Does a belief in a god show lack of education?

[Spirit of Light]

What's the difference between having faith in God and having faith that there is no God? If a theist has faith that God exist and an atheist have faith that no God exist, which belief is the correct one? Both have equal amount of faith for their beliefs, so how do we determine which one is true? Of the two, which one is the one who is being rational? Both? Neither one of them?

And the follow up question. Why?

It depend on what wisdom level the person has reached, the answer look different on each level, so actually all of them are correct depending on what wisdom level you are at, the "higher wisdom level" the more refined the answer becomes.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Poorly educated people are more gullible in being victims of fraud and believing in absurd claims, but even well educated can be duped.

Religious and cultural concepts tend to be adopted by members of the community as social learning. So belief in God is not necessarily due to education. We see less religious belief in the USA over the last few decades because disbelief is more prevalent as an option.

The problems of belief in concepts that are extreme or fantastic is what comes into question.

That same applies to words like truth, proof, evidence, logic, science and so on.
Just because it is religion doesn't mean, that it is not cultural as noted by you and thus that it can also apply to other worldviews.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

I've seen it said to some that claim that a god has spoken to them that they are possibility suffering of mental illness.

Do you think these hold truth's?

It is too simple. You need a more nuance model that accounts for that we are all products of nature and nurture and that even this text is a product of that.

 

[RestlessSoul]

"Does a belief in a god show lack of education?":
It also shows, many a times, a lack of self-confidence.Religious beliefs are held for many reasons. Intelligence is the least of them.And why do you have faith in God?

Too much self confidence can be a very dangerous thing, and ought to be tempered at all times, by a liberal dose of humility.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

There are religious beliefs that are anti-education, but certainly not all of them are. The highest educated demographic in the US by belief is Hindu.

 

[firedragon]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

The uneducated generally do that.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Both have equal amount of faith for their beliefs, so how do we determine which one is true? Of the two, which one is the one who is being rational? Both? Neither one of them?
And the follow up question. Why?

Accounts of creation of the universe and that of humans are not correct in religions, also those of the flood. God is loving and also vindictive (that is why there is hell), that is a contradiction. That there is evil and are disasters in the world, earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tornadoes, floods and droughts, wars and diseases, disabilities and hunger. Things such as this deny the existence of God/Gods. Now you decide.

 

[firedragon]

No, they're not necessarily uneducated. They're just being irrational for believing in something which they have no objective evidence to support it being true,

What do you mean "Objective evidence"? Can you give a specific example?

 

[firedragon]

Accounts of creation of the universe and that of humans are not correct in religions, also those of the flood. God is loving and also vindictive (that is why there is hell), that is a contradiction. That there is evil and are disasters in the world, earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tornadoes, floods and droughts, wars and diseases, disabilities and hunger. Things such as this deny the existence of God/Gods. Now you decide.

I think you just wish to conflate everything you can because you just dont know or dont wish to engage in a single point logically, or rationally. Just conflate everything like a typical cultish missionary with that kind of shotgun tactic to truly dupe people into becoming flock. Same lame tactic.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

I've seen it said to some that claim that a god has spoken to them that they are possibility suffering of mental illness.

Do you think these hold truth's?

The first is demonstrably not true judging by the numbers who are highly educated but who do have some belief in God, gods, or spirituality, but as to numbers, who knows. Education doesn't necessarily reflect on thinking skills, and neither does intelligence so often, particularly when one's focus might be in some preferred area rather than being more widespread and perhaps neutral or impartial as to choice. One can only work with the knowledge one has. Motivation and/or personality might play more of a role than education or intelligence as to why some believe and others don't.

As to the second question, plenty can't tell their own inner voice from something external, but they are unlikely to have any mental illness. But, from what I have witnessed on RF, there are some who are more likely to be delusional as to their claims of hearing from God than this actually being so. But then that is just a belief of mine and hence could be equally wrong. I would still not accept such accounts as being factual though - as to coming from God - when there are much more plausible explanations as to why such occurs.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

The first is demonstrably not true judging by the numbers who are highly educated but who do have some belief in God, gods, or spirituality, but as to numbers, who knows. Education doesn't necessarily reflect on thinking skills, and neither does intelligence so often, particularly when one's focus might be in some preferred area rather than being more widespread and perhaps neutral or impartial as to choice. One can only work with the knowledge one has. Motivation and/or personality might play more of a role than education or intelligence as to why some believe and others don't.

As to the second question, plenty can't tell their own inner voice from something external, but they are unlikely to have any mental illness. But, from what I have witnessed on RF, there are some who are more likely to be delusional as to their claims of hearing from God than this actually being so. But then that is just a belief of mine and hence could be equally wrong. I would still not accept such accounts as being factual though - as to coming from God - when there are much more plausible explanations as to why such occurs.

Yes, and some people believe that they can do everything in a positive sense using objective evidence and they are not religious.

 

[PearlSeeker]

Someone said: better a healthy *** than an ill doctor.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

I've seen it said to some that claim that a god has spoken to them that they are possibility suffering of mental illness.

Do you think these hold truth's?

I can rewrite that.
Are people who believe in a positive metaphysical version of naturalism not highly educated?
Are people who claim they can do everything with objective evidence possibility suffering from mental illness?

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Do you think these hold truth's?

No, but those that offer that, would be lacking in intelligence.

Regards Tony

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

No, but those that offer that, would be lacking in intelligence.

Regards Tony

Well, not necessarily. But, yes, in some cases it could be it. Or a part of it.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

I've seen it said to some that claim that a god has spoken to them that they are possibility suffering of mental illness.

Do you think these hold truth's?

From ChristineM's link:
A delusion is a false, unshakeable idea or belief, which is out of keeping with the patient’s educational, cultural and social background; it is held with extraordinary conviction and subjective certainty

Thus a lot of beliefs held don't meet this definition.

 

[Nimos]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

I've seen it said to some that claim that a god has spoken to them that they are possibility suffering of mental illness.

Do you think these hold truth's?

No or at least there is not a direct connection between education and whether or not one is religious or not. It does seem that natural sciences have an effect though, as most of these seems to be agnostics or atheists. But we also know that a lot of scientists are religious and do not seem to have an issue with it.

Also I wouldn't consider people that believe god spoken to them to suffer from a mental illness, obviously it depends on what they claim. But I think this is just like someone believing that one of their deceased family members spoke to them or in some other way communicated with them. I think these people either draw wrong conclusion or see things as being signs, because they might suffer or be in a psychological weak state, not meant as something negative, but maybe someone lost someone dear to them and is taking a beating both mentally and emotionally, so in their desperation to find comfort they are more acceptable to these things. But again, for the most part I wouldn't call it a mental illness as much as being something natural.

But honestly I do think these people unintentionally or intentionally refuse to be skeptical or critical about these experiences, because they don't seem to apply the same rules for how the evaluate these things compared to anything else. But in all honesty I think this apply to pretty much all religious people in regards to their beliefs, the rules simply ain't the same.

 

[Nimos]

What's the difference between having faith in God and having faith that there is no God? If a theist has faith that God exist and an atheist have faith that no God exist, which belief is the correct one? Both have equal amount of faith for their beliefs, so how do we determine which one is true? Of the two, which one is the one who is being rational? Both? Neither one of them?

And the follow up question. Why?

That is not the correct way to put it, as an atheist you don't have faith in there not being a God. You simply see no evidence for why one would have faith or hold a believe in such being.

Exactly as you or me for that matter, wouldn't say that we have faith in there being no unicorns. We see no evidence for them and therefore no foundation or reason to believe they exist to begin with. We never made a claim that unicorns doesn't exists, simply that we see no evidence for even consider them as being real in the first place. Or said in another way, we see them as something that have been made up.

Like if I here and now claim that a creature known as a Tulbadore exists, which have blue hair and 16 eyes and 8 legs. It would be wrong or incorrect of me, to say that you have no faith in that creature and then ask which of these beliefs are correct? If I claim that this creature exist, you can question whether or not my faith in it is valid and call yourself an ATulbadore, but at no point are you demanded or required to present a reason for why you call yourself an ATulbadore, because you never made the claim. The burden of proof is on me.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

That is not the correct way to put it, as an atheist you don't have faith in there not being a God. You simply see no evidence for why one would have faith or hold a believe in such being.

Exactly as you or me for that matter, wouldn't say that we have faith in there being no unicorns. We see no evidence for them and therefore no foundation or reason to believe they exist to begin with. We never made a claim that unicorns doesn't exists, simply that we see no evidence for even consider them as being real in the first place. Or said in another way, we see them as something that have been made up.

Like if I here and now claim that a creature known as a Tulbadore exists, which have blue hair and 16 eyes and 8 legs. It would be wrong or incorrect of me, to say that you have no faith in that creature and then ask which of these beliefs are correct? If I claim that this creature exist, you can question whether or not my faith in it is valid and call yourself an ATulbadore, but at no point are you demanded or required to present a reason for why you call yourself an ATulbadore, because you never made the claim. The burden of proof is on me.

Yeah, now replace God with positive philosophical/metaphysical naturalism and its variant and your post works as well if you stick to the main point.
There is no evidence for any positive philosophical/metaphysical/religious claim of what objective reality is in itself as itself.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I've seen it said to people here on numerous occasions that they are not highly educated if they believe in a god.

I've seen it said to some that claim that a god has spoken to them that they are possibility suffering of mental illness.

Do you think these hold truth's?

Not in my experience. I have only a high school diploma and I don't believe in deities.

If there was any truth to such logic, I should believe in a god, unless I'm an exception to rule.