I was told to reask with evidense: Theists: how do you address this trend?

Question

A letter published in Nature in 1998 reported a survey suggesting that belief in a personal God or afterlife was at an all-time low among the members of the U.S. National Academy of Science, only 7.0% of whom believed in a personal God as compared to more than 85% of the general U.S. population.[95] In the same year Frank Sulloway of MIT and Michael Shermer of California State University conducted a study which found in their polling sample of "credentialed" U.S. adults (12% had Ph.Ds and 62% were college graduates) 64% believed in God, and there was a correlation indicating that religious conviction diminished with education level.[96] Such an inverse correlation between religiosity and intelligence has been found by 39 studies carried out between 1927 and 2002, according to an article in Mensa Magazine

How do you address the fact that people who are educated are less likely to believe in God?

Thanks skeptic. Actually I have a degree in business and a tested IQ of 142. Thanks for playing

So martin...according do you god hates wisdom?

Great answer rapid scientist

Answer 1

I found that with education, it became harder to believe the literal interpretations of any religion. Probably most educated people do, so then they throw out God altogether. I take the view that the old religions were an old attempt to understand God, just as the Greeks explained the motions of stars with invisible spheres. We need a new way of understanding God as much as we need new science, but far fewer are willing to take up that challenge.

Answer 2

It might be hard to understand, but God has always been for the lame, the poor, and the underdog. Don't get me wrong, it's not a pre -requisite but most of the men of the bible were underdogs! Too many to list without losing your attention.

Wisdom does not mean gray headed and university trained. In fact, wisdom can ONLY be attained thru the submisson of God and His Son crucified.

Answer 3

Its rather obvious how theists have addressed this trend: By launching a full scale war against higher education, science and intellectuals.

Our idea of who or what God is needs to evolve. Otherwise, as humanity becomes more educated less and less are going to fall for dogma and tradition that is more than 2000 years old.

Answer 4

Did you ever do a poll of pride vs. education level. Perhaps that would explain your findings. It is a fact known through even common sense that the more pride a person has, the less likely they will be humble. Alas, believing in God requires some humility.

How's that from a graduate of the school of hard knocks?

...Wisen-heimers are always so arrogant.

Answer 5

I believe in God, and have a Masters in Education. I believe that the dearth of faith in households with higher levels of education may come from families who no longer attend any worship services or speak to their children about faith because of the requirements of their occupations. Then when the children become adults, they do not believe.

I don't believe that people who are educated are less likely to believe in God. I believe that people forget to make God a priority in their lives, and then their children do not believe.

Answer 6

There is more than one kind of intelligence. I would put the intelligence of Jesus or The Holy Spirit above anyone. Religious people is a whole separate issue.

Answer 7

1 Corinthians, 2-14

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.If we are poorly educated, you know, the sort of people The Father calls to His Son - Jesus Christ,....



1 Corinthians 1:26-28 "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world (like me) to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.” (Brackets mine)



....."how can poorly educated people be expected to understand the things of the high intellect? In many ways these people speak a foreign language in English. How do they get away with it? Notice, "not many wise men after the flesh" now, what does that statement mean - wise men after the flesh? Well it's all very straightforward isn't it? Men who are wise after the flesh are worldly, clever men, aren't they? The word 'flesh' here is used to describe carnal human beings and carnal human nature. They are clever in the eyes of men and are usually intellectuals with high IQ's and 'impressive' university qualifications - many have 'ologies' in their titles".

Answer 8

My address:

1) Education is not all it is cracked up to be?

2) You might worship at the alter of education?

3) God's wisdom is not man's wisdom?

Tell me Mr Science . . . we know that the cosmos has not always been here . . . we know it had a beginning . . . yet we are unable to address the fact that all of this "something" came out of "nothing" . . . which we know is scientifically impossible . . . maybe there is something outside of science that needs to be addressed?

Answer 9

Most of the greatest scientests of all time have believed in God:

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/sciencefaith.html
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/quotes.html

Contrary to popular belief, Christianity actually encourages reason:
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/reason.html

And it was Christianity that fueled the Enlightenment period

It's really only a recent phenomenon that American academia has become a haven for atheists who are afraid to go out into the real word and get a real job. ;)

Answer 10

Those who are learned tend to over estimate their own intelligence. They are conditioned from schools to rely on themselves. When in truth if they would rely on Jesus Christ a little they would find a lot more happiness and satisfaction in their work and family life.