The smarter you are, the less need you have to follow a religion...
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button."The smarter you are, the less need you have to follow a religion..." Well I've certainly seen evidence of a correlation between Atheism and academic achievement but as they say: "correlation does not imply causation." It could be the other way round. e.g Not having easy answers on tap is what drives the less religious to strive for the harder answers. Or it might be that Christianity specifically negatively correlated with smartness. Atheism and other systems of belief would then receive an apparent boost because of that. Note also the disproportionate number of Nobel laureates brought up in the Jewish faith. It could be that both measures are being simultaneously influenced by some other cultural factors.
MattHardy
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
0
Okay... New guy, so excuse me if I skew off.... It seems like the more I learn, the more encompassing my grasp is on the quantity of stuff that's out there which I have NO freaking clue about. This in and of itself is both delightful and amusing, especially considering how often I run into people who quite obviously, have ALL the answers. I don't believe in anything, at least that I've run into so far as far as what's offered in the way of religions or dieties, but I'm not arrogant enough to assume that I have enough basis to assuredly state there's nothing in the way of some supreme......thing. And that said, I've run into some stuff in my life that certainly defies simple explanation. I don't feel the need to categorize things that I can't explain. It's weird, I seem to have this level of acceptance such that if something happens that I don't understand, I view it as a "yet" thing. I don't understand it yet. That coupled with my fascination for learning new stuff makes it very easy to absorb new things with very few preconceived notions.
NikonJeb
Level 3
Apr 6, 2018
0
And even after I have learned something,if I don't have a way of retaining it,practicing it, it goes away. When history is forgotten , it repeats it's self! Wellness is a continuing process, just like mental health. If you allow your mental immune system to run down you are susceptible to a Major break down in the event some thing happens big time during that time. Wellness is in my words both intelligence running in harmony hard act to follow, thus life is difficult!
busterboy
Level 5
Apr 6, 2018
0
Not only on the intellectual sense, but also in the maturity sense . To be be trueley enlighten, and I mean just that ,you got to, or shall I say, I got to always work on both sides of our so called intelligence. The mature side has to do wirh what I feel, why I feel it, and what can I do to change my actions so I can feel somethig else if that's what I warrant. The other side is the technical side of life.much easier to deal with .
busterboy
Level 5
Apr 6, 2018
1
This is sort of true, because there are a lot of confounding variables between religiosity and intelligence.
DZhukovin
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
0
Using your brain instead of your braun makes more sense.
sassygirl3869
Level 9
Apr 6, 2018
2
Right on the money!
I would say there'll always be exceptions to the general rule.
My school priest who we called Rev (He was acctually a Deacon) was loved by all. A big black man who was always cheerful and happy. Everyone loved & trusted him, we felt safe around him. He had 2 degrees, 1 bachelor in aerospace engineering and a masters in rocket design (I think). He worked for NASA for many years but decided to move to AUS with his wife and 2 daughters.
He was an inspiration to everyone and said he chose to become a priest because he prefered earning less money but having a bigger inpact in peoples lives.
Lancer
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
3
Sorry, I disagree with you original premise, “The smarter you are, the less need you have to follow a religion” as all humans are born atheist and conform to other ideas in a need to survive.it is only when they reach independence [self-sufficiency] and the ability to think for themselves that them may express themselves or choose to play Charades. Growing out of god sometimes takes longer than growing out of Santa Claus.
mzee
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
1
I agree. When come into this world free from any religion, and then the vast majority of people that end up religious are indoctrinated by our community,parents or environment. Only when we become smarter do we begin to question the asinine belief structure of religion, and free ourselves from it.
The smarter we become, the less we need religion
Hmmm...no disputing violence plays a roll in Christianity and Islam (though followers would argue for a more balanced representation, that there are nonviolent aspects of these religions).
Also, this portrays Atheists as studious pacificists. I'm not an Atheist. Is this how Atheists want to be portrayed?
crazycurlz
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
1
@Crazycurlz.... As usual, speaking for myself here.... I don't even consider myself as an atheist. I am more like an apathetic. In other words, I don't really care about beliefs of any kind. Is there a God, he can go mess with someone else (I could've worded this one more blunt but no need to be that rude anyhow......wait, wait... No, no lightning coming down on me from an angry God trying to vaporize me....so still here...). I was saying.....Was Christianity or Islam spreaded doing whatever? I don't care and sure enough I didn't have anything to do with it.....
I am an atheist. But that does not make me anything else. I am an atheist because I am a skeptic -- or at least I aim to always be. Some may come to the same conclusion about gods by other means, good or bad.
Even though I am an atheist, I try to avoid the term because it has come to mean way too many different things for people. Sometimes I feel like I risk running out of words one day, because I have also eliminated truth and faith from my vocabulary, and I'm also considering removing gender. Where does that stop?!
Finally, as for the original post, I use that only as a joke because you cannot tell much about the intelligence of a person just because one is atheist.
@IamNobody agnostic, then? or prefer 'nonbeliever'? no label works, too, of course
@hlfsousa oh...now I see it was under 'random fun'. Man I don't see violence as fun. Anyway, thanks for answering. The way you define Atheist makes me think you are a skeptic and not an Atheist. Is that possible? Atheists have a hard line, god does not exist. A skeptic is...skeptical. And, yes, I'd agree, intelligence is a variable in any group. Thanks for pointing out this was 'Fun'!
@CrazyCurlz..... No, not agnostic or non believer... As I said, I am apathetic. I don't approve or deny any believe system, I just don't care and don't care either what people believe or don't believe.
@IamNobody got it! I only need to be told...well, more than once, anyway! LOL
@crazycurlz I am an atheist. Not only do I reject belief in any god (enough to make anyone an atheist), I also claim no god that depends on souls or disembodied mind exist.
And that is as a skeptic. For skepticism, as I see it, does not mean rejecting belief in the unknown but mainly embracing and seeking knowledge.
But again, labels only confuse things. Do I believe any god? No. Do I claim to know a set of gods which includes all past and present religious definitions cannot exist? Yes. Will I make fun of childish beliefs in the supernatural? Increasingly, yes. Call that what you will.
@hlfsousa it's all so interesting and only opens the door to more discussion. I certainly can't tell you what to believe. In challenging others, we help define ourselves. Thanks for engaging with me.
This is the definition I found of skepticism, btw.
skep·tic
/ˈskeptik/
- a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions. synonyms: cynic, doubter, pessimist, prophet of doom
- an ancient or modern philosopher who denies the possibility of knowledge, or even rational belief, in some sphere.
@crazycurlz does it mean, to you, that a person who rejects things that are demonstrable can be called a skeptic?
@hlfsousa it's not about what it means to me, that's why I posted the definition.
@crazycurlz I know, don't get me wrong... I am just trying to understand how each person uses the word so that I can communicate properly. Despite the controversy around terms like atheist or agnostic, I always thought that the way I used the word skeptic was uncontroversial. And though I think it fits the definition (inclination to doubt is not doubt in spite of evidence), I just might be wrong. Or in terms of language, being a minority would be just the same.
If we cannot agree on what words mean in a conversation, it becomes that much harder to have one. And that is not even my first language (and there's no third one haha).
@hlfsousa thank you for offering an olive branch. I agree. using the same definitions matters. I didn't grow up with these definitions. I grew up with an Atheist and a cultural Jewish mother. We just were a non-believing household. I assumed too much joining this community...there are definitions here that I have to become familiar with. So, I am learning too. I don't have the energy to retrace my steps today...my household is showing signs of sickness. If you post another comment and I don't get back right away...I will return.
Is sousa then a Middle Eastern city or do you play brass? lol I grew up in a mixed, predominantly immigrant community. You have a moniker that provokes examination. 
(I just read your profile...you can also keep this to yourself! But, know this: some of us grew up in very mixed communities, with friends from all corners of the world. Variety IS the spice of life.)
Anyone I don't piss off and who engages with me with compassion, I like to follow, btw. 
I'm a military clinical social worker and work with some very bright, highly educated mental health and medical folks. Psychologists, psychiatrists, docs. Given the training we receive on brain functioning, it astonishes me that most of these very bright folks continue to believe in the invisible white guy living in the clouds.
Naills1675
Level 6
Apr 6, 2018
5
that's what i've always heard... more education = less religious. but i've seen some people who don't' have a formal degree be pretty darn smart... like that Sarahroo29,,,, she's got her head on right !!!
SeeCanU
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
3
Education --> more perspectives
More perspectives --> independent thought
Independent thought --> critical thought
Critical thought --> skepticism
Skepticism --> atheism
The problem is that many people tend to see intelligence and education as synonyms. They are not. A person is born -or not- intelligent...No college is going to make a wise person out of a dude with an IQ of 65. Now, to succeed in getting a degree indeed we need a "decent IQ"...150+?. Additionally, education (college +) teach you a given discipline...it doesn't mean also provides you with common sense.
Go atheism!!
Sarahroo29
Level 8
Apr 6, 2018
3
you go girl!!!
@SeeCanU Woot!!
It was a college philosophy professor who first introduced me to the idea that one could be an atheist. Before then I understood that I was an "agnostic" but I didn't know anyone who declared themselves an actual atheist except for people who were famous mostly for being ridiculed like Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
While I still consider myself an agnostic and not a full fledged atheist, I appreciate that I learned that intelligent people could actually be athiests in college philosophy. For a period, I even moved towards saying that I was an atheist because I appreciated my professors argument that being an agnostic was just indecisive.
marmot84
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
1
Seems there’s a lesser need to ‘pack up’ for safety. I view the ‘religious’ as little more than social, if not logistical gangs. Aggressive, semi-charismatic leaders. Fighting over turf, weird initiation rituals … strange club houses.. Basically bullies and extortionists.
An honest, intelligent person can function independently, with the utmost integrity … as it appears we do
Varn
Level 8
Apr 6, 2018
3
Spot on .. Bullies... Very paranoid people.. They act upon a neurosis caused by fictional events and beings .. That is pretty much a major definition of delusional lol.. Scares the fuck out of me when I think how many guns these people have.
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