Do you feel that those who convert to a religion are less intelligent than those who do not? It’s just the vibe I receive: “I’m too smart to believe in God. I have my science.” I get responses like that all of the time.... I am not barking at anyone atheist out there I just want it clarified whether or not that is how you really feel about those who are religious. If you do feel this way, what do you think of the scientists who use to be atheist and converted to Christianity?
Just a request: please avoid giving harsh answers. I am asking for clarification....not a series of angry statements...
2007-12-28 10:24:45 · 41 answers · asked by horizon 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't think they are less intelligent, just more easily swayed.
2007-12-28 10:28:54 · answer #1 · answered by just some chick 6 · 6⤊ 2⤋
Generally, I would say no. Intelligence, or lack thereof, is not directly part of it.
Intelligent people fall for business scams, have bad marriages, and fail on exams.
Intelligent people include many jews, muslims, christians, etc., etc.
Belief is a bit "different" in my opinion, from intelligence.
The one this that is interesting to me however, is how religious people can write diatribes, sometimes pages long, to explain their beliefs and how others interpretations are wrong (sometimes even of fellow adherents of the same religion) - BUT they cannot/do not apply the same standard to their own beliefs.
Simply put: how can all these intelligent people adamantly argue over how everyone else is wrong, but they don't see the same arguments applying to their own beliefs.
It just seems really weird to me.
And everyone religion has their fanatical believers, who can go back to the original root word and it's meaning - but the idea that they are ALL wrong seems to mystify them and escape the obviousness of that MOST simple truth.
I think in that rant of mine somewhere is a an idea that these people lack some intellectual honesty, but not intelligence.
2007-12-28 10:46:24 · answer #2 · answered by Twist 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't feel that way. I think that people who convert to a religion are thinking, and have made a choice, I can respect that. Those who were born into a religion, and are too stubborn to educate themselves, and degrade all the other beliefs out there are the problem. It's egocentric to believe one's self right, without learning about why others choose to believe differently. So, no I don't think I'm smarter than those who believe, just those who live with a closed mind to diversity.
2007-12-28 10:32:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In a sense, yes. However!
Not so much as intelligent, but they have less strength inthemselves and need something to lean on in order to continue walking on in life. While the rest of us can walk perfectly fine on our own two feet.
I only think your less intelligent for being heavily religious if you try to "logically" prove your view point right on an issue where clearly NO ONE has an answer to. And the handful of few people we thought had the answer to not only contradict each other but are like what... over 2000 years dead? But I guess that could go for both sides, atheist or not.
2007-12-28 10:35:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I feel like I was brain washed into Christianity as a child and now that I am a free thinking adult I read the bible, and looked for evidence of god, Jesus, and other facts that would back up what I learned as a child was fact. I found that given the laws of physics and what I have experienced in my life that there is just not any profound evidence to back up the theory of after life and god.
I do not feel smarter then people who are still Christians but I do feel people are not honest with themselves about the facts in the bible. It really seems to me that intelligent people can find a way to reshape things they see and hear in order to give them some hope for after death.
2007-12-28 10:33:28 · answer #5 · answered by Hugh G. Rection 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think I'm too smart to believe in a god at all. Those who can are good people too, sometimes they misguidedly try to get me to join the club. If I don't want to, they sometimes get mad. I'm not trying to make them mad, they just get p****ed off.
As for scientists converting to Christianity, that's fine. I think they might have an idea of God being more like Albert Einstien's version: Nature & Her Laws Are God.
It's easy to see how the vastness & beauty of the known universe could cause one to take pause & begin to believe that something intelligent caused it to come into being. There is nothing wrong with personal belief.
Be at Peace.
2007-12-28 10:38:06 · answer #6 · answered by Moonstruck Lady 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
religion in my opinion is a guideline for right and wrong. i am a christian because i do believe that there was a prophet named Jesus Christ and in his teachings he emphasized that we should all get along on this planet. i also believe that god didn't exist until the first being did something wrong and had a conscious thought about it. this is what separates man from the other animals, conscious, the opposing thumb and the big brain. most religious teachings will tell you that man was created supreme by god. science tells us that man was a product of our mother earth and evolved to what we are now.
now in my blog i mention that if you got on my rocket ship and took off at and cruised at light speed in just a short time we would turn our telescope around where we had come and we see our mother earth as just a speck in the viewfinder and getting smaller. then we see the immense back drop of the universe around our mother earth. then we see just how significant we actually are to our surroundings. it is a humbling moment. you hang on to your religion whatever it may be if it teaches enlightenment. with that all the rest is simple.
2007-12-28 16:53:21 · answer #7 · answered by Alfred M 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, I don't feel that way. Of course, the only thing all atheists have in common is a lack of belief in gods, so you'll probably get a range of answers.
I don't believe in God because religion doesn't make sense to me, and I've never seen any evidence or experience of God. I can't speak to the experiences others, including scientists, may have had.
2007-12-28 10:29:58 · answer #8 · answered by Let Me Think 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Converting doesn't mean they are stupid; but, just can be seeing as mislead way to live life and only using faith to go along with it. For me I don't even have to have the need of science; but, there as it be that has been the only thing to try and keep us a live not an explanation of how we got here or anything like that.
2007-12-28 10:31:36 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of a respected scientist 'converting' to Christianity. I would be interested in a link to this somewhat absurd statement.
Science, reason and rationality is the enemy of religion, according to those who run religions. It is against their interests to allow their followers to educate themselves as that is a sure fire way to lose the control they have over them.
Pardon the cliche, but the fact is, knowledge will set you free, ignorance will imprison you.
2007-12-28 10:58:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, I won't answer for every atheist as we would all have different takes on that, but I don't even look at that. I look at an entire person and so long as they aren't trying to make theology law & not trying to twist my arms to follow their beliefs I could care less that they believe in something I don't.
Honestly, I think almost anyone that was an atheist and becomes a thiest really wasn't an atheist to begin with - they were likely agnostic even if they themselves didn't realize it (and there is nothing wrong with being agnostic either).
Life is too short to spend it picking on little things.
2007-12-28 10:32:49 · answer #11 · answered by genaddt 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋