Doubting Didymus

GeoTheo has made statements on many threads that suggest that atheists are dispropotionately affluent, educated and white. I am not sure what he means to imply by this, but it would be interesting to see if there were any truth to this claim. Is a statistical poll possible on this forum?, as simple posting is not a reliable statistical method.

I think it is entirely possible that education has an affect on religious choice, as some degree of education is neccessary in order to see through theistic arguments. However I do not see how affluence or race could have anything to do with it. I am certainly not affluent myself, and I fail to see how this should make me more inclined to believe in god.

freemonkey

I am most definitely NOT affluent, I'm not formally educated, I am white-ish.

MadMordigan

as some degree of education is neccessary in order to see through theistic arguments.

Anyone who is old enough to understand the maxim 'If it sounds too good to be true, it is" can see through theistic arguments.

Mad - a highschool dropout who knows bullshit when he hears it.

Doubting Didymus

I must quickly note that I don't think that education is always neccesary to see through theism. I mean only that it may help enough to create a statistical disproportion, while I don't understand how race or money could affect your religion. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression.

echidna

P1. Atheists have lower attendances in prisons.
C1. Atheism is causal to being less criminal than the general population.

Bear in mind that if one accepts this then …

P1. Blacks have higher attendances in prisons.
C1. Being black is causal to being more criminal than the general population.

… also follows.

If I understand correctly, GeoTheo’s point is that the statistics as with most statistics, are loaded. There are other demographic characteristics at play, more than just linking religion to crime. Otherwise high black prison numbers would quite easily demonstrate that being black was directly linked to being a criminal.

P1. Statistically red cars have more accidents.
C1. Therefore red makes cars crash.

No, there are other factors at play. Similarly for the atheist argument.

Personally I am of the opinion that crime is most related to economic demographic & the employment culture which one has grown up in. Both these feature prominently in both the racial, as well as the education (or lack of) background of inmates.

With atheists generally acknowledging a higher than average proportion of educated atheists (hence employed), it is then not surprising that they feature lower in prison statistics.

Correlation does not prove causality.

Unfortunately such polls are always voluntary so as such the results are even more loaded.

echidna

Oh look I should add that most seem to acknowledge that the prison statistic proves little, and more just refutes the theists who would claim otherwise.

But there does seem to be a number of atheists who would take this as proof of atheism’s superiority.

seanie

On a small point it depends what you mean by affluent.

The fact that people are conducting this discussion via computers on the internet suggests that most people here belong to a small priveleged affluent minority.

The overwhelming majority of people on this planet do not have access to such things.

Grizzly

I'm not really sure what this has to do with Moral Foundations and Principles, so I am moving it to Misc Religious Discussions.

Egoinos

...ain't affluent. But then, I am a student. And I'm white. Does that then make me a stereotype?

[Edited to add: but then I wouldn't fit into an atheist stereotype much anyway, being a divinity student]

[ July 17, 2002: Message edited by: Egoinos ]</p>

Dibble Helix

Affluence: I get by (just)

Colour: White - but with a hook-nose (half-Jewish)

Education: 2 degrees (a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science) and a lot of f%*king good it's done me!


dh