Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparrow
Yes, I agree the correlation holds up, but maybe poverty leads to poor education, so is closer to the root cause. 
I think a poorly educated affluent person is less likely to be religious than an impoverished poorly educated person - because religion offers the poor hope for something better; the wealthier you are, the less your need for such comfort. Actually, God gets in the way if you can afford to enjoy a hedonistic lifestyle. |
This is absurd. These are simply opinions stated out of ignorance, not facts. I have an advanced degree and I am highly educated. I am also an avid reader who is committed to expanding my education and knowledge. I am also a self made millionaire in my mid-thirties after starting with nothing. I am also a very devout Christian. The type of Christian who has examined all of the evidence on both sides of the equation and found what I believe to be the absolute truth. It is my faith in God that has carried me through difficult times and made me stronger, and my constant education about Him that has brought me to this conclusion. The more I study and the more life experiences I have convince me of the truth in the Gospels.
Just because you can afford a hedonistic lifestyle, does not mean you choose to engage in one. It is yet another myth of the rich and affluent. Read "The Millionaire Next Door" by Dr. Thomas Stanley who did the most comprehensive academic study of millionaires in history. Most millionaires (at least in the U.S.) are self made, hard working, not "showy", married to one person their entire lives (not hedonistic), and yes, have a belief in God.
Christianity has endured for two millennia and reached well over two billion adherents because of the awesome message of hope it brings to the world. The message of the New Testament and the wisdom, hope and moral guidance it contains have stood the test of time, and is the basis of a great deal of "morality" defined as we know it even today.
A true scientist should be humbled by all the mysteries of the universe they cannot explain while they continue to search for knowledge, not show arrogance and hypocrisy as Dawkins has consistently expressed and also showed in his interview. There is so much science doesn't know for certain. Dawkins doesn't KNOW where life comes from. He fully admitted it. He simply has FAITH in his point of view just as we all do. This belittling of other people is unwarranted and unjustifiable.
(If you missed it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlZtEjtlirc )