Intelligent People 'Less Likely to Believe in God'

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by Cellar_Door, Nov 27, 2008.

  1. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    15,396
    I didn't finish high school but I am much more & better educated than most college graduates.
    I doubt I'm the only 1.
    1111
     
  2. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. SkinWalker Archaeology / Anthropology Moderator

    Messages:
    5,874
    Then you obviously know little about either sociology or statistics.



    I doubt your claim -no offense. It is possible that you are better educated than some college students, but very unlikely that you are better educated than most. What is your self-taught major or specialty. I'd be happy to test the claim. While I appreciate your belief and confidence in your own "education," I remain skeptical of its content and completeness.
     
  4. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. phlogistician Banned Banned

    Messages:
    10,342
    EINSTEIN DID NOT BELIEVE IN GOD. Neither was he religious. Nor would citing one example disprove a general trend.
     
  6. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. SkinWalker Archaeology / Anthropology Moderator

    Messages:
    5,874
    Then clearly you've got a bad or poor understanding of sociology and their methods. Please feel free to start a new thread and demonstrate their failings. I look forward to it.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2008
  8. phlogistician Banned Banned

    Messages:
    10,342
    No more than one group calling another 'sinners' , while referring to themselves as 'saved', 'blessed', 'forgiven' and 'God's Chosen'.

    Harmless when compared to the Spanish Inquisition.

    REDS UNDER THE BEDS MAX! RUN! RUN!

    What is the military pov please Max?
     
  9. Cellar_Door Whose Worth's unknown Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,310
    A few issues to tackle here: first of all, no group is calling any other group 'unintelligent'. Secondly, all the article is highlighting is that a study done on a sample of people has shown those of higher IQ and/or better education to have a lower rate of Deism.
    To me this suggests a lack of conformity, to find out what you and others think is kind of the point of this thread.
     
  10. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    23,053
    It suggest a correlation of some kind ...but what? And that's what I'm questioning. I've suggested that it points NOT to the degree of education, but to the TYPE and BELIEFS of the educators.

    I think the fact that "liberalism" and "socialism" is becoming so prominent in US/western culture is due to the "liberalism" and "socialism" of the instructors in colleges and universities - not to any of the "ideals" that people claim.

    Just remember a little history ...back when schools were taught by the religious leaders of the community, there was a higher degree of religious beliefs and such within the community. People were charitable to those of the community of their own free will ...while today, the ideals of "liberalism and socialism", that same charitable ideal is being FORCED onto people to provide for people they don't even know, nor probably care about.

    What does that mean? Humans haven't be in "conformity" since they first began to walk upright on the African plains! Well, on second thought, perhaps they were ...but it for killing others who didn't conform to their ways and beliefs!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Baron Max
     
  11. Sciencelovah Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,349
    Is more intelligent means better......?
     
  12. john smith Tongue in cheek Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    833
    Absoloutly not!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  13. Nasor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    6,231
    The paper by Rebekah Massengill that Skinwalker cited is interesting, but it only showed that people who self-identified as a conservative christian at age 16 were less likely to get a university degree. I would be curious to know if they were less likely to have a degree because they tried and failed (perhaps indicating that they wanted education but lacked ability) or if they simply never tried (perhaps indicating that they didn't value education, so they didn't bother).
     
  14. SkinWalker Archaeology / Anthropology Moderator

    Messages:
    5,874
    Those are questions I had as well. What drives the decline in education? The authors suggested that the declined might disappear in 1-2 generations, so I'll have to read the paper again, looking at the methodology to see if there's some hint at the reasoning.

    I'm guessing that some of it has to do with the association that some conservative protestants have with education and "liberal" or "godless" ideals, such associations can be found in this very forum if not this thread.
     
  15. Mr. Hamtastic whackawhackado! Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,492
    Descartes might have been offended by the OP...
     
  16. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    72,825
    I think as long as a correlation is made between atheism and education, this will lead to a steadily increasing decline in education. I know that there are people who homeschool because they feel there is a concerted effort to convert people to atheism. Now I find this very weird, because I come from what is considered to be a very religious country, yet we have never had this association between going to school and following your religion. However, it is very prevalent in the US.

    here is an interesting site on the matter:

    http://www.consideringhomeschooling.com/

    Its ironic, but the more people stress on the advantages of athiesm in education and science, the more likely it is that you'll end up with both, more religious and less educated people.
     
  17. Nasor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    6,231
    I suspect that Descartes, being a mathematician, would understand that specific examples don't have anything to do with an average correlation.
     
  18. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    72,825
    Here is another interesting point:

    The opposition to science education by the religious is a modern phenomenon; while the author is baffled, it follows closely the eugenics policies of the 1930s and 1940s and has peaked with the creation of a "religion is anti-science" movement by atheist activists.

    Its all downhill from there.
     
  19. mikenostic Stop pretending you're smart! Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,624
    While theism gets on my nerves, stuff like this gets on my nerves just the same.
    Why can't people raise their children to have their own ideas, to believe what they want to believe?
    Don't they know that forcing someone to believe something is the exact same as trying to force someone to love someone else?

    Wait a minute. You're telling me that schools in India have absolutely NO bias against any prevalent religion(i.e. Islam/Hinduism) in that country, or region at least?

    Yes it is, but we've been trying to weed out religious influence in the schools for awhile now. Teachers have lost their jobs because they've held prayer in class, and have taught bible classes(save that crap for church, buddy).

    Or maybe those 'less educated people' will finally wake up and see the wool that has been pulled over their eyes.

    Science and education is what's going to push humankind forward, not the belief of and dependence on some supernatual deity, whose existence has yet to be proven.
    If you want to believe in something you have no proof of, fine. That is all you. It is your right, just don't force your beliefs on me.
     
  20. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    72,825
    Not at all. I went to a school run by a Christian woman which had multiethnic multireligious teachers. There was even a teacher from Africa. The generic prayer at the beginning and end addressed a generic God and had no specific implications that identified any one religion. We had holidays for Eid, Diwali and Christmas [among others]. There are other similar schools run by convent teachers [St Teresa's St Laurence's], schools run by Hindus like Arya Vidya Mandir, but there is no association between school and religion. At All. I know people who have been educated in Gujarati schools and Urdu schools and they had pretty much the same education I had, except for the language. The one from the [Hindu] Gujarati school is a scientist in the US. The one from the Urdu school is a nurse [she wanted to be a doctor but did not have the financial resources]. Neither of them agonised over abortion or creationism. Both are religious.

    Well good luck, I can see how this will convince people that school != atheism.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2008
  21. mikenostic Stop pretending you're smart! Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,624
    That's what I was talking about above. Holding prayers (even generic ones) at school IMO isn't much of 'no association between school and religion'. If a teacher here in the U.S. tried to conduct a prayer (of any sort) in school, he/she would be disciplined.
    The only way I see that going over at all here in the U.S. is that if the prayer session was totally optional. If the teacher forced any student to participate in the prayer, that would cross the line.
     
  22. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    72,825
    I'm not surprised then that people are pulling their kids out of school. I'm surprised that there are any still there!
     
  23. mikenostic Stop pretending you're smart! Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,624
    You should be. It was the non or very little religious parents that did not like religion being forced onto their children in school that prompted this to begin with, IIRC.


    I personally don't want any teacher or school staff teaching my kid some religion.
    Exemption: IF the school is teaching the children about the religion itself, its origins, history and how it operates, that's ok. Just don't try to persuade them in believing it.
     

Share This Page