That's illogical. Both of them being correct results in a contradiction. Please explain how something can exist and not exist at the same time.
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Does a belief in a god show lack of education?
- Thread starter We Never Know
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Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
The more spiritual Wisdom a practitioner of a spiritual teaching awakens to, the clearer they see the truth of the spiritual realm, a practitioner who has not reached the same level of wisdom would also see the truth, but a little more muddy vision. The more a person can remove them selves from believing only in what the physical eyes is showing them, the clearer a spiritual wisdom of truth grow from within them.
No.
I know some pretty smart people who believe in a creator of some kind.
I don't think believers suffer from mental illness any more than non-believers.
Maybe some folks want to feel they are special.
I suspect that maybe critical thinkers are less the religious type but only because they are never satisfied with any answer. Even that doesn't make them special, just different.
So my unsupported theory... Critical thinkers because they are always looking for answers may seek higher education more than others in order to find the answers to questions that will never satisfy them.
Yes I agree. I'm responding specifically to whether or not religion influences a person's desires or capabilities to be educated and at what levels.
There are religions, like the JW congregation I was part of, which actively discourage higher education as worldly and dangerous. Whereas aforementioned Hindu actively encourage higher education as experiencing part of the divine world.
Thats a factor, certainly (as is financial factors). There's more to it than that though. Many religious cultures like Judaism and Hinduism actively encourage higher education. So their rates of higher education are higher generationally both before and after immigration.
I hope he hasn't set himself up for a relapse if he has a crisis of faith.
Two events that shaped my view of whether religious belief actually helps cope with death. Both are anecdotes, so give them weight or not as you see fit:
First, I was still married to my ex when my father died. While he was dying and after he died, I went through all the normal emotions of grief: sadness, anger, etc. My ex went through them, too... but with an extra level on top: guilt and shame.
She approached the world with a theistic mindset, assuming that God's holy plan was behind everything. I think she took her anger at what was happening as anger at God's plan, and by extension anger at God, and therefore a sign of lack of faith. IOW, she interpreted her normal grief as a personal failing.
It certainly didn't seem to me that her faith was a comfort.
On the other side was another family death: my Dad's cousin's wife. Most of her family was very religious, and the way that they behaved at the funeral was downright creepy.
In contrast to my ex, they didn't have any conflicted emotions. They were fine - they behaved as if all the tenets of Christianity were true, not just platitudes: that Kathy really was in a better place and that they really would see her again soon. Her death just rolled off their backs.
While I suppose they were happier than they'd have been without these beliefs, their denialism didn't strike me as positive or healthy.
TLDR: in my experience, I haven't seen religion used as a support in times of crisis except for ways that seem ultimately unhealthy.
Certainly. Mistrust of educators has become a US political battle, to the extent where I see irreligious Republicans touting that universities are 'indoctrinating our children.'
Though admittedly that complaint comes fsr more strongly from the hyperreligious Christian evangelical quarter.
Interestingly in my faith, a lack of education is seen as Adharmic (sinful, somewhat.) It brings shame and dishonour to your family if you’re not educated. There are even deities specifically to invoke for knowledge or venerated in an attempt to utilise education properly. That may be due to the immigrant background mixing in as well.
But I remember growing up my very religious family and their community exalted intelligence and academic achievements. Even praising God/s for allowing such fruitful learning opportunities.
This is true for many polytheistic religions.
Make of that what you will.
But I do think this dichotomy is more Western orientated and linked with the Abrahamic religions (specifically Christianity) rather than a known reality. Also a little anecdotal tidbit on my half. I literally know a family of teachers in various subjects, who all happen to be Christian. Granted they are a very chill liberal sect. But they are not uneducated in any sense of the word. They are all clearly intelligent and very well read. It makes family dinners a little mentally exhausting though lol
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mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
And at time you got that one from Communists or still do.
Well, in a sense it is true. All education is indoctrination. But different kinds produce different results.
Surely this link does not refer to a serious textbook of science. It is anti-evolution crap.
From your link.
"
According to evolutionary theory, all matter came into existence by itself. At a later time on our planet, living creatures quite literally "made themselves." Such views sound like Greek myths. But if these theories are true,—where did the laws of nature come from? Too often these are overlooked. There are a variety of very complicated natural laws. How did these come into existence? People assume that they too just sprung up spontaneously. But they are assuming too much.
INTRODUCTION—This chapter is of such importance that after reading it, someone will say, "Why did you not place it at the beginning of the book?" Someone else might add, "All you need is this chapter—and you can omit the rest!"
The earlier portions of this volume met evolution on its own ground. When given a hearing, common sense combined with scientific facts will always tear the theory of evolution to pieces.
Evolutionary theory is built on two foundational pillars. But there are two laws that crush those pillars to powder. Let us look at the two evolutionary pillars and the two laws that destroy them:
(1) Evolution teaches that matter is not conservative but self-originating; it can arise from nothing and increase. The First Law of Thermodynamics annihilates this error.
(2) Evolution teaches that matter and living things keep becoming more complex, and continually evolve toward greater perfection. Just as inorganic matter becomes successively more ordered and perfect (via the Big Bang and stellar evolution), so living creatures are always evolving into higher planes of existence (via species evolution). The Second Law of Thermodynamics devastates this theory."
The theory of evolution says nothing about the origin of matter. Evolution does not teach that matter and life becomes more complex and is heading to perfection.
This is the sort nonsense that the uneducated theist clings to in lieu of facts.
Whoever wrote this is either totally bonkers or lying.
You sure that is the right link?
Guitar's Cry
Disciple of Pan
There's no wisdom in irrationality. There's no wisdom in holding contradictory, especially if one is aware of the contradiction.
And I would disagree with you regarding physical and spiritual. For me, I think the path to gaining more wisdom, knowledge and getting closer to the truth is remove one's self from the physical vs spiritual way of thinking. One cannot get closer to the truth if one refuses to accept the truth that is in conflict with one's current beliefs, whether it's physical or spiritual.
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
No problem with disagreeing.
you see life as this physical existence.
That's the kind of thinking that I was talking about, physical vs spiritual.
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
As a sufi it is the inward "spiritual" that is important and one hold as few attachments to the physical world as possible.
74x12
Well-Known Member
Not many wise, not many of the great ones of this age are called. God has called the weak and the foolish to bring to nothing the wisdom of the wise; so that no one can boast in themselves. God has judged the world in their vaunted wisdom. By this the trap is laid and many stumble into it. By this no one will be granted to find God. But God has not really spoken in secret. From the first he was there. Let everyone who is wise according to this age become fools so that they can be truly wise. For the wisdom that is from above seeks for a place to land in all hearts.
It's not too hard or difficult of a thing for God to ask.
Good day
The thermo book didn't deal with evolution.
It was a very very brief non-technical chapter
that dealt with entropy & supreme beings.
The book was otherwise very technical.
The book being hawked at that link was "The Evolution Cruncher". Maybe I got shunted there by Divine providence.
That is not the same book. But I think even a used copy is much more valuable and honest than the "The Evolution Cruncher". I wonder how those wires got crossed?
I should write a review for the "Cruncher".
I would actually like to read an "Introduction to Thermodynamics: Classical and Statistical". It would probably confuse me a little, since it is out of my scope, but it might also improve my understanding of the subject too.