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

[joko]

excuse the typos

[mike11111]

The only conclusion that one can possibly draw from your question is that Muslims are thicker than Christians, and I do not intend to get involved in a discussion over this, as I am sure that there are plenty of people on both sides of the fence more than ready to jump in.

[wildwood]

The rise in Islam seems more apparent because they have now infiltrated western worlds enmasse. With their large families it will not be long before we will all be on our knees. That must take a fair bit of intelligence.

[woofgang]

joko are you at all serious?

[Ankou]

"overly religious people seem to lack intelligence"

of course some do, and so do some woho aren't at all religious.

what i make of your question, is that you and your friend are well suited at the intellectual level.

[jake-the-peg]

Intelligent no

Educated yes

That doesn't mean that religious people are poorly educated but the more education you have in a society the more people get to see alternative viewpoints and feel self-confident enough to make their own decisions.

There's a hard core that will always bow down to any painted statue with a bit of gold thrown over it however many science classes they attend but there you go

[sandyRoe]

I think religion helps people deal with the thought of death, their own and the deaths of all they love.
Maybe religious people are more imaginative. Instead of accepting the darkness of eternity they fill it with a second go at existence.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Emotive phrase alert, SandyRoe!

The "darkness of all eternity" would, of course, be horrible if you had a consciousness to experience it, but there's no credible proof that consciousness survives death, and plenty of evidence that explains why it's so highly improbable as to be not worth worrying about.

I don't accept the "darkness of all eternity", I accept non-existence.

[naomi24]

Emotive phrase indeed, Sandy. Without the fear of death religion would cease to exist.

[ummmm]

How many 'overly religious' people do you actually know?

[China Doll]

Don't think so... My mum is a very intelligent woman but she's quite religious. Some people want to believe and take comfort from religion, organised or otherwise.

[237SJ]

I don`t think it has anything to do with intelligence whatsoever. You couldn`t possibly say that people of certain religions are less intelligent. You could argue it`s more to do with enlightenment though.

[naomi24]

I'd say it's more to do with an inability to accept human mortality.

[tinpotLizzie]

I absolutely agree.
Well said!

[Davethedog]

Education of the "working classes" is why its on the decline, once that door was open and we were allowed to think for ourselves, logic kicks in.

You will find as the generations of Muslims grow they will be more secular, thats why old school muslims want thier own schools.

Its not a matter of intelligence but education.

[thedaveformula]

There are Consultant Paediatrians who are Christian, there are lawyers who have a religion. I am not religious myself but I do have friends who are very intelligent and are Christian.

How they reconcile their rationale with their faith is subject to various theories.

[jno]

CD: not only your mum, but in all likelihood all your ancestors back for several thousand years. And the ancestors of everyone. Religious belief has been normal in this country, and most others, for a very long time.

So it's amazing how much more intelligent we all are than those who provided us with our genes.

[sandyRoe]

Religious observance maybe, but belief? It's not so long ago that people would parade in their Sunday Best to church. I wonder how many were believers?

[joko]

my friend seriously thinks this and i can seriously see what he means if thats what your asking....imm not sure if i believe exactly but i can definitely see a point

ummm....my best friend and her 5 bros and sisters were brought up as jehovahs witnessses...and were beaten and basically abused and deprived by over zealous parents...both of whom have relaxed a bit now...so i know them all and hear all about it, as she rebelled hugely and was ostracised for years.

i saw it a lot at my school

i had a couple of friends who i hadnt seen for a while and next time i saw them they were BACs... and i couldnt get a proper conversation out of them...everythign was praise jesus or thats the word of the lord..or just singing god songs...it was bizarre...saw her again about 6 months later...and asked her if she was still goign to church etc...she just said 'i dont want to talk about it' in a surly manner...

i also know about 3 other very religious people personally and have in the past known about 6 others...i also have experienced it in my own family with my nans sister who hated my dad because he was protestant...

i have also seen people who arent particularly religious make stupidly agressive comments about theit religion with no real undertsanding of what they really meant

i was abused for wearing an ankh...because some idiot thought i was 'one of them' whatever that means

i also lived in bradford for over a year and had to deal with a lot of over religiously people all over the place....i also had a muslim friend who was insufferable with her blind faith and total refusal to analyse what she was saying...until about 6 months in when she started to question it...she unfortuantely went too far and ended up going off the rails a bit...

as well as all the reading, and tv docs and reading of the gumpf spouted on here by overly religious people

so yes umm...i ha

[joko]

sorry got cut off...

so i have experienced it.

and isnt it alway the people with the strongest, free thinking minds that challenge the status quo and have the capacity for independant thought...and not just follow?

i do not ask this as a way to insult people, or to start a row or imply anyone with beliefs is thick...i didnt say that ...and that is not my point...i just wonder if he has a point...that the reason some people blindly believe is because they cannot think logically and accept what is staring them in the face...or simply that they dont think about it at all and therefore never question...