Intelligent religious people an enigma?

Question

I know people who insist that jesus is the son of God and buy into the whole fairytale. These same people appear to be of average or above average intelligence. How do they pull it off? I have family members who seem fairly smart but they are so brainwashed with the stuff that I wouldn't dare admit to what I think about it. Every time I talk to my uncle he asks if I'm going to church. It's saddening, because I feel like a liar for not just telling him what I think. He's a friendly person and pretty sharp at most things and he'd do anything for you if you asked, but there's just that one part of him that I can't understand, like there's some sort of reasoning block. Maybe you could share a story of someone in your life who is deluded.

Answer 1

I have also tried to understand the reason why this is so, and for now have come to the conclustion that just like some people are good at Math, others art, etc, religious people just don't have a certain area that they are versed in or use, in this case religious type of logic or a combination of logics that contribute towards discerning religion.


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Answer 2

A person's intelligence is not determined by his worldview. It's how he acts on it that counts.

I'm an agnostic and have many atheist friends myself, and I've noticed that while there are many brilliant atheists there are certainly some dumb ones as well. Atheism doesn't make a person smart, anymore than being religious does. You have narrow minded and ignorant people from all ideologies. And try to put yourself in other people's shoes from time to time. I'm sure your friend is just as perplexed as to why you DON"T believe in a god, as you are perplexed as to why he DOES believe in one, and he is being polite to you the same way you are being considerate about his feelings. It's probably just because he's had a strong religious background since he was little, and you did not. In a very rational and practical sense, human beings follow whatever works well for them, and you can't just shut that sort of thing off, you know?

Answer 3

catholics are the worse..... I've long ago refused to be catholic and even cursed my parents for forcing their rituals on me... the last straw being that confirmation.... suppose to be choice... one they did not allow me to make..... We hear about cults and the brain washing that goes on... there is no difference in catholicism.... like catechisms in school... constant threats if you don't believe.... then they grow up forget how they hated it for some reason then repeat the process in their children. they could sit there and b*tch about the religion but never go far enough to deny it..... they can agree with me on every point but they don't denounce it... Have you never wondered what that amount of BS could do to the world? In action they took power through murder and war....the bad karma building up matters. We have to start speaking out against it sometime, look at the people who are regularly killed through christianity and or catholicism today... it's still there... Murder is only a sin if it's not sanctioned by the churches

Answer 4

Maybe your uncle has knowledge and understanding of realities about which you are completely in the dark.
The Bible says God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.
There is one passage in the New Testament where it says of Jesus "He greatly rejoiced".
Do you know what He was so happy about?
He was thrilled that God, His Father, had hidden the knowledge of God and His Kingdom from the "wise and learned", and revealed it to mere babes - those still "wet behind the ears".
If there is one thing that will never find its way into God's Kingdom, it is arrogance.
That will be the earmark of those headed to another place.

Answer 5

yeah, i've got a cousin who is a brilliant litigator. graduated top of his undergrad class at princeton and top of his law class at NYU. he's religious just like the rest of my family. my family is full of brilliant people. everyone in my generation, my parents generation, and my grandparents have at least a bachelors degree, among 8 masters and two ph d's. aside from me, my mom's oldest bro. is an atheist. i'm agnostic. and i have NO clue why my family is so religious. that's how i know that its not necessarily intelligence that makes one religious or not, because i'm not even the smartest person in my fam.

Answer 6

Intelligence can't overcome 2000 years of tradition and dogma. Besides, intelligence can be measured in ways beyond logic and reasoning.

Answer 7

As a Christian, I'm just glad to see you recognize Christians can be very intelligent individuals with a different worldview.

If I could give kudos, you'd have at least two.

Answer 8

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People simply want to know the truth, or what they think is the truth because they have been told it is. Where we came from is one of things people question and it is probably easier to embrace a faith which explains that than to not have all the answers, as science doesn't.
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Answer 9

You have now become a very small part in my life and I'm sharing my story about you that you are deluded. you are missing an incredible experience by not allowing Gods faith to live itself out in you.
Rom 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
God has assigned to you a measure of faith. Take a chance man, try it. What do you seriously have to lose?
:)

Answer 10

You answered your own question by using the word brainwashed.