A study finds that atheists and agnostics know more about religion than "christians"

LUClEN
LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
They offer a couple theories in the video ranging from Americans choosing to practice religion in more unorthodox ways and atheists and agnostics learning religion as a way of defending their view from criticism.

What's your take?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTQGdFQdDOk

Comments

  • kzzl
    kzzl Members Posts: 7,548 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Dude asked, "Are people taking faith on faith?" I'm gonna start using that.

  • Shawn_Michaels
    Shawn_Michaels Members Posts: 165 ✭✭✭
    People who do not read the scriptures will fall victim to any demonic force.
  • alissowack
    alissowack Members Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭
    There is some truth to the matter, however the intentions can be misleading. If agnostics and atheists only intention to studying religion is to defend against them or some power play, then their findings will always be biased. It's not to say that the religious can't be biased as well, but there is this sense that this "studying" is only used to shut a conversation down instead of engaging in conversation.
  • whar
    whar Members Posts: 347 ✭✭✭
    It is often through a close examination of religion that leads a person to atheism.
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    alissowack wrote: »
    There is some truth to the matter, however the intentions can be misleading. If agnostics and atheists only intention to studying religion is to defend against them or some power play, then their findings will always be biased. It's not to say that the religious can't be biased as well, but there is this sense that this "studying" is only used to shut a conversation down instead of engaging in conversation.

    I agree if you're talking about instances where non believers are reading up on religion with a closed mind and their stance on the issue already decided. However it leaves little room for conversation about religion when the most openly religious in the country are the least knowledgeable. To accept an ideology one is ignorant to is as bad if not worse than knowing about an ideology simply to support your premeditated rejection of it
  • alissowack
    alissowack Members Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    alissowack wrote: »
    There is some truth to the matter, however the intentions can be misleading. If agnostics and atheists only intention to studying religion is to defend against them or some power play, then their findings will always be biased. It's not to say that the religious can't be biased as well, but there is this sense that this "studying" is only used to shut a conversation down instead of engaging in conversation.

    I agree if you're talking about instances where non believers are reading up on religion with a closed mind and their stance on the issue already decided. However it leaves little room for conversation about religion when the most openly religious in the country are the least knowledgeable. To accept an ideology one is ignorant to is as bad if not worse than knowing about an ideology simply to support your premeditated rejection of it

    I agree. I'm in no way letting religion off the hook. I just think both parties should consider their motives. I personally don't think the rise of atheism is due as a pursuit of ? 's Non-Existence. It has more to do people seeing the religious using their beliefs as a power play for their own selfish endeavors and wanting a way to call them out on it. For the most part...it worked.
  • Ajackson17
    Ajackson17 Members Posts: 22,501 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Atheist are smarter and highly more intelligent then majority of theists.
  • alissowack
    alissowack Members Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭
    Atheist are smarter and highly more intelligent then majority of theists.

    ...then what does that mean for the few Christians that are smarter and highly more intelligent than the atheists? Oh, and I'm sure you meant "than" instead of "then".
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Intelligence can not be measured. All of these studies that found differences in cognitive capacity between believers and nonbelievers rely on IQ tests.

    The IQ test is said to be a reliable measure of various kinds of intelligence and its focus on problem solving skills rather than knowledge allegedly makes it less biased. However when one takes an IQ test they can not take the same test as it skews the results. It seems that if this is true then problem solving in itself is based on knowledge (the knowledge of how to solve a problem) and does not eliminate biases as well as it is claimed.