Are religious people really less smart, on average, than atheists?

[franklinstower]

science has made all the reasons people believe in god obsolete.

No it hasn't.

 

[chardog]

“even after controlling for demographic factors like age and education”

secondly, correlation is not causation

 

[TheComebackKid]

Sometimes I do want to explode when people deny well established science due to religious beliefs.

Your pseudoscience beliefs are fake and retarded. Try thinking for yourself for once.

 

[Richie Madano]

Not if they believe in more than 2 genders.

 

[zebby23]

No it hasn't.

yes it has. Historically speaking science has answered most of the questions. Not all but most

 

[franklinstower]

yes it has. Historically speaking science has answered most of the questions. Not all but most

Religion is not primarily about answering questions at all and science does not answer most of them anyway..... I am very surprised at your lack of understanding here for a poster that is usually quite intelligent.

Religion is primarily centered around how and why questions. Why are we here? What is the meaning of it all? How can I best align myself to God and life in a way that puts me in harmony with all things, with people, and with nature--Wisdom questions in other words.

Religion is more than all that though. Religion is about how best to enter into a transformative relationship with Power and how best to cooperate with that power, respond to it and align to it.

Religion is completely centered around lifelong tranformation for the better spiritually emotionally and mentally too.

I am unaware of science amswering any questions at all on these subjects or offering any insight at all on how to do it.

You are uninformed about this topic.

 

[DoomPatrol]

Your pseudoscience beliefs are fake and retarded. Try thinking for yourself for once.

My "pseudoscience" beliefs are the reason you have that computer you're using to post retarded bullshit. It's the reason you have clothes, food, cars, GPS, modern medicine, moon landings, TV and literally everything else you use to spread your nonsense in the world.

Science works. The science that is predictive modeling on past events and future events is tested again and again and is found to hold up. I'm also more than happy to admit that they are models that might change with new information. It would be exciting to be proven wrong because that's something new to learn about.

So what the fuck can you prove from your beliefs? Where the fuck is your physical evidence? You claim to have the real answer, so fucking step up and prove it. If self referential books held any weight then literally every single religion has just as much proof as you do. Religious idiots are self indulgent douche bags who think they know better than the rest of the world because they read an old book from ignorant humans a few thousand years ago. Bunch of fucking clowns you are.

I already know your game though. I have zero respect for you or your beliefs. You're wasting your life and time on bullshit.

Just so you might learn something, science is about giving people the tools to think for themselves. Everything taught in it science room is encouraged to be followed with self study and experimentation. If you can prove a theory wrong with evidence, that's encouraged. If you aren't experimenting, finding new theories or showing old theories wrong, you're not doing science. You're doing something else.

Religion is the only side that says believe what I say and don't think for yourself about how absolutely stupid this "sky daddy who loves you more than all other animals" story really is.

Want me to believe your story? All you have to do is prove there's a God. Your God of course because globally idiots believe in hundreds of varieties.

 

[zebby23]

Religion is not primarily about answering questions at all and science does not answer most of them anyway..... I am very surprised at your lack of understanding here for a poster that is usually quite intelligent.

Religion is primarily centered around how and why questions. Why are we here? What is the meaning of it all? How can I best align myself to God and life in a way that puts me in harmony with all things, with people, and with nature--Wisdom questions in other words.

Religion is more than all that though. Religion is about how best to enter into a transformative relationship with Power and how best to cooperate with that power, respond to it and align to it.

Religion is completely centered around lifelong tranformation for the better spiritually emotionally and mentally too.

I am unaware of science amswering any questions at all on these subjects or offering any insight at all on how to do it.

You are uninformed about this topic.

I’m uninformed on this topic huh? I know it makes you feel good to say that but you are dead wrong.

When man first made up religion part of the reason was to explain causal forces of nature such as lighting, tornados, hurricanes etc... early man had no grasp of these events so of course “god did it”. Well, sorry to break it to you but science can explain all of this making god obsolete for these forces of nature.

Another really big reason god was made up by humans was death. Early man say their family members dying in front of their eyes and realized, oh shit, he isn’t moving anymore and he smells bad. Again, we know and understand death to be a part of life so there is no more need to make up nonsense about an afterlife.

It’s weird that because we don’t understand yet why we are here or how we got here you insert “god must have done it”.

To be honest most of your post was feel good nonsense that really has no place in a debate about whether god or religion is real. It’s more about that it makes you feel good and that’s it. There is not a shred of scientific evidence for anything you posit. Lastly, I have all those same questions you do about why we are here and how do we interact with nature and everything and I do it without any god or religion and I get the same “fuzzy feelings” that a religious person does only mine are based in reality.

 

[all caps]

I am unaware of science amswering any questions at all on these subjects or offering any insight at all on how to do it.

Sciences answer to those questions are pharmaceutical grade medication, I believe.

 

[franklinstower]

I’m uninformed on this topic huh? I know it makes you feel good to say that but you are dead wrong.

When man first made up religion part of the reason was to explain causal forces of nature such as lighting, tornados, hurricanes etc... early man had no grasp of these events so of course “god did it”. Well, sorry to break it to you but science can explain all of this making god obsolete for these forces of nature.

Another really big reason god was made up by humans was death. Early man say their family members dying in front of their eyes and realized, oh shit, he isn’t moving anymore and he smells bad. Again, we know and understand death to be a part of life so there is no more need to make up nonsense about an afterlife.

zebby23 said: ↑
science has made all the reasons people believe in god obsolete.


This is completely untrue. Science has NOT answered the most important questions, nor has it made obsolete the methods of transformation offered by various religions. It doesn't even matter if there really is a God or not. Nothing would change about what I do personally were it somehow proven that there is no God. The methods of transformation which have proven to be so profoundly effective in my life and the lives of countless others would still stand as a kind of technology for change anyway.

Religion can be and is an extremely potent tool for transformation. This is my wheelhouse man. I have spent my whole life in this arena and weather it be a sweat lodge, a shamanic journey, prayer, meditation or the rigorous methods of self examination taught by the Christian tradition I have seen nothing obsolete about any of it. In fact the contrary it true-- I see these and many other methods deeply transforming people all the time, saving marriages, healing people broken by child abuse and/or sexual abuse, healing those traumatized by rape, helping people grow out of arrogance and pride, bringing contentment to those who seek to fill a void with money, success, drugs and alcohol, or social standing.

I regularly see people weep deeply in gratitude for how much their lives have changed and the father or mother they can now be and the blindness they had before and never even knew it. I could go on and on but the common thread is a serious spiritual discipline introduced into lives that bring about constant lifelong awakening to the better.

Nothing about this is obsolete in any way.

 

[TheComebackKid]

My "pseudoscience" beliefs are the reason you have that computer you're using to post retarded bullshit. It's the reason you have clothes, food, cars, GPS, modern medicine, moon landings, TV and literally everything else you use to spread your nonsense in the world.

I said your psuedoscience beliefs. Everything you listed here would be an examples of actual science. I don't have to believe those things...i can actually demonstrate them.

Dont try to lump actual, demonstrative science in with your make believe theories about life, the afterlife, history, God, ect.

So what the fuck can you prove from your beliefs? Where the fuck is your physical evidence? You claim to have the real answer, so fucking step up and prove it. If self referential books held any weight then literally every single religion has just as much proof as you do. Religious idiots are self indulgent douche bags who think they know better than the rest of the world because they read an old book from ignorant humans a few thousand years ago. Bunch of fucking clowns you are.

What can I prove? Well that depends on who Im talking to. To you probably nothing. To someone a little more informed and with a greater compacity to shift perspectives, consider, and contemplate...I could probably prove quite a bit to them.

Just so you might learn something, science is about giving people the tools to think for themselves.

Only someone who cannot think for the themselves would think you need some kind of tool it order to do it lol. Thinking for oneself is our natural state. Not thinking for ourselves is our unnatural state created by years of educational/societal indoctrination.

Everything taught in it science room is encouraged to be followed with self study and experimentation. If you can prove a theory wrong with evidence, that's encouraged.

Meanwhile in the real world people lose their jobs and reputations going against established doctrine. They get their work censored, demonized, and ignored. Its time to grow up kid.

Religion is the only side that says believe what I say and don't think for yourself about how absolutely stupid this "sky daddy who loves you more than all other animals" story really is.

Want me to believe your story? All you have to do is prove there's a God. Your God of course because globally idiots believe in hundreds of varieties.

Scripture is a historical and provable, or at least heavily supported, text which is why I accept it. I don't agree with religion nor do I agree with blind acceptance of gods, dieties, and realities. So from that standpoint I agree with you. The problem is you fail to see how most of your views are based on psuedoscience and akin to religious beliefs themselves. In other words youre the religious one here not me.

Everything you believe was given to you as a child and lets be honest...how often have you gone back and challenged the basic presuppositions of those things? Id venture to say never. Dont feel bad though the vast majority of people havn't and will never do that. I however have and will continue to do so which is what allows me to say that I think for myself. I don't think you can say the same.

 

[DoomPatrol]

I said your psuedoscience beliefs. Everything you listed here would be an examples of actual science. I don't have to believe those things...i can actually demonstrate them.

Then name the pseudoscience you're claiming I believe in.

Dont try to lump actual, demonstrative science in with your make believe theories about life, the afterlife, history, God, ect.

Make believe theories yet you believe the Bible and this thing called god because an old book says it's real.

What can I prove? Well that depends on who Im talking to. To you probably nothing. To someone a little more informed and with a greater compacity to shift perspectives, consider, and contemplate...I could probably prove quite a bit to them.

Prove anything supernatural has ever happened that supports the existence of your God. Take your pick. You can only convince gullible people who want to buy into your nonsense. Anyone with the smallest amount of common sense isn't going to believe your cult bullshit.

Only someone who cannot think for the themselves would think you need some kind of tool it order to do it lol. Thinking for oneself is our natural state. Not thinking for ourselves is our unnatural state created by years of educational/societal indoctrination.

Science and math give you tools that can be relied upon. The human mind alone is one of the most unreliable sources for truth. All you need to do to prove that is look at the other 99% of people who used their minds to fully believe your religion is wrong and theirs is correct. Science and math are tools that work for everyone's reality. Again, fucking cult idiot shit to say using the tools that are founded upon the universal reality we live in aren't needed to establish the truth of the reality we live in. They are measuring tools that cut out bullshit human interference.

Meanwhile in the real world people lose their jobs and reputations going against established doctrine. They get their work censored, demonized, and ignored. Its time to grow up kid.

Why don't you name your best examples to back to that claim and let's explore what really happened.

Scripture is a historical and provable, or at least heavily supported, text which is why I accept it. I don't agree with religion nor do I agree with blind acceptance of gods, dieties, and realities. So from that standpoint I agree with you. The problem is you fail to see how most of your views are based on psuedoscience and akin to religious beliefs themselves. In other words youre the religious one here not me.

I don't hold a single religious belief. I have a few opinions of what I think might happen based on the facts I know, but that's not religion you retard.

Everything you believe was given to you as a child and lets be honest...how often have you gone back and challenged the basic presuppositions of those things? Id venture to say never. Dont feel bad though the vast majority of people havn't and will never do that. I however have and will continue to do so which is what allows me to say that I think for myself. I don't think you can say the same.

Are you fucking serious? I was raised in a southern Baptist family. I became an atheist after I started questioning beliefs and exploring truths. Everything I know now as a fact I can verify myself as a truth. The things I choose to accept as the most likely explanation are founded on the concepts of rational argument, evidence and common sense.

So speak for yourself douche. When is the last time you truly questioned your cult bullshit book?

Seriously you are the biggest retard on Sherdog. You're pathetic. Your beliefs come from idiots in the desert from thousands of years ago. My beliefs come from the same people who gave you everything you see today that's amazing in society. You can believe whatever stupid shit you want while the rest of the world passes you by. We don't miss you.