Are people who believe in God “weaker” than people who don’t?

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The people who don’t take part in any religion or who don’t believe in some higher being which commands their actions are more independent than people who do. When I say “weaker” in the question, I am referring to people’s mental or cognitive abilities, and how it would seem that people who don’t believe in God have better cognitive abilities than people who do.

The average religious believer, who goes to church every Sunday and reads a bit of the Bible every evening etc, does not really engage with what they believe in, in a way that “exercises” their cognitive abilities. Rather, they are fed this belief system or world-view and they passively absorb it into their minds, to the point where it is not questioned.

Now, in the case of people who have better cognitive abilities, such people don’t simply passively absorb information thoughtlessly, rather they have the ability to engaged and critically question the information that they receive.

Andy Thomson, the American psychologist said something like, it takes slightly more cognitive ability to renounce faith.

this is a very Illuminating speech by andy thomson:
http://www.youtube.com/user/richarddawkinsdotnet

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@existential potential,

one more thing. Andy Thomson describes religion as a by product of ordinary cognitions, just a music, comedy, art etc are by products of cognitions that were originally used for other purposes.

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@existential potential,

I think it also have a great deal to do with the amount/degree of brainwashing done in childhood.

Mine was kind of light and that was helpful along with being in the central of a very loving family during my childhood.

Along with a love of science and being the kind of child that would pick up and read such books as Paine "Age of Reason".

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@existential potential,

It doesn't take all that much cognitive ability to believe that one has better cognitive abilities than other people. It's a piece of piss.

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Quote:

Are people who believe in God “weaker” than people who don’t?

No, there is no reason to assume that. Some people, in fact, derive great strength and inspiration from their belief sets.

Some of the biggest idiots i've ever met, who hold onto an unexamined belief-set with a death grip have been self-described atheists.

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@existential potential,

ep.

I've not finished watching that link (its getting late here) but I'll make a few comments. (BTW the term "neuroscience" should be taken with a pinch of salt)

1. It does take a certain "strength of mind" to see ourselves as complex adaptative machine. However that "strength" could simply be a function of "intelligence level" coupled with an acquired modus of "scientific objectivity" .

2. That "objectivity" could itself be viewed as an evolutionarily acquired adaptation which has superceded "religion" in the modern age.

3. It could be claimed that there is an even greater "strength of character" (and/or intelligence) which is able to transcend the current fashion for "objectivity" and is prepared to delve into questions of" existence" per se. Such a move also transcends the "paternal religion" discussed in the link, and may move towards ideas of non-deistic "spirituality". In general, the weakness of Dawkins et al is that they fail to deal with those complex ontological issues which have their philosophical origins in phenomenology.

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Oh yes yes, you are correct, 'People who don’t believe in God are “weaker” than the people who believe in God.'

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@Setanta,

Yes Setanta the people looking for the 72virgins as they flow the planes into our buildings sure show great strengh.

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@Kenson,

Far far more sane if nothing else my friend Kenson.

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@Kenson,

Kenson -- Bet you are weaker than me, can lift 250 lbs, can throw a bible into the fire at 50 paces, have challenged all the gods to a round table conference, also have called them a lot of bloody liars, thieves, murderers, have challenged them all to a duel and many other nasty evil things.... Been doing that for 66 years was born in 1933. Had a very happy life, have 3 sons, 7 grandchildren. Live in a million dollar home and worked since I was a 13 year old. And if there is such a thing as a God he had better look out when I die.

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@existential potential,

existential potential wrote:

The people who don’t take part in any religion or who don’t believe in some higher being which commands their actions are more independent than people who do. When I say “weaker” in the question, I am referring to people’s mental or cognitive abilities, and how it would seem that people who don’t believe in God have better cognitive abilities than people who do.

Specious, I believe, since there are a number of mathematicians who believe that math is God's way of talking to us. So, math being logic (aka, one's cognitive abilities), cannot reflect poorer cognitive ability, just because the mathematician believes in God, while some atheists are surely poor in math (aka, logic).

I do not believe in a God, and all it shows is that I am a cynic, I believe. Cynicism does not equate to great mental abilities/cognitive skills. My atheism may also reflect a rebelling against religious instruction my family gave me.

And, I was never good at math above simple algebra.

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@Foofie,

Yes Foofie even I had used the word god now and then however that does not mean every times a rational person used that term it mean they think that there is a personal god or even any god at all behind the scene.

Einstein did not believe in a god that was behind the scene changing the rules of nature at whim however because he make statements such as god does not play dice the religious folks try to claim him as one of their very own.

Another example of lying for Jesus.

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@BillRM,

BillRM wrote:

Yes Foofie even I had used the word god now and then however that does not mean every times a rational person used that term it mean they think that there is a personal god or even any god at all behind the scene.

Einstein did not believe in a god that was behind the scene changing the rules of nature at whim however because he make statements such as god does not play dice the religious folks try to claim him as one of their very own.

Another example of lying for Jesus.

I thought I read somewhere that there are now some cosmologists that believe that there could be universes with different rules of physics. That would be the joke: there is a God that does play dice with the rules of nature.

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@tenderfoot,

tenderfoot wrote:

Kenson -- Bet you are weaker than me, can lift 250 lbs, can throw a bible into the fire at 50 paces, have challenged all the gods to a round table conference, also have called them a lot of bloody liars, thieves, murderers, have challenged them all to a duel and many other nasty evil things.... Been doing that for 66 years was born in 1933. Had a very happy life, have 3 sons, 7 grandchildren. Live in a million dollar home and worked since I was a 13 year old. And if there is such a thing as a God he had better look out when I die.

-----Weak - means, NOT lacking physical strength or vigor,
this WEAK comes in relation to the faith.

Weak faith >> Strong faith.

.

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@tenderfoot,

What's wrong with this picture?
Wait...if you were born in 1933...you are 76 -- not 66. Speaking of weak -- how's your math skills?

1 Reply

@Ragman,

Quote:

Kenson said:
-- Bet you are weaker than me, can lift 250 lbs, can throw a bible into the fire at 50 paces, have challenged all the gods to a round table conference, also have called them a lot of bloody liars, thieves, murderers, have challenged them all to a duel and many other nasty evil things

to which Ragman replied:

Quote:

What's wrong with this picture?
Wait...if you were born in 1933...you are 76 -- not 66. Speaking of weak -- how's your math skills?

Maybe he didn't start all that angry, confrontational stuff til he was ten. Maybe before that he was happy.
Are people who believe in god happier than people who don't? I think there have been studies done that seem to point in that direction.

Here's an interesting question - if you had to choose, would you choose to be strong or happy?
(And you can't say both).

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For myself I would prefer being sane over being either strong or weak or happy or sad at least to the point that I am at no risk to others due to brain washing done to me in my early childhood.

Being sane mean not taking your children into a South American jungle and having them drink poison cool aid at the orders of your religious leader a god on earth.

Being sane mean not lying on beds all dress up with others and once more taking poison in order to go into outer space to meet up with the old ones.

Being sane mean not treating the women in the society with contempt and making their lives a living hell.

Being sane mean not flying planes into building or carrying bombs into crowds in order to harm as many of the unbelievers as possible.

Being sane mean not trying to block our understandings of the universe from being taught in order to protect the brain washing of the next generation.

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@BillRM,

Sane wasn't one of the options though...just kidding with you.
I'm feeling happy (and sane) and STRONG today ...

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@BillRM,

I resist the temptation to point out to you once again what a pure idiot you are (not). It certainly takes great strength of will to sacrifice oneself for one's beliefs, no matter how idiotically perceived by idiots who don't hold those beliefs.

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@Setanta,

Great strength to fly a plane into a building with the firm believe that afterward you are then going to as heaven with hot running virgins?

Insane as that is what you buy into it there is no strenght needed.

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Are people who believe in God “weaker” than people who don’t?

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