I AM asking everyone to think.
Has anyone other atheist here had a serious talk with a religious person they considered intelligent about how that person came to believe what they do?
My parents are both religious, or used to be. My Father seems to have pretty much abandoned his beliefs though he used to be an RLDS minister. Mom was Baptist and converted to RLDS when she married my father. My Father’s rather long and torturous mid-life crisis changed things. Dad had not been to church other than for marriages of friends and such in ten years. Mom goes occasionally to Catholic services or to service with friends of miscellaeous beliefs. She now preachers to me much more fervantly than ever about her belief that God talks to her on a daily basis. Dad has very little comment. I was named for David Ben Gurien because my father, at the time, wanted to send me the message that he thought a belief in God was important but that the variations of the many God believing religions was not so important. I guess I failed him there, but I think that he has lost his faith and just avoids the issue now. Some day when I get the chance for a serious one on one discussion with him I will ask him about this. He is a very intelligent man.
I am puzzled that so many intelligent people cling to their faith. I do not think, like the OP, that atheists are more intelligent than the religious. However, it puzzles me that intelligent people DO have faith in God. Perhaps because it is something taught at a very early age, and repeated ad nauseum, it becomes unquestionable. Perhaps, like a couple of individuals I know, they have powerful epiphanies. I don’t particularly want to go around asking people about this IRL because that is inviting the fundies to swarm about a spout inanity. I would like to see a few intelligent replies from the religious posters on this board.
