Why Are Xtians So Stupid?

[tahaadi]

Not just Christians, all major religions including Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism believe in magic, miracles and other crazy supernatural stuff.
And what do you guys think ?
In christianity, Protestant or Catholics believe in more supernatural stuff.

[Rahn127]

Stupidity is a dish best served with wine and a cracker.

I'm sorry, I meant blood and flesh.

[Mister Agenda]

What's the actual average IQ of an American Christian vs. an American atheist? What's the difference? A point or two? If it's less than 10 IQ points, it's not that significant.

[Aroura]

I don't think the are stupid. It's more about how the human brain struggles to accept new or different information, particularly if it challenges core ideas. Those of us who have gone from one to the other know that it isn't an easy thing, it takes courage to really challenge and change things we've always thought were true and let go the security blanket. Not everyone can do it.

I do wonder, however, why so many of them seem to be so exceptionally selfish and cruel. I am told Christianity is supposed to have a positive effect on people. From our sample here, I don't see it. Most of them seem to like to be mean, they enjoy punching down and bullying. I guess they think because we aren't part of their in group we are fair game, that's why they are here. They need a socially acceptable outlet for their nastiness. No one will think the worse of them for being shitty to atheists. Even the nice ones go around kudosing the bullies posts. In groups and all that.

I mean they come here just to shove people around and laugh, like 5th graders with daddy issues on a playground.

[Gwaithmir]

I think theists must take a vow of stupidity.  I find it hard to explain any other way.

Think about it. Religion is the perfect sop for those who can't or won't think for themselves.

[AFTT47]

I wish atheists would dump this attitude. Even late in the Usenet era of the internet (1995-ish), we on alt.atheism started to recognize that Christians were not necessarily stupid. Some of them certainly were but there were others who were obviously quite bright.

Human beings are complicated. Most of us are good in some areas and deficient in others. In most cases, calling a person, "stupid" because of a deficiency in one particular area is inappropriate and inaccurate. People do do stupid things but I think this applies to damn near all of us. We all do some stupid things sometimes.

The argument that belief in religious fairy tales is stupid is a good argument.

The argument that believers in religious fairy tales are stupid people is a bad argument. It's also a counter-productive argument because it stirs up ill-will against us.

To effectively advance the goal of promoting skeptical thought regarding religion, be merciless in attacking religion in the arena of logic and science but be mindful of the human equation. Attacking those who are guilty of nothing more than needing a fantasy crutch to get them through life is going to come across as cold and heartless. Most (perhaps all) people are swayed more by emotion over logic so going that route is not going to accomplish anything other than making you look like an asshole.

[Minimalist]

I suppose it depends on how you define "bright."

If they accept this:



they can't be very bright.  And if they don't accept it their fellow religitards might kill them.

[AFTT47]

Min, do you think you're smarter than Isaac Newton? He was a Christian. When he found the mathematics of his day inadequate to describe his theory of gravitation, He invented calculus. He identified the problem of chromatic aberration in refracting telescopes and invented the reflecting telescope as a solution. He is regarded by many as the greatest of theoretical physicists.

Was he an asshole?

Yup. He was definitely not a warm and fuzzy guy.

Was he stupid? Nope. He was a genius by any definition of the word.

Again, attack the belief - not the believer.

[Minimalist]

Min, do you think you're smarter than Isaac Newton?

Could Isaac Newton program an automatic coffee maker?  Did he understand that germs cause disease?  Did he know how many planets there were?  Could he drive?  Could he make a phone call?  Could he assemble a computer?  How was his understanding of electricity?  Did he ever fly?  Could he envision a weapon more advanced than a musket? He thought light was composed of particles.  It isn't.  It's a wave.  He spent a lot of time on alchemy, how smart was that?  He wrote about souls burning in lakes of fire.  How smart was that?  How much of his time did he waste reading the stupid fucking bible, anyway?

I did not live then and he did not live now.  That is a gap that cannot be crossed.  He was ahead of his time in certain respects but he was still a superstitious primitive in others.

[Anomalocaris]

Min, do you think you're smarter than Isaac Newton? He was a Christian. When he found the mathematics of his day inadequate to describe his theory of gravitation, He invented calculus. He identified the problem of chromatic aberration in refracting telescopes and invented the reflecting telescope as a solution. He is regarded by many as the greatest of theoretical physicists.

Was he an asshole?

Yup. He was definitely not a warm and fuzzy guy.

Was he stupid? Nope. He was a genius by any definition of the word.

Again, attack the belief - not the believer.

It is pointless to attack the belief when the belief is but the external manifestation of diseased psychology.  

Many of them are not Christians because they do not realize their belief is ridiculous.  They are Christians because they really don’t care their belief is ridiculous, even if they do not wish to admit in public to believing ridiculous things.