There seems to be a stereotype here on YA that religious=stupid. Here is the list of the top 10 universities in the country according to US News and World Reports (duplicate numbers indicate a tie) :
1. Princeton *
2. Harvard *
3. Yale *
4. California Institute of Technology
4. Stanford
4. M.I.T.
7. Duke *
8. Dartmouth College
9. Columbia University *
9. University of Chicago *
Schools marked with an * offer graduate level degrees (according to the Association of Theological Schools) to students who intend to pursue a career in some form of full time ministry, whether that is teaching, church work, or work in a non-profit. So, the top 3 universities, and 7 of the top 10, offer advanced degrees to religious people. (I am a student at Wake Forest University's Divinity School.)
How does this affect your opinion of the intelligence of religious people?
If you still hold the opinion that religious=stupid, how do you justify that opinion?
2007-07-11 10:03:18 · 13 answers · asked by MacDeac 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Oxford and Cambridge in the UK both offer divinity degrees as well.
2007-07-11 10:14:15 · update #1
George Bush successfully graduated from Yale.
does that answer your question?
2007-07-11 10:09:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I never thought religious = stupid.
I have a friend whose husband is the head of the religous studies dept at a local college. He got his Doctorate in Theology at Harvard. He's been all over the world studying religion, but mostly focuses on Asian religion, Buddhist & Hindu. One of his most popular classes is a comparative religion class that many students take thinking they are going to hate all other religions & end up finding a lot of similarites in the faiths.
2007-07-11 10:12:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religion made itself out to be stupid. If the top student at each of the schools were to come out a graduate, chances are none of them would agree with each other on certain points. But they would be open to their opinions.
God is not open to our opinions where he is concerned. Your opinion my opinion (neither is valid). Knowledge and wisdom though are valid, but only God holds the key to it (according to Job). Paul (who was religious at first) said that what he knew was not taught to him by man nor did he read it anywhere. When he became a non religious man of god, that's when his suffering started.
Paul said that he could testify that the religious people were zealous for God but that it wasn't based on knowledge.
God divorced religion in the Old Testament because it was unfaithful.
Pesonally, I don't have a problem with stupidity. Real stupid people can't help what they do, say etc. God doesn't have a problem with stupidity either. Christ mentioned this when he told the Pharisees that if they were truly ignorant he could not hold them accountable. However, he held them accountable because they claimed to know the truth.
Religious people and God's people are 180° apart. God said that it was because of the religious people that his people were considered Mad Men and Fools.
God's people are of one mind and one accord. And his people hear and know his voice. The thousands upon thousands of Christian Religions today hear all kinds of voices and their god's tell them that this is OK but this is not OK but not according to this Christian Religion. This can do this, this one can't. Satan is the author of confusion, NOT God.
God also said that it was because of religion that His name was mocked and ridiculed.
I stay away from religion and tear it down with the truth every chance I get, because of what it has done to His name, the fact that it killed his Son, stoned Stephen, beat Paul, and only got worse by the end of the Bible. God said that he would destroy them all.
Revelation 18:20-24
Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."
I don't consider myself inferior to any graduate from any College or any "Super Christian".
2 Corinthians 11:12
And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
This is not my opinion. I just happen to take the one that God provided in scripture (without interpretation) where religion is concerned. God also warns in the last chapter of Revelation what He will do if we add to or take away from his words.
2007-07-11 20:02:56 · answer #3 · answered by pickle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Greetings,
I got my MA in reformed theology from Wake Forest and my PhD in Religious studies from Duke.
In Christ
Fr. Joseph
2007-07-11 10:10:59 · answer #4 · answered by cristoiglesia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the real question is how many people who try to force religion on the masses have degrees from these universities?
2007-07-11 10:09:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
many fundamentalists are not stupid...just blind or ignorant to other's beliefs..
With that said, I am bothered by your choice of words...of "career in the ministry"...one should not look for a career in the ministry...but, should be "called" into ministry.
The ministry should not be the means to survival for you or your family, or of making money or sustaining your livelihood...
You should go into the ministry because you are called to help God's children, to lead people...to lead churches to do those things God has commanded them to do...feed the hungry, care for the poor, orphans and widows, etc...
the reason our churches are failing today is because they have lost sight of what they are called to do, and have become political entities...possibly, because they are being led by people "going into the "career" of the ministry" rather than being called into ministry to serve others.
2007-07-11 10:12:32 · answer #6 · answered by G.C. 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll find that theologians from those universities do not resemble the fundies on the 700 Club or whatnot.
2007-07-11 10:13:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Simple , Anyone that throws critical thinking out the window , I do not find intelligent!! or = stupid!!!
2007-07-11 10:10:36 · answer #8 · answered by KEVIN D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Interesting question;I wanna see what people say.
2007-07-11 10:06:49 · answer #9 · answered by Maurice H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
thank you....
the people who ask these questions never finished school and work at burger king....
2007-07-11 10:08:53 · answer #10 · answered by coffee_pot12 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋