Christians are generally smarter at history, Atheists at science. Agree?

Question

Think about it. Many Atheists can't agree on if Jesus, Muhammad or Buddha ever existed. However Christians cannot agree on if the earth is 6,000 years old or 60 billion years old. For myself (Christian) I am a history major, and I admit I am ignorant when it comes to science.

Answer 1

Disagree, any person is capable of being smart in any area, regardless of their religious or non religious practice

Answer 2

People who hold extreme views from either perspective (any perspective, for that matter) limit what they can learn. An Athiest recently saw a book recently read called "How to Read the Bible Book by Book", and he moved it to the far side of my half of the room that we were in. He is as closed-minded to learning about religions as many Christians are closed-minded about learning evolution or astronomy. I think both would be better off if they learned both perspectives. After all, if they are right and already know that, then it won't hurt to read the other perspective. And if they aren't 100% sure, then it will probably help to read it.

I, too, have met very educated--and extremely uneducated--people from both groups. I think you're an exception. Most vocal Christians I've met--the kind that constantly try to convince everyone that they must find religion to be saved--are usually uneducated in science, but also in history. Including history of their own religion. They're even uneducated concerning the meanings behind their own religion and often take at face value what an untrained preacher has told them. They feel that "faith" can only mean blind faith, and they feel that educating themselves on anything is somehow an insult to their faith. In fact, I would say that many of them intentionally minimalize development of knowledge because it isn't spiritual. And I don't agree with that at all.

I am talking about Bible Belt Christians in Arkansas and Oklahoma, so this may not represent the Christians that you know. I do see a lot of posts on here, though, that seem to reflect the general mentality that it is somehow damaging to spirituality and faith to develop ones mind and learn facts.

Answer 3

oh, do historians suddenly all agree about the historicity of Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha? as a history major you must be aware that it's not just atheists who are skeptical to some extent about when they lived and what they did.

"Christians cannot agree on if the earth is 6,000 years old or 60 billion years old"

well no wonder since it's actually 4.5 billion years old.

Answer 4

There is far more to it than what one can learn from a book. What is the motivation of people who believe in God? What is the motivation of people who don't? That is far more telling than dragging history or science into the argument.

People believe in God because they want there to be a God. God represents a moral absolute, an anchor, a goal, something larger and more important than just humanity. Atheists reject the idea of moral absolutism. If there is no God, there is no higher authority than man or in other words, man is God. This is called moral relativism.

You cannot have socialism without the rejection of moral absolutism and acceptance of moral relativism. This is what is motiviating the surge in Atheism. Socialist college professors are the primary source of it.

In Socialist societies, the all powerful central government is the final moral authority or God. They take whatever action they deem necessary for the advancement of the collective. Human life, individual rights, self-determination are all sacrificed on the altar of Socialism. There is no freedom, there is no mercy, there is no recourse, there is no indiviuality, there is no hope.

Socialism cannot get a foothold in America as long as we believe in God. When this government was established, it was designed to recognize The Creator as the source of all moral authority. Each of us is endowed by the Creator with our unalienable rights. That is far greater and much more powerful than any endowment from any man made government. The power to govern goes to the people first and foremost who in turn lend that power to the government in limited measures on election day.

Socialism cannot abide that. It cannot function if there are moral absolutes. The governement must be all powerful, endowed itself by itself with unlimited power to govern. Million upon millions have perished in the most hideous ways imaginable at the hands of socialists.

So forget who is smarter at history or science. Understand the motivation. Why would some people need for there not to be a God? There in lies the answer you really need to understand.

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Answer 5

Disagree.

First, science isn't solely to do with the age of the Earth and history isn't solely to do with the existence of religious figures.

Secondly, this is generalising. There are people of all religious beliefs or otherwise in the areas of history and science. Neither Christians nor atheists are naturally better at either.

Answer 6

Disagree completely. I think many Christians fight hard to keep their faith despite history and science, but I don't necessarily think that makes them less smart. They simply have a different point of view. And athiests use science AND history to affirm their their beliefs. Neither history nor science really ever work against an atheistic point of view compared to religion of any kind (not just Christianity).

Answer 7

I have to respectfully disagree. christians, for the most part, do not know that their church goes back only to 325 C.E. That the emperor Constantine was the first pope, pontiff maximus, head of that church. That prior to that time there were some 60 organisations following the teachings of Jesus that were destroyed by the church. That all protestant churches are branches of the catholic church or branches off the branches. This just skims the surface of church history and even these basics of history are not known by MOST christians

Answer 8

wow, your argument holds no water. You might be a history major but most Christians couldn't even tell you the history of their own faith.

And most atheists agree that Muhammad existed. I don't know about Buddha, not enough knowledge. But I know that the Jesus character has some issues of historical veracity. Not a lot of proof there.

Answer 9

I can't speak for the Atheists or the Christians, but that is one of the silliest things I have heard tonight. I always thought it would depend on education and learning and where your interests lie. just because someone can't agree on if Jesus etc existed isn't because of a lack of intelligence, but a lack of supporting documentation. I know the flood happened because it was engraved on a stone tablet that is the oldest story known and that is the epic of gilgamesh, which predates the bible, and it was gasp - Pagan.

Answer 10

No i don't agree at all.
All you have to do is read some of the questions on here. A lot of right wing fundie Christians still call Jews, Pagans, and Muslims killers, devil worshipers, and killers.
Before that is done a lot of them should read up on their own history and see whom did what to whom.

But yes in the context that you are asking, I somewhat agree

Answer 11

Most Christians don't understand Christianity's history so how can they be considered generally smarter at history? That does not mean there aren't exceptions to every rule though.