… naa naa naa boo boo.
From the institute that has found the sun to be hot and the ocean to be wet, the people at Pew have released the results of a survey that shows atheists score higher than believers of any faith on a test of religious knowledge. While the actual Pew study can be seen here, the Pew site has been down periodically due to heavy traffic. You may find this story useful, and since it’s from Fox News, you know it’s accurate.
So the question is a matter of causality: are people atheist because they have more knowledge? Are atheists more knowledgeable about religion because they’re just more intelligent? It’s tough to say, because atheists tend to have a higher level of education, which is itself of questionable causality (are atheists just smarter, or does the education lead to atheism?).
Maybe if I want a real challenge, I should start a series of posts called “Stump the Atheist.”
Also, I have a request for the Christian readers out there: read your Bible. And I don’t mean passages. Sit down, begin with Genesis, and work your way through The Revelation of John. You can skip a book if you like, but go back and read it at some point. Don’t leave a single page, verse, or word unread. I don’t even care what translation you use, it's all pretty much the same (I would know, I’ve read the entire Bible in several translations, even the wretchedly awkward KJV; I personally recommend the NIV, NASB, or my personal preference, the Oxford Annotated Bible).
You'll never convince me that they are "more intelligent."
ReplyDeleteI'm not an atheist (I don't see the point) and possess an above average IQ - whatever that means. Also, I'd say I'm in Cliff Claven territory when it comes to gathering information - crap or otherwise.
So...
*Bites bagel with peanut butter*
If you're not an atheist, it's only because you haven't cared enough to look deeply into it, which is fine. I don't care if you "convert" to atheism. I have no vested interest in it.
ReplyDeleteBut how is your religious knowledge? Are you familiar with religious doctrines, or are you just indifferent? Does "[not] see[ing] the point" an indicator of agnostic disinterest, or latent passive belief (you know, just in case)?
Posted it yesterday,
ReplyDeleteTook both the short and long test.
Aced both 100%
Atheist, anti-theist, never finished college, history buff...
Beat the tar out of grad students - no surprise there... the best cure for religion is to read the mythology.
Radio is well balanced: he has a chip on both shoulders.
ReplyDeleteThat's something I can get behind. All Christians need to read the Bible in its entirety. A Christian cannot begin to understand the magnitude of the Gospel unless he or she has read through the Old Testament in its entirety.
ReplyDeleteI freely admit I've explored it on a superficial level. I've read atheist doctrines and they just don't speak to me. It has nothing to do with my "lack" of religious knowledge. That's just crap to make yourself feel better.
ReplyDeleteAs for my interest in religion, it's mostly in the context of its role in history.
I've read large excerpts of it and many great texts discussing it - specifically Christianity.
Reading the three doctors of the Church: St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and Saint Jerome intrigue me. St. Thomas's attempt to marriage faith and logic was an incredible task that leaves me intrigued as well.
Where you seem to get all tangled up in the "contradictions" and the douches who give it a bad name, I choose to explore the parts that have left a lasting impression and impact on Western civilization.
To me, there is worth and value in believing in God as opposed to disbelieving Him under the premise of rational thought. You CAN be rational and believe in the Creator just like an atheist can be both spiritual and rational.
@ TC: Ahh, see, that's your problem. I don't read any "atheist doctrines." I wouldn't even know where to get them, a Non-Church? Are they written using non-alpbabetic words?
ReplyDeleteIf you mean "atheist propaganda" or some sort of pro-atheist diatribe or maybe "evangelical atheist" pieces, then I guess I get your drift. Personally, I find theism to be much like sports: I have no interest in it, but I'm glad it's there. It's fun for the kids and it helps distract alot of the big, dumb grown-ups.
@swiftfoxmark2: I also think it's important to read the prequal to any story. But I think they should have fired the editor of Numbers... Holy Moses, that is a boring read. It's like your eyes are walking in quicksand.
Yeah, I read websites, watch them on youtube and pick up the odd book in a book store and read as much as I can to get an idea. Or I can just read Nicky. I hope he doesn't mind me calling him that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, some great philosophers were atheist and others commented on it. I find that useful.
@Bret Numbers does have a talking donkey and God "spitting" on Moses' sister. Always entertaining stories.
ReplyDeleteYeah, between mind numbing human inventories. It's just the boring part, like when the Iliad goes on for a dozen pages about the geneology of everyone at the battles. Without those catalogues, kings have no way of claiming divine right to the throne... so they are super important.
ReplyDelete"Radio is well balanced: he has a chip on both shoulders."
ReplyDeleteOnly because I don't have more than two to keep chips on! (I have to switch them back all the time)
It makes for lots of open space.
Football - no opinion
Booze - don't care
Cigars - meh. (though I thought that Monica trick would be nice)
Weather - what can you do.