Do you (believers) think that I think that you are stupid for believing?

[More Than A Feeling]

This has come up in my personal life, and so I'd just like to state for the record that believing in the supernatural does not lessen my opinion of your intelligence(remember, for the sake of my ego, act like you care what I think!;):silly:). We just have different standards regarding the acceptable basis for believing something is true, that is all.

[Critters2]

1. I've actually been told

"You seem too bright to be a Christian." And other things like this, more than once. So, yes, I assume atheists and agnostics think I'm stupid. Because they've told me so.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

2. I actually DO think they (believers) are naive

This even extends to my wife who is a Christian. To think ANY religion is the one true path ignores the ideas of others. What if one of them is in fact right? Also, most so called "Christians" are not even aware of the development of their religion. The fact that the council of Nicea decided which books would be included in the Bible and which would not should give them a clue but most of them don't know anything about it. The fact that it happened some 300 years after Christ supposedly left the earth and the fact that there was no videotape of Christ and that record keeping was, at best, subjective, also seems to escape them. The fact that I, An Atheist, generally know more about Christianity than the "believers" just convinces me that they are not using the information available to them. Is that stupid? Yep.

[JerseygirlCT]

6. I wouldn't be too quick to pat yourself on the back for your

knowledge of Christianity.

Your post shows a bit still lacking.

[okasha]

3. You appear to be in a minority; see post #2.

And no, I don't care what you think.

[elocs]

4. Anybody who paints with so broad a brush so as to believe that Christians

are stupid simply for being Christians are themselves the definition of stupidity. Thousands of DUers and millions of Democrats are Christians and it does our cause little good to belittle them, disrespect them or their beliefs, or to act condescending to them just because they are Christians. As an atheist, I probbly know more about Christianity than many Christians. Does that make me somehow better than them or simply more knowledgeable about their religion?

[More Than A Feeling]

7. I disagree with the part about "disrespect...their beliefs".

I think you can critique ideas without implying anything about the person who holds them (a lot of believers would probably disagree, but I do it as best I can). Ideas do not get respect just because they are held by someone. That person however, until they demonstrate otherwise, necessitates a modicum of respect just to be able to have a conversation with them. The ideas have to earn respect on their own.

[JerseygirlCT]

5. No. I would have said what you did. And that's definitely

the impression I've gotten from you here.

(shrug)

Others, not so much, though!

It can be very difficult though, in a more personal situation, to differentiate between a general belief and the personal. My husband is agnostic at best, and loves to get on a good rant about the evils of religion. That can certainly *feel* personal -- like an attack -- since I know he knows better than to paint with such a broad brush. And the "well, you're different" can feel a bit like "some of my best friends are..."

I suppose the more your opinion matters to someone, the more difficult the situation will be, huh?

[Silent3]

8. I don't think believers are "stupid" per se...

...but if, on the other hand, I didn't consider my lack of belief to be a smarter position than belief, why would I bother to hold that position and argue for it?

"Smart" and "stupid" are hardly simple scalar quantities, after all. There are many different types of intelligence and spheres of knowledge. When it comes to the particular matter of the existence of deities or lack thereof, however, in that narrow field I do think my disbelief is smarter than belief.

And why shouldn't I think that? My opinion is not a value-neutral random selection, it's not an affectation or fashion statement. I hold that opinion because I think it's a better, smarter opinion than the opposing view. I'm willing to entertain the notion that I might somehow end up being proved wrong someday, but in the meantime I feel confident in my reasoning, and confident in my low evaluation of opposing arguments, which I find riddled with logical flaws, factual errors, and excessive emotionalism.

I have no intention of softening the way I state my view on this matter in order to create a facade of disingenuous diplomacy. I think it's very likely that the low level of acceptance of atheism in this country is not in any significant degree caused by atheists being too bold, too critical, or too rude, but, in large part, because they've been too quiet, too meek, and too diplomatic.

[More Than A Feeling]

11. By all means, be bold!

I'm not in the business of telling people who think as I do which words they can and cannot use.

[Evoman]

9. I don't think christians are stupider than we are.

How could I? My gf is as smart, if not smarter, than I am. My friends are all very intelligent people...if they were not, then I would not want to spend time with them. Who among the most intelligent of people has never held a thought that was wrong? Thats was nonsensical? That was irrational? That was STUPID?

All of us. Every single one of us.

What I honestly think is that, as humans, we lie to ourselves constantly. No matter how intelligent we are. Very few of us are able to analyze ourselves honestly, to look at our motives for our actions. Why does this make me angry? Why does that make me sad? Why do I believe what I believe? What are my motives for arguing with those who disagree with me? Why do I anger when they attack an idea?

Who you are, what you are capable of, are things separate from your ideas.

[More Than A Feeling]

10. Can we go back and make this post the OP?

Maybe combine it with K4K's statement that if she didn't think that her position was better, she'd take a different position. Well done, both of you!:applause: