Level of intelligence is, unfortunately, no indicator of whe'er or no a person will be atheist or theist.
All you need to be a theist is acceptance of an unlikely, unsupportable, unverifiable premise like "there is a creator." The most brilliant of minds can then extrapolate 'til they've got a scheme that the sheep will worship unconditionally.
A persons choice to believe or not believe is really the only difference between the two. Other than an individuals beleifs we are all, with possibilty of exception (cause there should always be a clause...) the same. It's the choices in the beliefs (or lack there of) that differenciate the athiest and the theist. If anyone has an argument that it is not their -choice- to believe I'm all ears...
I'm sure this is not meant on a purely individual, case by case basis, but rather as a collective measure.
I doubt any of us will be arrogant, ignorant, and/or misinformed enough to suggest there are NO intelligent believers (or absence of unintelligent atheists). We may definitely FEEL that way at times, but we must admit that even intelligent, otherwise rational human beings can and do in fact believe.
I would say they tend to be more ignorant that others according to this site.
Particularly your seemingly sole use of judeo christian and islamic traditions to justify being atheist.
Some religions do not focus on suffering, sin, or salvation, but rather the concept of being as happy as possible, and celebrating being alive.
Regardless, in your seeking out others to 'convert' them, you make yourself no better than religious extremists. Let people live their own lives as they choose to live them, and live your own as you choose to live yours; yours is not the sole nor absolutely right opinion, please remember that.
You are ignoring the obvious, that all religions presuppose fundamentally irrational worldviews that necessarily harm those influenced by them. Religion always causes unnecessary suffering, because, among other reasons, religion itself is unnecessary in a rational world.
It is not how a particular religion focuses its attention on any given day that makes it hopeful as a whole, and no religion is hopeful for a life lived today. All religions concentrate on some unknown supernatural element that improves life tomorrow at the expense of life in the present. There is hope, in something that will never happen, but the sacrifice you make to have that hope is not worth the loss of hope you feel when your faith does not meet your needs. Religious belief is a crutch.
You are also presuming that I confine my atheism to the absence of belief in a specific god. I do not. Show me where I have ever implied this. If I have, then I will revise it so as not to misrepresent myself. I am an atheist with respect to all gods.
as an atheist i have not personally taken the leap of faith required to believe in a god. however, i fail to see how this makes me more or less intelligent than anybody else. it is surely the case that the vast majority of people, theist or atheist, are intelligent enough to realise that the existence of a god is, rationally speaking, unlikely. this, though, has no bearing on a theist's faith which, by its very nature, is unconditional. theism is only a less intelligent position if you define intelligence solely as a measure of how blind you are to all types of thought other than logical thought. this is clearly an unspeakably poor definition of intelligence, for a start rendering virtually all art pointless.
Fri, 2005-07-29 07:40
Level of intelligence is, unfortunately, no indicator of whe'er or no a person will be atheist or theist.
All you need to be a theist is acceptance of an unlikely, unsupportable, unverifiable premise like "there is a creator." The most brilliant of minds can then extrapolate 'til they've got a scheme that the sheep will worship unconditionally.
But they still can't prove its real.
Fri, 2005-07-29 09:13
I encourage more readers to comment.
Thu, 2005-08-25 13:49
A persons choice to believe or not believe is really the only difference between the two. Other than an individuals beleifs we are all, with possibilty of exception (cause there should always be a clause...) the same. It's the choices in the beliefs (or lack there of) that differenciate the athiest and the theist. If anyone has an argument that it is not their -choice- to believe I'm all ears...
Thu, 2005-08-25 13:58
Is there a way to edit an already submitted post? I do know how to spell belief... though in all honesty... not sure about that differenciate... :)
Thu, 2005-09-01 23:46
DifferenTiate.
Mon, 2005-09-05 12:24
I'm sure this is not meant on a purely individual, case by case basis, but rather as a collective measure.
I doubt any of us will be arrogant, ignorant, and/or misinformed enough to suggest there are NO intelligent believers (or absence of unintelligent atheists). We may definitely FEEL that way at times, but we must admit that even intelligent, otherwise rational human beings can and do in fact believe.
Tue, 2005-09-27 21:04
The atheists have been smarter since July. I'm starting a petition for a new poll. Who's with me?
~I AM~
Mon, 2005-10-24 22:15
I would say they tend to be more ignorant that others according to this site.
Particularly your seemingly sole use of judeo christian and islamic traditions to justify being atheist.
Some religions do not focus on suffering, sin, or salvation, but rather the concept of being as happy as possible, and celebrating being alive.
Regardless, in your seeking out others to 'convert' them, you make yourself no better than religious extremists. Let people live their own lives as they choose to live them, and live your own as you choose to live yours; yours is not the sole nor absolutely right opinion, please remember that.
Tue, 2005-10-25 06:58
You are ignoring the obvious, that all religions presuppose fundamentally irrational worldviews that necessarily harm those influenced by them. Religion always causes unnecessary suffering, because, among other reasons, religion itself is unnecessary in a rational world.
It is not how a particular religion focuses its attention on any given day that makes it hopeful as a whole, and no religion is hopeful for a life lived today. All religions concentrate on some unknown supernatural element that improves life tomorrow at the expense of life in the present. There is hope, in something that will never happen, but the sacrifice you make to have that hope is not worth the loss of hope you feel when your faith does not meet your needs. Religious belief is a crutch.
You are also presuming that I confine my atheism to the absence of belief in a specific god. I do not. Show me where I have ever implied this. If I have, then I will revise it so as not to misrepresent myself. I am an atheist with respect to all gods.
Tue, 2006-12-19 17:44
as an atheist i have not personally taken the leap of faith required to believe in a god. however, i fail to see how this makes me more or less intelligent than anybody else. it is surely the case that the vast majority of people, theist or atheist, are intelligent enough to realise that the existence of a god is, rationally speaking, unlikely. this, though, has no bearing on a theist's faith which, by its very nature, is unconditional. theism is only a less intelligent position if you define intelligence solely as a measure of how blind you are to all types of thought other than logical thought. this is clearly an unspeakably poor definition of intelligence, for a start rendering virtually all art pointless.