Do Atheists really consider Christians less intelligent?

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It's a mind breaking question. Maybe the designer didn't have to be designed because designing is one of his designs making the rules of designing not necessary to be met for the designer.

Adifferentname said it well, "It's based on a limited understanding of causality from the perspective of a mortal being who is bound by whatever 'rules' govern time and space."

Maybe that is of some sort of perverse entertainment value to me?
Hmm, Tangential Doors - if that were a band what would their genre be?

They'd be a psychedelic cover band for The Doors and the front man would change his name to Jim Huxley.

Speaking as an atheist ex-Christian who is in the smartest 2% of the population according to standardized testing, I do think there is an inverse correlation between education level and religious beliefs. I don't think being Christian or religious means one is less intelligent per se, but I do think it requires a blind spot in one's critical thinking skills, whether through being raised that way or some emotional reason for it. I've investigated this pretty extensively and that is my conclusion. An atheist can have blind spots too.

I think that might also depend on what the person in question actually believes. If they're deeply doctrinal this is probably correct. If they've open-sourced the symbolism, gone the esoteric route, or taken these narratives as stories from evolutionary psychology there are other things that can be done with the contents. I'd say thats probably true of any major religion in that it you look hard enough you find the active vs passive principles, active vs passive vs permissive (eg sulfur, salt, mercury), and in the right contexts the core symbolism canbe very internally useful. I think he was right lbeit its probably also fair to say that this is people doing something much different with religion than most people would and typically sect doesn't mean all that much to them as it would a doctrinal believer.

I think it was Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin who was known for saying something to the effect that mystics of all religions speak the same language because they're from the same country.

On a side note this is Sam Harris and Nei Degrasse Tyson talking about why they don't like the label atheist and they both seem to say some things that are very on point and these days might be equally good objections to the notion that words like theist, believer, Christian necessary always tell you much about a person either.

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Last edited by Yo El on 16 Apr 2017, 2:21 am, edited 2 times in total.

I wish I could prove it, but I'm of the mindset that many so-called religious leaders are, in fact, atheist, but control their small-minded minions with religion. Religion sells. Look at the Christian rock band "As I Lay Dying". They made a bucketload of money selling The Lord when they, themselves, are atheists.

If Christianity wasn't so over-populated with hypocrites I'd be singing a different tune, but over the years, they've left a sour taste in my mouth with their Catholic pedophile priests, drug and prostitute abusing ministers, church leaders who use the Sunday tithes to pay their mortgages and buy new cars, etc.

Like they say, there's one sucker born every minute. The religious world is flooded with them.

Also please forgive me - I'm out of town on a tablet, my first post has a stray sentence tacked to the end of the first paragraph, it was dupposed to be on the end of the second. I'm also noticing this loves to drop letters I type, conjunct words, etc..

I don't think that.

Many intelligent people were or are Christians.

I used to be a Christian. I don't believe because there simply isn't evidence. But the truth is, I miss the ritualism of the Episcopal Church.

Spirituality, or lack thereof, is no indication of intelligence. Not in the slightest.

it's very typically human to think more lowly of person's intelligence if their religion or lack thereof is not "right". "militant atheists" are really good at making themselves feel superior but it's not only them doing it.

what happens when the line isn't clear, though?
in considering the phenomenon of religious atheism within the abrahamic religions it appears that there may not be as much of a clash as the popular atheism vs. christianity arguments suggest.

american jews take the prize for having the most % of self-defined atheists and doubters in their ranks, and that is probably because:
-judaism is the oldest abrahamic religion and has a much more specific ethnicity and culture, and so it is easier to fathom a separation of practice and belief.
-jewish people have been persecuted for ~2 millennia, and so jews tend to have strong ties to history and community.
-judaism is not dogmatic, and so jews are encouraged to ask questions and seek their own truths.
-judaism does not have nearly as clear of a message about the afterlife as christianity and islam do, and so jews are not as likely to feel the pressure to prove themselves "good enough" during this life.
-"unlike many atheists, I never felt forced to choose between my Jewish practice and my lack of faith" http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/the-jewis ... m-1.669381

sounds ridiculous and complicated to be a religiously identifying atheist, but, maybe it's not as much of a contradiction as it seems.
in thinking about it this way, it seems like maybe the mainstream argument of atheism vs. religion is set up in an unintelligent way. self-righteous atheists and religious people alike are throwing s**t at each other across a huge middle ground of people who accept, tolerate, or don't care, as well as people who are comfortable in complexity and don't feel obligated to be all or nothing.

First of all, to your main question:

This isn't my own point of view but the straight answer to that question would be an unfortunate yes. Atheists in general, most specially these days, think of any religion as some form of superstition. Only very narrow-minded people are supposed to be superstitious therefore... for those atheists, if you're religious you are dumb.

I think this very big atheist trend nowadays is a blatant fashion like brands of shoes, cereals, smartphones and so on. People talk of atheism and bash on religions like if they were wearing new clothes.

Intelligence is a tool, it's not a means in itself. Therefore, there are dumb people who are atheists and there are smart people who are religious. Religion has more to do with behaviour than intelectual capacity. Someone who's very smart can do very dumb things like being intolerant to religious people and killing hundreds of them, solely based on his own unfounded convictions that those people should be hated for this and that faint reason whatsoever.



Your mileage may vary here, it's not so simple an answer. Why do people become christians? Why do some atheists become professed, unconditional christians overnight? Why are there people who seem to be attached to every religion there is? Why are there people who shift their faith every year, like from buddhist to muslim to Jeovah's witness then Rastafari and so on? I think you understand.

TBH there's a (majority) of people who are disgusting tribal apes and would do anything to feel superior to others, they are always looking for something in their neighbour's erse that would make them feel right. Since you are a christian, you probably know the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. There are Pharisees everywhere, mate... and they reproduce! It's sheer horror!

Don't mind the Pharisees and go live your faith in peace.

I don't believe you are less intelligent unless you belong to a certain few sects of christianity. primarily the uhh, ya know, evangelicals or pentecostals or baptists. otherwise i just think you are wrong on key areas, not any less intelligent.

I have two grandfathers who play into two different Christian stereotypes.

One of them is the Bad Christian stereotype. He is bad-tempered, greedy, and intolerant. Though he spends most days at church, he expects others to help him in times of need, yet refuses to help them. We also suspect that he has been abusing my grandmother, who has dementia, though we can't prove it.

The other grandfather is the Good Christian stereotype. He goes to church just as much as the other one, but he always gives to anyone who needs it. He plays Jesus in the Christmas play every year, and chose to become a carpenter because of stories in the Bible.

Obviously, religion has little to do with intelligence or being a good person or not. Some people are just born as jerks.

Some Atheists would consider Christians and other religious people to be less intelligent than they are.