A British researcher, Richard Lynn, claims to have found a correlation between intelligence and relgious scepticism. In a study spanning 137 countries, Lynn found that high intelligence produced an extremely high likelihood of the rejection of religious faith.
Lynn is an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Ulster and wrote the study with John Harvey and Helmuth Nyborg, of the University of Aarhus, Denmark. In one study cited by the men, a survey of the American National Academy of Sciences found only 7 percent believed in God. Another survey of the Royal Society found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God while at the same time 68.5 per cent of the general UK population were believers.
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@ Bartlebee, when you look at a dictionary you should look at the entire entry:
Atheism:
1. The doctrine or belief that there is no God. 2. Disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings. – dictionary.com
a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity – Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
Consider that while some self-described atheists believe there is no god(s), others would describe themselves as atheists because of their lack of belief in god(s). Also bear in mind that many people who identify themselves as atheists are in fact agnostic. Agnostic’s viewpoint is that it is currently unknown weather or not there is/are god(s).
Isis, Jesus and Horus are all far too similar to just be a fluke.
How many times has the christian bible been “modernised”?
Guys,
There are many degrees of Atheism.
1) Science – Panspermia in all it’s forms.
2) Historians – Pagan religion researchers who come to the conclussion that all Pagan religions follow the core elements by vary in the “fairytale”. For example. The 25th December is a virgin birth of Gods “son” in almost every Pagan religion from christianity, jewdism and Islam to ancient egypt.
Three Kings, 12 disciples, crucifixion and reincarnation. Same story different themes over and over again.
As a scientist, as I am, you should be agnostic, as there is no proof of God (I would like to write a book entitled: ‘miraculous deaths’ of which there are as many as ‘miraculous cures’). Atheism is as much of a belief as Theism. However, I do agree that most religions (especially as practised in North America)are nasty exclusive, self-boosting, tribalist nonsense.
😀
What a rich, interesting and diverse belief system you folks have there.
ATHEISM
Atheism is a doctrine that states that nothing exists but natural phenomena (matter), that thought is a property or function of matter, and that death irreversibly and totally terminates individual organic units. This definition means that there are no forces, phenomena, or entities which exist outside of or apart from physical nature, or which transcend nature, or are “super” natural, nor can there be.
http://www.ATHEIST.org
The truth is, there is a third group out there, a so far unheralded group, that takes a back seat to the Theists and the Atheists.
We’re called the “Don’tknowists”.
😐
And we want tax exemption too.
But I always do enjoy hearing the different atheist “sects” (for want of a better word) discuss the varying opinions they share of their own belief system.
Particularly when they try and claim its not a belief system, but instead some sort of “higher conciousness”,…which admittedly sounds more like a cult than a belief system, but nonetheless proceed to paint themselves as the erudite “chosen” ones and the theists, the dull and uninformed.
😐
I suppose you could could it pious hypocrisy, without the pious.
ATHEISM:
The doctrine that there is no deity – Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
The doctrine or belief that there is no God – Princeton University Wordnet
The doctrine or belief that there is no God – Dictionary.com
As for Atheism, athesim is not only a system of belief, that is, the belief that there is no god, but it is unscientific in its very nature, as it makes assumptions on its perceived absence of data.
Science however, makes conclusions only in the presence of data, and evidence. The rest is all hypothesis and speculation, which of course, atheism is nothing more than.