How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religious?
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religio(Original post by thomaskurian89)
A recent Gallup poll shows that 46% of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years.
So, if 46% of Americans lack common sense, how did the US come to be so powerful?
(Original post by py0alb)
Because its really two countries: a highly advanced irreligious nation with a 3rd world country stuck to the bottom of it.
Can someone please explain why these comments have been negged. They speak common sense...(Original post by thecrimsonidol)
Only 46%? That's lower than I would have expected actually.
I just dream of the day when it's 0%. (Everywhere, not just there) -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioBecause since WWII they've done everything to ensure that they're the big dog in global relations. Religion doesn't come into it.
Also - 69th post. God bless America.Last edited by Big Ern McCracken; 02-06-2012 at 13:02. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioI'm sorry but it's you who seems to showing a lack of sound judgment here. Faith is distinct from intellectual thought both in terms of its cognitive mechanisms and its very purpose and role in a person's life and society.(Original post by najinaji)
in·tel·li·gent [in-tel-i-juhnt]
1. having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: an intelligent student.
2. displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment
3. having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence
An intelligent person believes things because of evidence. A very stupid (or insane) person believes things despite all opposing evidence. A religious person believes things without any evidence.
People ignore the lack of evidence against the divine becaus they want to. They would rather believe in something which provides some benefit to them rather than have their faith washed away arbitrarily by so called 'sound reasoning'. They are making a conscious choice to ignore counter evidence - it's not that their mental faculties are unfit to comprehend it.
It by no means suggests that they cannot, by compartmentalising different aspects of their life, also engage in scientific discourse, or display rational judgment.
If you cant comprehend this, then perhaps you should supplement your own understanding of the world, rather than pointing fingers at others. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioI was just using them as examples. These are valid points and i understand clearly why someone today would not believe in god due to the various number of nutjobs claiming the world will end etc and there extemist views which they takke from sole sources in the bible, koran etc.(Original post by Helloworld_95)
These are hardly good examples when at the times they lived you would be killed due to being a non-believer, not to mention the lack of knowledge compared to today.
Also Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite and Tom Hanks a scientologist so they aren't particularly good examples.
I believe in god and follow the word of the bible and dont pick and choose what to follow, but i do not believe this debate will ever be solved unless A) god shows everyone he exisists with no way to disprove it, which will not happen as this will not happen until the last days if thats waht you believe and also it would have happened by now if he was going to make sure everyone went to heaven and B) chrisitianity does hinge somewhat on faith and those who do not believe or do not want to believe will always use that against us. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioBecause of it's economic and military prowess, which was built from it's immense reserves of natural resources during the country's early days and later expansion - Religion doesn't affect the success of a nation unless it completely dominates it in my opinion, and in the case of the united states the seperation of church and state was written into the constitution.
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioI dont see how having a beleive in God means that you lack common sense??
I have a friend from my church who is a very strong beliver in God and she is currently studying history in Oxford.
I have another friend from my church and he is doing Art in Cambridge.
Having a believe has got nothing to do with whether you're smart or, and since you are science fanatic - it has been scientifically proven that people with an open mind, are usually the smarter people.
Obviously this study proves how stupid you are
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religio3rd biggest population and land area(Original post by thomaskurian89)
A recent Gallup poll shows that 46% of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years.
So, if 46% of Americans lack common sense, how did the US come to be so powerful? -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioI tend to think of faith and intelligence as two seperate spheres - faith, in my opinion, is believing something despite evidence to the contrary, however that does not then, mean that a person is stupid, insane or unintelligent, as I dont think faith and intelligence are mutually exclusive. To give an example, I know a guy who was involved in setting up the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, and I think he also has a science/engineering degree too (I'm a little unsure on that last part, but I do know he definately did help set up that museum) - he does have a doctorate, but who also is a practicing Christian who works (part time I think) at the local churches preaching...(Original post by najinaji)
in·tel·li·gent [in-tel-i-juhnt]
1. having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: an intelligent student.
2. displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment
3. having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence
An intelligent person believes things because of evidence. A very stupid (or insane) person believes things despite all opposing evidence. A religious person believes things without any evidence.
That's just one example really, but the point I'm trying to make is that no hard and fast rules can be drawn between religion and intelligence/atheism and intelligence - there can be stupid religious people, and there can be stupid atheists, likewise there can be clever atheists and clever religious people. Seemingly claiming that all people who are religious are insane or very stupid clearly isn't true... -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioBut the there isn't much evidence for the Big Bang THEORY either, and i'm not religious.(Original post by najinaji)
Believing in something wholeheartedly despite there being literally no proof of it isn't exactly intelligent. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioThe US isn't highly religious.
A lot of people claim to be religious, when in reality they aren't. It is seen as socially right to be religious and therefore people claim to be religious.
Opinion polls suggest that 40% of Americans go to church. Yet, ironically, church figures suggest that if that many people did go to church, they'd be over crowded and many aren't/ -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religio(Original post by Polka Dot)
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(Original post by ckingalt)
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(Original post by murcielago998)
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(Original post by TheHistoryStudent)
x^ All of you, see above. ^(Original post by najinaji)
I simply said that being religious is unintelligent. You can, of course, be intelligent in other ways.
Yes there is.(Original post by TrollerCoaster)
But the there isn't much evidence for the Big Bang THEORY either, and i'm not religious. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioCopied from Wikipedia, but:(Original post by TrollerCoaster)
Why is it a theory then
The defining characteristic of a scientific theory is that it makes falsifiable or testable predictions.
In practice, a body of descriptions of knowledge is usually only called a theory once it has a minimum empirical basis, according to certain criteria:
It is consistent with pre-existing theory, to the extent the pre-existing theory was experimentally verified, though it will often show pre-existing theory to be wrong in an exact sense.
It is supported by many strands of evidence, rather than a single foundation, ensuring it is probably a good approximation, if not completely correct. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioExactly. Lots of religious people have a great work ethic!- Side note but I've always wondered why it says ''in God we trust'' on US bank notes?(Original post by cgraham15)
Just cause you're religious doesn't mean you can't go to university and get a good job. I guess those who are highly religious believe in some way that they're supposed to do well for themselves and not sit around the house doing nothing? And those who aren't religious do well also. I don't know I don't think just because you're religious means you're stupid and not going to amount to anything... -.-
Edit: more than 46% are religious, the 46% are just the really religious ones. -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioI think it's been like that for hundreds of years. Why change it?(Original post by nmudz_009)
Exactly. Lots of religious people have a great work ethic!- Side note but I've always wondered why it says ''in God we trust'' on US bank notes? -
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religiohaha Jokes on you sister! , since i am not religious, just more mature to understand that the OP message is full of bullcrap. and "Douche" is my trademark insult for idiots like you, so dont mess with it.(Original post by Muscovite)
wow religious people must have great arguments and debating skills having to resort to 'douche' all the time.
and by the way; you're the only one here being unintelligent, immature and in need of calming down. You better just stop commenting as you're embarrassing yourself and all believers 
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Re: How is the US the most powerful country in the world despite being highly religioThis sums it up pretty well imo.(Original post by py0alb)
Because its really two countries: a highly advanced irreligious nation with a 3rd world country stuck to the bottom of it.
I'd like to see what the result would be if they didn't count the votes from Utah and the Bible Belt states.Last edited by No Man; 02-06-2012 at 23:23.
