My good friend sent me this video link and it got me thinking about the role of intelligence in religiosity.
Upon reflection, I don’t think intelligence is an iron clad covariant of Atheism.
That is to say: I don’t think only smart people are capable of understanding the inherent wishfulness in believing, for instance, ancestor worship, or monotheism, animism, polytheism etc.
I submit that a person of average, or even subaverage intelligence, who believes only what their senses tell them, could be a perfectly happy and serviceable atheist. They would see the beauty of nature and take it for what it is: Beautiful. They would hear music and know it’s loveliness without, for instance, believing that angels created or inspired it . Which while more poetic is also less probable.
If the average but sensorily and steadfastly empirical person took something that didn’t belong to them, the feeling in their gut would tell them it was wrong.
All without someone telling them what to think or believe.
With this in mind ~ their response to the news that God performs miracles would possibly look like this:
“Great! A miracle! Okay, how about this? I will hold this stone in my hand.
Everyone in the world should pray that when I release this stone it will fall up instead of down.
Then I shall see the miracle of which you speak! Wow, I can’t wait!”
So giddy with anticipation he picks up a stone and holds it in his hand.
The believer twitters, or texts, or telepathically informs every other believer in a non-corporeal being to pray that the rock in this man’s hand falls up, instead of down.
Any guesses what the man would be when he turned his hand over and released the stone?
An Atheist.
Spoiler alert! The stone will hit the ground 100% of the time.
True story.
