Interesting ... Religious-People-Are-Less-Intelligent-Than-Atheists

[joko]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/religious-people-are-less-intelligent-than-atheists-according-to-analysis-of-scores-of-scientific-studies-stretching-back-over-decades-8758046.html

[Octavius]

Vetuste, "but faith = kindness is a false equation."

Not according to the extensive research and studies of Arthur C Brooks which is surely as meritorious as that of the OP survey.... :)

[vetuste_ennemi]

Can you give me a reference or a link, please, Octavius?

[Octavius]

Hello Vetuste, Arthurs page is here....

His extensive study and research.. over a number of years... concludes that the religious are far more likely to give to charity and are far happier than secularists.....He has an 'ology or two and plays the french horn so you can trust him... :)

http://www.aei.org/scholar/arthur-c-brooks/

[vetuste_ennemi]

Thanks, Octavius. I'm sure I've seen references to (possibly) this study before. I'll check it out. I saw the same argument in a book Greater Than You Think by an irritatingly cocky American Legionary of Christ. He succeeded
ed only in convincing me that the same argument that "proved" that Christians were kinder than atheists destroyed the moral value of that kindness by tainting its motives. I obviously expect much better of a person with who plays the French horn.

[vetuste_ennemi]

44th post and still no Khandro. Haven't chosen your weapon yet, Khandro? Mace, ball and chain? Enter the lists, Sir!

[goodlife]

The Creator is a timekeeper. No doubt about it, today’s world is full of tragedy and heartache. Nevertheless, as if to downplay the seriousness of the situation, the entertainment industry routinely serves up shallow, tasteless, oftentimes immoral and violent offerings, designed to mislead us into ignoring the misery that others are suffering.

Yes the carefree spirit of foolish jesting and frivolous laughter that Atheists entertainment engenders is not to be confused with genuine joy.

The joy that is God’s spirit is this world cannot provide.— Ephesians 5:3, 4.

[naomi24]

Goodlife, //the carefree spirit of foolish jesting and frivolous laughter that Atheists entertainment engenders is not to be confused with genuine joy.//

Oh, I don't know. We have our moments.

[jomifl]

//the carefree spirit of foolish jesting and frivolous laughter that Atheists entertainment engenders is not to be confused with genuine joy.//
Absolutely not, humour and joy are not to be confused, that is why they are spelt differently.

[Octavius]

An interesting view, which for the most part is self evident.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100230985/how-atheists-became-the-most-colossally-smug-and-annoying-people-on-the-planet/

[jim360]

That's nice, Octavius, but then before atheists were the most "smug", people of faith were. Really, humans are smug, and it has little to do with their religion, or their lack of it.

[Octavius]

I know Jim, but its an interesting alternate view to the OP.

[jim360]

Is it really an alternative view? Arguably it can be true at the same time, sadly. As LG has pointed out earlier, the meta-analysis was considering only the measure of analytic intelligence, and it has been suggested that there are two other types of intelligence including emotional. In that sense "smugness" can be thought of as falling into one of the other two types, and in those atheists may well fall short. Rather like the idea of good and bad winners, really. Atheists may be on the right side of the debate (I think you said earlier that you were an atheist yourself?), but can go about being on that side in a good way (respectful, calm, measured in making their points) or a bad one (smug, aggressive and rude).

[Octavius]

Jim, perfect reasoning. I like to think the former, but its subjective and I am biased towards self opinion :)

[naomi24]

//if your whole identity is based on not believing in something, then why give a damn about anything?//

How ridiculous! I don’t know anyone whose whole identity is based upon not believing in something; neither do I know any atheist who doesn’t give a damn about anything else. On the other hand I know several people who claim that their religion encompasses their whole identity – and some of those really don’t seem to give a damn about anything else.

I don’t think he’s thought this through. He doesn’t appear to understand that the reason atheists speak out now is because, in the western world at least, they are able to speak out without fear of imprisonment, torture, of being burnt at the stake, or of being subjected to some other form of barbarism that would equally result in their grisly demise. I would add ‘ostracized’ to that list, but that still happens frequently - although fortunately atheists are now free to treat it with the contempt it deserves.

//Read more by Brendan O'Neill on Telegraph Blogs //

If that’s the best he can do, I’ll pass on that one.

[jim360]

Oh, I see what you are quoting. I think Brendan O'Neill might be confsuing atheism with apathy?

[naomi24]

Yes, I think he is.

[naomi24]

This is interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_atheists

[goodlife]

The order in the universe speaks of God’s glory. Everything in nature is so definitely planned and has such a purposeful design that it shows intelligent.

Why, it has taken the best minds of great scientists to discover only a few of the laws of nature and are still learning. And you say laws made by accident? No, so you poor atheists you can’t be intelligent you got nothing.

[chrisgel]

Goodlife - Oh dear!

[jim360]

Not sure if it's really worth answering, goodlife -- but, that scientists can extract the laws of nature at all is worthy of note. And if we are still learnings, well, should we not be? The alternative is either that you think you know everything, or you think that it's not even worthing trying to learn anything. In either case you are mistaken -- you certainly do not know everything, and it clearly is worth bothering to try, as we have succeeded in making huge progress.