Genuine Christian Belief

What do they believe? What do you think? Talk about religion as it exists today.

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Peter Kirby
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Re: Genuine Christian Belief

Post by Peter Kirby »

Gingerbaker wrote:
Adam wrote:So, what's your problem? I have 144 IQ, two master's degrees, two teaching credentials, and earned a CPA license, and I don't see any difficulty believing any of these...
I recall reading the abstract of a psychology study which looked at the correlation between high IQ and gullibility. The study demonstrated that high IQ was associated with a much higher likelihood to accept absurd arguments and conclusions if the rationale for them was complicated or intellectually elegant. (The study used a dialectic 'proving' that black = white.)

People of normal IQ more readily identified bunk as bunk.

That you choose to believe the impossible may be due to your intelligence and education, not despite them.
Another interesting and valid point. You're on a roll....

PS -- I don't recommend anyone to advertise their IQ numerically on a public forum. For those with a higher IQ, it sounds dumb. For those without (or who never bothered to test), it is insufferably boorish. For everyone, it does nothing to impress. "Show; don't tell" is definitely the rule here.
"... almost every critical biblical position was earlier advanced by skeptics." - Raymond Brown
outhouse
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Re: Genuine Christian Belief

Post by outhouse »

Adam wrote: I have 144 IQ,.
Great example that IQ's are meaningless.
outhouse
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Re: Genuine Christian Belief

Post by outhouse »

neilgodfrey wrote:Intelligence is a tool that can be used in many ways. All roads, wherever they lead, might be said to be paved with reason to some extent, and the more intelligent one is the more capable one is of finding a way to justify a reasonable approach to any goal.

Intelligence enables one to rationalize one's commitment to belief systems. The more intelligent one is the more capable one is of justifying and finding clever arguments to support all sorts of nonsense and pick holes in counter-arguments.

.

The problem is fanaticism and fundamentalism blinds realty, intellect and IQ. It literally retards humanity and people that believe all the horse crap are embarrassing society showing how primitive people still are.


Yes we are animals, and if we left our evolution up to these embarrassments to humanity, we would probably start growing hair again.
shunyadragon
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Re: Genuine Christian Belief

Post by shunyadragon »

gmx wrote:I wonder how many of the clergy (across all the Christian flavors), and particularly the insiders of the "vatican machine", truly believe in the supernatural aspects of the gospel story. The virgin birth, the raising of the dead, the curing of the blind, the re-appearance of Moses and Elijah, the multiplying of limited food, etc, etc...

On what do modern, intelligent, rational human beings hang these beliefs?
I do not believe intelligence nor misleading high IQ's are relevant to what people believe concerning their choice of religion. It is matter of the degree of functional intelligence in the perception of whole picture of the objective nature of human history, and what may be called the diverse universal human nature. I consider ancient world views illogical and irrational when the universal nature of the human experience is taken into consideration. The following are significant issues that need to be addressed by those that cling to ancient world views such as the many variations of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam that essentially believe 'our way is the only way.'

(1) The religious beliefs, doctrines and dogmas are based on ancient legends and myths going back to Cannanite and pre-Babylonian writings.
(2) The beliefs by the founders, such as most of the apostles and church fathers indeed believed in a literal understanding of scripture in establishing the foundations of the belief system.
(3) The selective rewriting and reinterpretation of scripture over time to make it fit the knowledge of the modern world. Much of the attempts to reform and adapt ancient religions to modern world over time in contrast to scripture is the influence of philosophical humanism, and does little more than create contradiction and of course more sects and divisions of religions.
(4) The continued justification of the miraculous to justify and reinforce one's belief, and not realizing that it is only anecdotal at best.


To consider one church, religion, or belief system the 'only way' is in it self illogical and irrational.

This is a beginning, more to follow.
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