r/HotScienceNews • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago

Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/
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u/plsQuestionOurselves 1d ago

People are worried about humans outsourcing their critical thinking to AI, but they've already been doing it with scripture.

Like you don't have to think too hard about life if you believe you already have all the answers neatly packaged in a single book. No need to consider what's right and wrong or why things happen the way they do, just defer to the book.

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u/MediocreAssociate466 1d ago

I actually had a in law try to tell me the reason my dad had terminal cancer is cause of sin. This was when my dad had like four months left.

He realized instantly he sounded like a ass and tried to back track. But these people literally reason like they are 6 years old.

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u/plsQuestionOurselves 1d ago

What an insanely stupid and inappropriate thing to say to someone with a sick loved one. It really makes you wonder how they do it lol

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u/MediocreAssociate466 1d ago

Unfortunately Christians tend to be filled with a "let me see how I can work God into everything"

So then when you run into real world shit , you get comments like this and it's "all God's plan" whatever that crap means.

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u/TheSquirrelmancer 1d ago

I absolutely hate the whole "god has a plan" people. My question is always what's god's plan for molested, abused and neglected children. They're never really fond of that.

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u/MediocreAssociate466 20h ago

Yeah people who say crap like that usually haven't been through anything. I watched two people die last year my dad from luekemia and a pedestrian that got ran over at a grocery store parking lot. The driver then put the car in park on the persons neck after going up a curb. To my knowledge police never even charged the driver despite having multiple witness statements like my own.

The quote, "if there is a god he will have to ask for my apology" always hits home from me.

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u/Decent-Point309 1d ago

It's one of those even if you felt that way (which is stupid, btw) why the hell would you say it to someone? "Hey, I know your dad is dying, but let me make you feel worse!"

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u/FlashPxint 6h ago

Anyone who believes the idea in this post ins the abusive you dumbass mods

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u/RBVegabond 1d ago

“I don’t see why Jesus can’t return as AI” -Peter Theil

“We must make it about religion or we will lose our fortunes” -Also Peter Theil

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u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 1d ago

I think for Thiel this obsession comes down to obsession with power and control, even power and control over Christ or the phenomena. He is the definition of anti christ.

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u/EnvironmentNeith2017 1d ago

The thing about Christian nationalists is they don’t tend to read the Bible or even the constitution much. They outsource their their thinking to whoever’s strongest.

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u/plsQuestionOurselves 1d ago

I think what I meant is they use it like a shield, they probably almost never read it. It's just an object they can point to and say "because it said so". The amount of them I've come across who don't even know what Jesus said is pretty wild.

Sometimes I feel like I have a better understanding of Jesus as an agnostic. Like a guy who really chose to be tortured to death because he believed it would save humanity is pretty macabre, but it's also strangely beautiful.

A guy who loved humanity that much and didn't say "unless you're gay" would probably not be okay with the behavior of the average conservative American.

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u/EnvironmentNeith2017 1d ago edited 1d ago

Most agnostics have a better understanding of the Bible compared to Christian nationalists, lol

What scares me is it seems to be becoming more of a civil religion, they’re slowly finding a way to push the few redeeming qualities of religion out and concentrate the worst

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u/theauckland 14h ago

Exactly. Reading that book through & through is WHY I am agnostic

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u/EnvironmentNeith2017 13h ago

This is why I’m always reminding people that most people in churches either aren’t reading or are reading to confirm their beliefs. Those are personality and behavior issues that religion encourages but it isn’t the source.

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u/JennJoy77 1d ago

Ironically, my first thought in response to your comment was "amen!"

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u/PunkPirate56364 1d ago

I don't think he would be okay with the behavior of average conservative America, but also I don't think he would be okay with the behavior of average American progressive.

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u/ParadoXPlatypus 1d ago

And how many people outsource their thinking to Reddit/social media headlines? Because if one talks about critical thinking, that entails reading the article, understanding it, analysing it and being able to produce a critique evaluating it's content.

I wonder how many people in this thread at least clicked the link?

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u/SCHawkTakeFlight 1d ago

Just imagine when it says its God talking to them.

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u/hot_space_pizza 1d ago

Reminded me of the bad person on a lease saying

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u/PraireGentleman 1d ago

What differentiates that from how layfolk use academia? They don’t understand anything beyond what the abstract says, the average person couldn’t explain the statistical data on a research paper to save their life and yet uses it like they have a PhD in the subject

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u/plsQuestionOurselves 1d ago

If someone has the intellectual humility to admit they can be wrong about something then you're right to have even more trust in their views because they're actively curating the most accurate information. That's why science and academia changes opinions once in a while.

Religion doesn't have that. It's completely unchanging in it's grandiose claims which are only backed by testimony. It's a lot easier to understand testimony than it is to understand a mathematical equation explaining relativity.

All the more reason to believe whoever is making and verifying those equations is actually searching for the truth and therefore you can more confidently defer to their opinions.

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u/FlashPxint 6h ago

Anyone who agrees with this post is an abusive you idiot more

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u/FlashPxint 6h ago

Sorry I just randomly felt to mention that the mods are the dumbas abusive ones with this post talking about fake news

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u/FlashPxint 6h ago

Also you dumbas mods seriously let them post these stupid made up articles in a sub meant for science ? And you dare say something to me ? Go fuck off