions of a god. The other link explains why most atheists do not believe in a "soul".

Answer 4

Sounds more like you believe in a creator than god, or at least the mainstream god, but that's my assumption based on what you said about your belief, which was vague.

I don't see anything wrong with believing some sort of other force or existence had something to do with the existence of the universe. If we exist, why wouldn't other beings exist in other realms? Would they have power to generate energy to start s big bang? That's a tall order, but who knows, there are many unanswered questions and anyone of either side who thinks they have all the answers are wrong.

What i find silly is the religious concept of god, this guy who watches us constantly, wants to be worshiped and destroys or tortures anyone who doesn't follow blindly, but instead asks genuine, sincere questions about him.

Answer 5

One can be well versed in many areas, and still not be intelligent.

Anyone can memorize and regurgitate those things which will help them pass a test, and receive a degree. (Look at our president, not the most intelligent of people, but he does have a degree)

With that said...I am a Christian...and am tired of the way the fundamentalist Christians have co-opted the word Christian to mean only those that believe and behave as they do. They have truly tarnished the word....and because of that..most associate Christianity or belief in God with these very vocal people...that truly, do not appear to be of God...eventhough, they profess to be.

So sorry..you are probably very intelligent...but, because of the actions of a few who claim belief in God...we are all labeled broadly because of their antics.

Answer 6

It doesn't. You obviously have as much information as anyone could ever need to back up your beliefs, someone calling you stupid is probably just the only response they could come up with.

A difference in opinions causes conflict with those who have closed minds.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you, belief-wise. I don't have near as many credentials, but I've found that the people I respect the most have open minds and are alright with believing something different than me. They don't think of me as stupid and they don't try to change my opinions.

You could tell those people calling you stupid to watch "What the Bleep do We Know?" a great movie about quantum physics, philosophy, and what I got from it is that these really smart scientists could not prove that a higher being did not exist. (you've probably heard of the movie or seen it, but just in case I'll leave a link)

Answer 7

Ah, it's a misunderstanding, obviously. First, you do not believe in "God" (big "G"), but "god". God capitalized = Christian God. Second, in the US, Christianity is the dominant god belief system. With no further information than "I believe in god", one would assume you are Christian.

The word for you belief is "Pantheism" (at least that appears to be the best label of your beliefs based on the given information.) However, believing in any god requires one to have a belief with no evidence for doing so. Some would still call that stupid. That's their prerogative.

Answer 8

Because they don't realize that people can have views that aren't cookie cutter. Your experience and education level had taught you to understand things and come to terms with truths that other have not...the fact that you still believe in God...in my opinion is for the same reason that I do...we were in fact put here some how and had to come in to existence on way or another. As long as you know what your beliefs are don't worry how others see your views, because they are still dealing with their own.♥

Answer 9

Wow. All that education, and you havent figured out that the majority of humanity is opinionated and assumes too much...

Youre American, living in America, where 78% of the population is Christian. When you mention God, 78% of the population hears "CHRISTIAN GOD". So, it is assumed you are Christian.

That doesnt take a BS in physics to figure out.

Answer 10

No it doesn't.

I would argue that you require a greater undersanding of the scientific method, which in general only aplies to natural sciences, and not mathematics.

You draw conclusions based on evidence, and make hypothesis that can be tested.

God does not have evidence. The only "evidence" for god is the lack of natural explanation.

"God" is also not a testable hypothesis in any way.

In both cases the concept of god is NOT scientific.