I am bothered by the comments in this thread (and elsewhere) relating political affiliation and/or religious beliefs to intelligence. Where, exactly is the evidence of that?
Well, to take over AOX roll as the devils advocate . . .
Talking snakes, virgin births, man-ghost-gods, speaking in tongues, flat earth, men living inside fish, faith healing, stoning people for a litany of "crimes," following portions of the word of God while ignoring others, actively fighting biology, geology and other sciences, confusing myth with fact, ignoring anything and everything that contradicts stories and beliefs held in the bronze age. Quick reference check - what else from the bronze age do we cling to? For that matter, name another topic where someone holds a belief and advocates that belief to others and the less proof and logic used to support that belief, the better.
What? You have absolutely no proof at all and it makes no logical sense but you still base your life on it and pass laws to force other people to do the same? That's fantastic! The same people advocating in the Oklahoma legislature for Christian laws will make fun of Mormon, Hindu, or Scientology beliefs that are equally absurd. Well hey, there's no atheists in a foxhole - presumably because sleep deprivation, stress, and fear lead to rational thought above all else.
It has nothing to do with intelligence of course. Intelligence is in reference to the raw ability of a particular brain to reason. Most religious people have the ability to reason, it's just far easier to accept things on faith. In all cultures in all parts of the world people have made stuff up to explain what they otherwise could not. It's just that most of those people didn't decide they were right above all others and force convert people (ever notice in the Bible the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, nor Romans ever forced the Jews to convert? They were more/less tolerant on various levels but religion was not their primary concern).
To be perfectly clear: religious belief is in no way indicative of a lack of intelligence. HOWEVER, religious beliefs are proudly held outside the realm of intelligent thought. So of course correlating matters of faith with intelligence is of no use whatsoever.
Artist:
Your last paragraph flirts with my understanding of the situation. The issues is not that we are overly religious, it is the brand of religion that is practiced. FUNDAMENTALISM.
FUNDAMENTALISM is a bad thing when held as a belief by a Muslim. His WORD OF GOD is wrong. Laws he passes based on his book are stupid medieval holdovers. But Baptist flavored Christian fundamentalism and the laws passed based on that bronze age holdover are righteous! In many instances in my conversations people will readily admit that they would like to see politicians pass laws to enforce their religious beliefs on others, which is not comforting at all.
In most parts of the world and throughout most of history religion has colored but not run society. When religion runs society it is usually because that is all that was left or because religion was used to yield power over the masses. Usually, religion is ancillary to society and like most modern people looked at with a healthy degree of skepticism.
What many Fundamentalist Baptists don't understand is that the rest of the country doesn't
really believe the Bible is literal truth. Catholic doctrine long ago abandoned that notion, many protestant churches never held it, it doesn't even exist as a concept in Eastern Religions (that there is one truth), even the Mormon Elders I've spoken with don't try to defend everything as literal truth (literalism/fundamentalism is not a tenet of Mormonism). In most parts of the country you can walk into a church and say "Jonah didn't really live in a giant fish for 3 days" and the congregation would look at you like "ummm, yeah. It's a story meant to teach bronze age persons a life lesson." Friends don't get it when I try to explain that the statistic that 80% of the nation considers themselves Christian does not reflect that 80% of the nation actually believes what is said in the Bible.
In much of Oklahoma the Bible is literal and should control your life and that of your society. The laws you support, the people you vote for, what kids are taught in school and in some instances especially your finances. I can not attest that this is a change in Oklahoma. But I've lived in other parts of the country, was raised Catholic, and have traveled a good bit and can attest that the Fundamentalist strain of religion adhered to in Oklahoma is different than most of the nation.
Believe as you wish. Do what you want. But when your belief and actions interfere with my reality, I start getting concerned. I won't tell you what to do in your church, don't tell me what to do outside of it.
/unedited rant. Sure I went off course and was not clear. Sorry.
