Question for Intelligent/Reasonable Atheist?

Question

Of course there are non-reasonable people from all schools of thought.

I am curious and would like your thoughts on my question. I have noticed here on Y/A and other forums that the atheistic view of Christians are of a people who lack intelligence...who lack the basic understanding of science.

fair enough?

My question is this: Is it also the belief within the atheistic community that the evidence is so overwhelming that the clearly intelligent Christians are aware of this "overwhelming evidence" and simply ignore truth?

People such as: Martin Luther King (Noble Prize Winner/Civil rights), Isaac Newton, inventor of calcules & principles of gravity & movement, Robert MCCheyne, George Witfield, Tony Dungy (NFL coach) John Newton...the list is endless as I'm sure you would agree.

So are these scientist, politicans, coaches, civil rights leaders etc...are they ignorant or simply "playing along"?

Or is it possible for intelligent people to have two view points respectfully

Answer 1

very well thought out question. you don't see many of these anymore. i congratulate you. now with your question. im an atheist and i have never generalized Christians as stupid, ignorant, religious zealots. i know the majority are logical, clear thinking, respectable members of society. i respect Martin Luther King Jr for his efforts, Isaac Newton for his work and many other people despite the fact that they believed in god. that doesn't matter. i find the "argument" for the existence or nonexistence of god is pointless because a being such as god (if existed) wont bend to the will of us to settle a silly argument to prove he exists. the argument is pointless, its how you act because of it though that i will argue. if you say I'm going to hell because i don't believe in god or pull pascals wager on me then i will fight back. sorry bit of a rambling there. to actually answer the question now, there are intelligent people who have different view points on the existence of god. many of the most important and powerful people on earth believe(d) in god, that doesn't make them stupid, or ignorant, or close-minded though.

again thanks for the question. it is quite refreshing.

Answer 2

"My question is this: Is it also the belief within the atheistic community that the evidence is so overwhelming that the clearly intelligent Christians are aware of this "overwhelming evidence" and simply ignore truth?"

They are brainwashed and ignore the truth. These two things complement each other - are like brother and sister. They do not want to see or hear anything that threatens their ingrained belief system.

"So are these scientist, politicians, coaches, civil rights leaders etc...are they ignorant or simply "playing along"?

Or is it possible for intelligent people to have two view points respectfully"
Answer - they are playing along...... After all - they want followers Followers follow only those who openly profess their same views.

Answer 3

> Is it also the belief within the atheistic community that the evidence is so overwhelming that the clearly intelligent Christians are aware of this "overwhelming evidence" and simply ignore truth?

What does the first part of this have to do with the second. Many people don't have the faintest idea about science, and don't care.

Answer 4

The problem is not with Christians in general. There are many intelligent Christians. The problem is with FUNDAMENTALIST Christians who give the others a bad name. When people tell you that they believe Noah was 600 years old and built a boat that housed every animal known to man for 40 days (estimated 20 to 100 million species) - well, its hard to reason with someone like that. Or the ones who see the Virgin Mary in a mud puddle wearing a cowboy hat.

Answer 5

Those intelligent enough to understand there's an abyss between Logic& Reason and the Faith&Belief in the Invisible Sky Critter syndrome have to rationalise the opposing truths so they compartmentalise and never admit to one thought whilst in the vicinity of the other.

I'd suggest most are playing along with the crowd.
It's the ultimate high-wire act. LOL

Answer 6

When someone says that Atheists are more intelligent than believers, he means generally, not every single one. There are Athiests who have no idea of what a brain is used for, but in general, it has been proven many times that the poorer less intelligent prople are the most religious. That's awfully hard to deny.

Answer 7

Though there is a demonstrable, proven inverse relationship between intelligence and religious belief, it is a generalization.
Anecdotal evidence neither proves, nor disproves a point.

Also, intelligence is not necessarily a barrier for religious delusion.

EDIT: It never ceases to amaze me that though Christians reject EVERY OTHER religion, science, biology, anthropology, and astronmoy, they call atheists 'narrow minded'. Isn't religious delusion hilarious?!!!

Oh, and NO I do not agree that the list is endless.

Answer 8

Good question, i'm going to awnser, even though i'm a christian.

Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks. Wow christians are of a people who lack intelligence...who lack the basic understanding of science.
What happens is:
1)Midia tells them that
2)Some so called Christians tell them that.

Its very hard to bring people into seeing how fullfilling, how good a life with God can be if they have these pre-concepts (or worst, post concepts) about christianity. Sure, a lot of atheist are very narrow minded (i'm sorry to say, but most here in R&S are) and once they get into their heads that "christians are dumb" there is no nuclear physics equation we can present to get them to change their minds.

Still, it is up to us to go and show them we are not ignorant, i try to do my part.
I wonder whats the open suport on the ID theory to this atempt...

Answer 9

A fair enough question.

I think that deeply religious people are able to compartmentalize very well. They hold "everything else" to a reasonable standard of proof. They choose their doctor, who babysits their child, their marriage partner, with a degree of skepticism and take a scientific approach to SOME degree. When it comes to god, however, all bets are off. In THAT category, "blind faith" is the winner. That is the standard by which everything is judged. If they used "blind faith" as a standard for picking a babysitter we'd find them to be an irresponsible parent.

Answer 10

It is possible to have two view points respectfully.

However, we don't have respect for people who twist science in order to state that the earth is only a few thousand years old, that there was a global flood, that dinosaurs and Man existed simultaneously or that snakes could talk.

That is WILFUL ignorance, and wilful ignorance is wrong however you view it.

I accept, however, that most Christians and other religious folk are not stupid, and do not believe the above examples.