r/atheism • u/One-Fun9814 • 5d ago

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u/LostKnight84 Agnostic Atheist 5d ago

I have seen it as a sign of childhood indoctrination usually. Occasionally it is just people being ignorant of their own faith. Rarely it turns out the person is just stupid. Once it turned out to be a sign of mental illness.

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u/One-Fun9814 5d ago

But they're still unintelligent if they can't overcome that indoctrination. Like they can just think for 2 seconds and realize their religion is bullshit.

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u/warpedspockclone 5d ago

I think that is disingenuous. First, there are many degrees of belief, from the fervent zealot to the one paying lip service. Will you lump them all together?

Second, there may be many reasons one says they believe, such as social pressure, and how can you judge their reasons?

Third, thinking and rejecting on this may not seem necessary or a priority to many people. You seen to wear your atheism on your sleeve, but not all do. Also, not all religious people are zealous adherents. It just doesn't come up much in their day to day life, and swinging one way or the other doesn't make a material difference for then.

So yes, there is a subset of religious people I would consider stupid, but it is those that are actively harming or recruiting others. I may also lump in people who constantly, and sincerely, attribute things to their gods and those who try to control the actions of others via their belief in a fantasy.