Does Autism lead to Atheism?

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Actually there are athiestic sects of Hinduism (as well as polytheistic, and monotheistic, versions). And Buddhism is essentially an "atheist" religion:in which god either doesnt exist, or god/gods do exist but are thought of as a being irrelevent. Instead of god punishing you- the law of karma that governs reincartion rewards/punishes you ( to put it somewhat simplistic terms). So in Asia atheism does not always equal nonreligion.

But the following is also true:

Education leads to theism.

I think it does. I am atheist in my intellectual orientation. I need concrete evidence, and/or, my intellect satisfied, in order to believe in the divine. I have become stronger in my theism over time, and the one thing I can say is that, as a religious aspie, the philosophical argument for God makes sense, and that's good enough for me.

I don't know if a God exists, and I don't know that if one existed, whether they love me or not, but I do know that this God of the Torah wants me, and all of humanity, to behave in a certain way, and I find comfort in all of that.

Aspies tend to have a deep-rooted need for justice. I think that impulse has also affected my belief in a divinity. There is just too much injustice in this lifetime for that not to be a reckoning, following this lifetime. I have no proof for it, and hold it purely as an article of faith... one of the few that I have.

I don't mean to knock the concept of karma or anything but I find comfort in a God that is fully human as well as fully divine

My stance on God is a bit unusual. My interpretation of the Bible is that these are stories. JUST stories. I do believe in something greater maybe almost similar to that of Yin and Yang and the forces around us. I believe that the Bible is a collection of stories written in a way to teach us life lessons and should NOT be taken to it's literal sense. Now I'm a bit unusual because I think the Devil and God are one in the same. Again back to Yin and Yang. I thing that these force live off each other and affect everything we do in life. So it is hard to say I am Atheist but it is also hard for me to take the Bible literal.

I voted Theist but I am a Christian,I have grown alot but there was a time when I was an Atheist in High school I do not remember much of that time since I have tried to forget my High School Experience.Also I find myself odd in that if I want to study a book in the Bible I find I learn more about the Bible the more I read Tolkein's stories about Middle Earth,I do not know why this is.

While theists are in the vast minority<sic> in this poll, I'm surprised that there are as many as there are on an autistic website.
My assumption is that everyone voting is on the spectrum?

The other consideration is that there seems to be quite a few aspies under twenty voting.
I was a theist until my early twenties but grew out of it with greater life experience...
Perhaps another poll asking people over thirty to vote on their belief system would identify a much higher percentage of non-theists...

Christians are theists...

I grew out of it just recently. First I was a theist. Then I was an atheist who believed in things that were just as likely to exist as God. I believed in telepathy until very recently and it's hard to hold that belief anymore. I also believed in spirits but not ghosts, ESP, and magical influences. I can't believe in that stuff with the same confidence anymore but those beliefs outlasted my belief in any deities.

Point one: Everyone is an individual.
Some people have greater emotional needs than intellectual needs.
Even some brilliant people...

Point two: We are all victims of social/parental indoctrination/brainwashing before we have the faculty/facility of reason.
Consider the Jesuit saying: Give me the boy(/girl) until age 7 and I will show you the man.

Point three: Darwin grew up in a social climate saturated by religious misinformation.
Many, if not most, "western" people at the time literally believed in angels in space, an actual hell, an Adam and Eve (good grief, with that inbreeding, no wonder humanity is so ducked up... )
Yes, we have the information advantage, but we still need to *want* to use it...

Point four: Without an open mind, people don't philosophically evolve...
Once again:
Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One, but the light bulb has got to want to change...

Point five: I didn't deny the importance of education.
If you read my quote above, I merely said that having an analytical mind is important (in breaking away from childhood indoctrination).

Point six: You don't have to be particularly intelligent to have an analytical predisposition...
Please don't make the mistake of thinking being intellectually/cognitively inclined equates to great intelligence.

In my particular case, childhood indoctrination/brainwashing lead to theism...
Life experience and reason lead me to the revelation of atheism...

I'm afraid you're putting thoughts into my mind here.

As to my original point, there are sadly a great number of analytical minds that are blinded by belief even today. Perhaps I should have responded in a more complete manner, but I was having one of my less wordy days and so settled for brevity. I earnestly believe that most human beings have a mind that is sufficiently analytical to dissect the fallacy that is religion, yet a degree of education is required to help steer such minds in either direction.



I would class 'life experience' as autodidactic education. You have, however, my sincerest congratulations.

Yep...
I am having difficulty calibrating your individualistic style...

I would say that autism would actually create more religious people. Especially when it comes to religious prophets and religious intellectuals. A socially isolated and introspective mind can lead to the direction of thoughts toward the transcendent and philosophical, which could lead to an experience with the spiritual creating a religious prophet or someone who is a religious intellectual. The tendency toward social isolation may lead to a tendency to reject established religious institutions, which are heavily socialized; which in some instances may lead to atheism, but in may other instances can create people who embrace obscure religions or create unique interpretations of religions.
I myself am a Diyinian, an old eastern religion, with most of its members in third world asia and Africa, that is unique in its more intellectual style of moralism.

Not to worry, I have the same difficulty.