Why do people think that people with religion are stupid?

Question

I mean I'm Catholic, I'm religious, but I'm not stupid. I learned about evolution, I learned about the big bang theory, I did well on the subjects in school, I understand them, but I don't believe them. People say that I'm not open to other people. Ha! The only people that I'm not open to are the people that aren't open to me. I'm criticized, someone came over to me and said "Religion is fake, it is faaaaaaaaaake, like I was a dog or something and I like couldn't understand him. Then he said that the people back then were on drugs and told me to stop f***ing believing. I know some people may be ignorant. But not everyone. Why do people have to be so stereotypical.

Answer 1

that's horrible that people would try and force their belifes on you! I am an atheist but i never try and make ppl believe what i believe, thats why i regected religions, and thought them to be too constrictive and not personal enough for me. One thing aout most religions is contradtictions, especially in Catholic and Christian faith. Too many contradictions and too many rules, i don't understand how a level headed person could follothese things blindly and not ask why? Why is this so silly? So it's not you who doesn't understand it's the atheistis that don't understand the religion, and that's fair. And by he way i am very scientific so religion is just too hard for me to understand how ppl can believe in such things, esp when some crisitans fully believe that ther is no evoulitions, that dinosaurs never existed!? that's just funny to me.

Answer 2

You can't really blame these people as most of them think that all theists or religious people in general have blind faith, which, actually, a lot of them do. Not all, though, just in case you think I'M generalizing too. Think about it. How many Christians can claim to know a lot about their own faith? I know of atheists that know more about the Bible and Christianity much better than most self-professed Christians do.

Much of the backlash against organized faith, and especially Christianity, is attributed to the fact that Christianity is not in itself a "pure religion" (for example, the date of Christmas, December 25, is actually the date of the Saturnalia, a pagan religion which the Romans celebrated. Jesus Christ was actually thought to be born sometime in the spring), yet most Christians claim it to be such. Compare Christianity with other religions and you'll see quite a few shocking similarities.

Yet another reason for this criticism of religion and religious people is the fact that such people are close-minded, generally speaking, and are not usually objective. In other words, they usually fail to realize that though their religion is superior to others, other people belonging to other faiths view their religion as inferior compared to their own. They also attack the fact that many Christians are total hypocrites, among others.

Personally, I'm not a religious man, either, and though I acknowledge the possibility of God's existence, I don't believe in any god of any organized faith. I like to think of God as merely a part of nature, not atop some sort of pedestal. And seriously, even if you HAVE studied evolution or the big bang theory and don't believe in any of it, you have to realize that objectively speaking, such theories are much more credible than the Bible.

I'm not saying that these people are completely free of guilt because of their prejudices. They are human like you and me and by virtue of their human nature, they are not perfect. But you have to realize that not all of what they say is total bull and there are things about certain religions that are totally objectionable.

And about people attacking Christianity, get used to it. The more popular you are, the more open you are to both praise and criticism. That's the way the world goes, plain and simple.

EDIT: And with regards to evolution, for those not in the know, we did NOT evolve from monkeys per se. We evolved from a related yet different species of mammal.

Answer 3

People will always make stereotypes as it is a form of generalization and generalization is a hardwired port of how our brains work.

Evolution and the big bang are not things to "believe" in any more than you believe in the theories of gravity, relativity or chemical properties. Thinking that you can "believe" in evolution, is one of the reasons that many people think that religion causes people to be ignorant.

While there are no statistics that show a relation between intelligence and religion, there have been many studies that show religion is inversely related to education and cognitive skills. In other words, the more educated you are the less likely you are to be religious, similarly the more religious you are, the less likely your are to have developed your cognitive skills.

Edit:
lissa99a, saying that there is no evidence for evolution is a complete lie and shows your willfull ignorance. There are literally hundreds of thousands of fossils (including transnationals), and those fossils are consistent with the geological column and both of those are consistent with radiometric dating. Genetic data confirms evolution, as do many other disciplines. We observe evolution occurring around us. A complete listing and analysis of the evidence would take several volumes.

Answer 4

Well if you have learned about evolution and the big bang and understand them but don't believe them you are blinded by faith. The most logical answer for any intelligent person would be to believe something that has facts to support it, such as evolution. I'm not saying you are stupid, you just can't see the answers for a reason that I do not know. Probably the same reason I can't understand how someone could believe in a God. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Answer 5

Because it is themselves who in fact are, whether through laziness or physical disability.
It is religious people who have established schools, universities, hospitals and the beginnings of scientific and medical advancements.
It is atheists who have created the means of mass murder and genocide: and used them.
The actions of Stalin, Mao and that sort has demonstrated irrefutable fact as to where the real idiocy lies, not with religion but with irreligion, and the mindset that would exterminate all life sooner than allow their own will to be frustrated.

Answer 6

You are catholic, you say. Catholics say that all fellow theists who do not believe in their exact interpretation of the tooth fairy are going to eternal hell. Scientists do not say the same thing about other scientists who have a slightly different view of evolution or who do not believe in it at all. Can you really not see any difference here, and is it not pretty stupid on the part of theists.

Answer 7

I don't think religious people are necessarily stupid, but I do think they are irrational. They openly admit they hold as rock solid truth beliefs they insist must be accepted on faith not evidence, even when there is no evidence or worse, when the evidence suggests your beliefs to be wrong. They call that "walking by faith, not by sight." And that's the very definition of irrational. You wouldn't want your doctor treating your illness with an approach of "Ignore the evidence, follow my beliefs." Same for your mechanic, your lawyer, your hairdresser, etc. And I sure am uneasy with it in the White House, too!

Answer 8

Some people cannot be accepting of others. They live miserable lives and must bring others down as well.

OH and tbatty... show me actual evidence to support evolution.. . there is none. just because its in science books doesnt make it real. evolution is a religion, just like christianity is.

Oh and to the OP... I think these people just proved your point about them... rude!
Oh and if you can believe that we all came from rocks and then bacteria in the water, then we can believe a God made us...

Answer 9

You're right that we should all be tolerate of other's beliefs.
But you have to expect these things.
Not everyone is going to feel the same way.
you are constantly being tested as to why you feel the way you do.
If they can't explain to you why they feel that people with faith are stupid, then they are no smarter then you.
They are also being as close minded as they think you are.

Don't give up fighting for what you believe in.

*smiles*

Answer 10

Well, many of the religious fanatics who post here cannot spell or use grammar correctly, as well as appearing outright delusional. But in your case, if you have indeed studied biology and astrophysics then you know that there is so much evidence for evolution and the big bang, that to say you "don't believe in either one" is rather akin to saying you don't believe in gravity. It doesn't make you sound very intelligent.