3 ms·

You can be an atheist, but if you think religion is "obviously make-believe" than you're just being dishonest. The majority of the greatest minds to ever live w

You can be an atheist, but if you think religion is "obviously make-believe" than you're just being dishonest. The majority of the greatest minds to ever live were religious. You don't gain any IQ points by dismissing it altogether.

silverquiet 3y ago
Which religion did the majority of the greatest minds believe in?
- silent_cal 3y ago
  I'm not referring to any specific religion. I'm just saying they were religious. Which religious tradition has the most great minds is a separate question and I don't know the answer, but I would suspect Christianity. But all I'm saying here is that most great minds throughout history were religious.
  - silverquiet 3y ago
    And if all the greatest minds of history could not agree on one religion, then what might that imply?
    - silent_cal 3y ago
      It implies that they wouldn't all agree on religion, just as they would not agree on virtually any other subject
      - silverquiet 3y ago
        Do you not believe in objective truth?
        silent_cal 3y ago
        I do, but it's hard for a single man's mind to comprehend the whole truth. I think generally you can only master a few aspects of it. I believe Catholicism is the correct religion, but I still admit that there have been many great minds from different religious traditions. This is actually an integral part of the Catholic intellectual tradition, which is why Catholic philosophy (see St Thomas Aquinas for example) can incorporate insights from pagans, Muslims and Jews. Hans Urs von Balthasar took inspiration from an even wider variety of thinkers. I could go on but hopefully I've made my point.
        silverquiet 3y ago
        I do wonder if I'm just wired differently from everyone else; I was essentially never able to believe in the Catholic stuff no matter what my parents tried. I can say, as someone who acquired a rare childhood disease that causes me pain and disability to this day, that if I do ever get a chance to talk to god, I'm going to call him a dick to his face.
        silent_cal 3y ago
        And many others would do the same as you. But I must say I have far less respect for you than for those who offer their sufferings to God. And there are many of them, too.

silverquiet 3y ago

Which religion did the majority of the greatest minds believe in?

silent_cal 3y ago
I'm not referring to any specific religion. I'm just saying they were religious. Which religious tradition has the most great minds is a separate question and I don't know the answer, but I would suspect Christianity. But all I'm saying here is that most great minds throughout history were religious.
- silverquiet 3y ago
  And if all the greatest minds of history could not agree on one religion, then what might that imply?
  - silent_cal 3y ago
    It implies that they wouldn't all agree on religion, just as they would not agree on virtually any other subject
    - silverquiet 3y ago
      Do you not believe in objective truth?
      - silent_cal 3y ago
        I do, but it's hard for a single man's mind to comprehend the whole truth. I think generally you can only master a few aspects of it. I believe Catholicism is the correct religion, but I still admit that there have been many great minds from different religious traditions. This is actually an integral part of the Catholic intellectual tradition, which is why Catholic philosophy (see St Thomas Aquinas for example) can incorporate insights from pagans, Muslims and Jews. Hans Urs von Balthasar took inspiration from an even wider variety of thinkers. I could go on but hopefully I've made my point.
        silverquiet 3y ago
        I do wonder if I'm just wired differently from everyone else; I was essentially never able to believe in the Catholic stuff no matter what my parents tried. I can say, as someone who acquired a rare childhood disease that causes me pain and disability to this day, that if I do ever get a chance to talk to god, I'm going to call him a dick to his face.
        silent_cal 3y ago
        And many others would do the same as you. But I must say I have far less respect for you than for those who offer their sufferings to God. And there are many of them, too.