i still dont get what the big fuss is all about..
is it about academic clubs?

surely people will realise if you want to join a BMW club, you cant show up with a mercedes benz?
there s is nothing against the other car, but you wanted to join a certain club, with certain settings
if it were a car club, and the majority just happend to be a BMW owner, you are still witin selection criteria, but you just happen to be a minority. If the others cant handle / dont like that, then it s their problem, but it doesnt say a thing about how much they know about their cars. (i.e. knowing a lot about your car makes you a valuable member of the club)

Fokker, about 40% last I heard.

"I mean, left wingers can't believe in god can they?"  Ooh, I don't know. Let's just say broad general sweeping statements are going to come up against inaccuracies.

Anyway, in relation to the thread title, what exactly is the definition of intelligent people in this case?

"Professor Lynn said most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many started to have doubts."

Yeah, and childhood is the part of people's lives in which they undergo massive changes, so think about all the other factors, genius!

I had summat else to say but it's all so mind-numbingly pathetic that I've forgotten and begun to woner why I'm even thinking about it.

Right about they start to stop believing in mythical creatures such as tooth fairies and Father Christmas...

lol I don't know why ppl even argue science vs. religion anyway.

Most of science is a theory that is proved only to be disproved by another theory anyway. Religion is the same more or less.

"Religion is stagnant, reduced to little more than a shield for the arrogant who simply cannot handle the ultimate truth:

We are not special, we are not important, we will never know everything, the universe does not need us in order for it to continue and it will not miss us when we are gone."

what are you comparing us to when you say we arent special or important?

you downplay the importance of the human race because you dont want to deal with your responsibility for your own actions.

> avogadro wrote:
> "Religion is stagnant, reduced to little more than a shield for the arrogant who simply cannot handle the ultimate truth:
We are not special, we are not important, we will never know everything, the universe does not need us in order for it to continue and it will not miss us when we are gone."
what are you comparing us to when you say we arent special or important?
you downplay the importance of the human race because you dont want to deal with your responsibility for your own actions.<

I am not comparing Humans to anything when I say that Humans are not special or important, it is a simple statement of fact: If we were to vanish tomorrow what, other than our own buildings, would fall? Nothing, for without us the world would be at balance once more.

As for your assumtion that I am looking to shirk my responsibilities, to run away from the consequences of my own actions, you have no backing for that statement beyond prejudice and bigotry, I find it insulting and ask for an apology.

> Soth wrote:
> your sad fokker

Actually I'm quite happy, in fact you would probably be surprised to learn that my childish nature makes some of my friends worry about me sometimes... when they are not being irritated by my stupid games that is!

"...saying humans arent important or special is comparing us to something, what is that?"

I will not answer this question again; my answer will not change, nor will my explanation, no matter how many times you ask, no matter how much you dislike it, no matter how incapable you are of grasping the premise.
Sorry if that came off as personally insulting but I had to be certain I was being very clear.

"it has more backing then your statement..."

And what would that be? Do you know me? Do you know me well enough to make statements regarding my person? No, or course you don't, how could you, we're not even in the same country.

My statement, however, has plenty of backing, and this backing can be found all over the internet in the form of creationists, flat earthers and people who allow their children to die because they honestly believe that their happy thoughts will do more good than a hospital.

Now, about that apology... you don't even have to mean it

"my backing is all over these forums"

Very well, then please back up the following statement using evidence only from these forums:

"you downplay the importance of the human race because you dont want to deal with your responsibility for your own actions."

"ah, looks like someone is backing out because he doesnt know what he's talking about; he just heard someone say it, so he mimicked it like a monkey, and doesnt comprehend what he, himself, is saying."

You may say whatever you like, but know this: your attempts to "spin" this in your favour cannot change one simple fact: Like it or not you have a clear answer.
__________________________________________

I'm not going to ask for an apology anymore, even though you have insulted me again with your prejudice and bigotry, because I honestly do not think you are capable of doing such a thing. To apologise, in your mind I think, is to admit weakness, to admit wrongness, to admit mistakes, to admit the very human ability to err, hence your little "spin" game: Why be a man when you can spin and lie?

How very Christian of you.

Well I can understand the point, as intelligent people tend to use logic and their understanding of this world to solve their problems rather than turning to a religion for their answers. Throughout history their has always been tension between "radical" thinkers and faithful believers. The idea of God was instilled into people to help prevent public unrest, give answers to the ignorant and have a control device over the majority. Of course this is nothing more than an atheist's opinion on the subject. Also their have been exceptions to this rule, as I have met two well educated and quite intelligent people who hold their faiths over everything else and are truly committed to their beliefs.

adjectives compare things. that is all they do.  you can say you gave me a clear answer, but you didnt, you used adjectives to compare humans to something saying that humans are not important and not significant.  its basic english, learn it. for example, if someone says they have a big dick, big is comparing his dick to other dicks. when you say humans are not important and not significant, you are comparing humans to something, what is it?