is loss and rise of religion due to intelliegence...?

[joko]

my friend reckons that the reason that christianity has waned drastically in the western, more civilised society is simply because we are more intelligent and educated ...

and this in turn explains the rise in islam...because they are less intelligent...

intelligent people have the capacity to think for themselves more - and that is what they have done....and realised the futility and fallacy of religion

and actually, i can see his point, and i am inclined to agree somewhat...that overly religious people seem to lack intelligence ....

what do you make of this?

cheers

[ummmm]

I don't know. My Mum is a born again Christian and she's intelligent. So are most of the people who attend the same church.

I agree with them not thinking....I get sick of the 'God will provide' attitude of some of them. In my cousins case God provides well for her and her kids...via her hard working Mother.

[Marijn]

I think as some people get more educated and/or more confident they can lose their religion. I also agree with the idea of lack of intelligence holding some people to their religion. I think there's not many extremely intelligent people, (I'm talking about the great minds of science, for example) who believe in religion.

[joko]

yes...perhaps a better phrase would be lower level of intelligence rather than lack of intelligence...as i suppose that could be seen as implying stupidity...

maybe thats it ummm...perhaps for some, its not that they cant think...but rather that they dont...and also that they dont want to...

i have in the past wished my intelligence away in the belief that i would be happier and wouldnt get depressed...as there is apparently a link there...that people with the capacity to think more indepth, suffer more with depression...
ignorance is bliss as they say...

maybe thats the idea...

[vinrex7]

The way I look at it, if you here the story's about Noah and the ark, and all the clean animal he gathered from around the world in multiple numbers and squeezed them all into 1 boat, and you believe that then you are not just un intelligent....you an idiot. But that's my opinion.

[vinrex7]

"hear"

[jomifl]

'nothing makes people hate more than the love of god'...

[sandyRoe]

Vinrex, it was a very big boat.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Not big enough to contain seven pairs of every clean animal and two of every unclean animal, plus their food stock, it wasn't.

[Davethedog]

Sandy only had one small window though.

[beso]

Religion also leads to a loss of intelligence.

[Scylax]

Re; religion and the afterlife; Omar Khayyam wrote:

'Strange, is it not, that of the myriads who
Before us passed the door of Darkness through,
Not one returns to tell us of the road,
Which to discover, we must travel too'

[naomi24]

I think Beso is right. It does appear that religion leads to a loss of intelligence. There are very many intelligent religious people who are perfectly able to discuss practically any subject in an informed and rational manner - except religion.