An analysis of more than 350,000 interviews conducted by Gallup in 2008 finds Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas to be the most religious states in the nation. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts are the least religious states.
I wonder how this correlates to states with lower education, higher divorce rates, and crime…
I image the correlation that Dave mentioned is significant. This once again demonstrates that religion is probably harmful to human’s lives and at best inconsequential to human’s lives. Nevertheless people continue to dedicate significant resources in support of religious fantasy. Cost-benefit flunkies!
Although I could not find any info on education it is true that rape murder and divorce rates are lower in less religious states.
Rape by state:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004912.html
Crime by state:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923080.html
murders by state:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004912.html
I always thought that the least religious states were Oregon and Washington respectivley.
It’s a Gallup poll. How much credence can you give it?
I guess it all depends on one’s definition of “education”…
After all…what idiots voted these people in? Obviously they weren’t the brightest among us…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090203/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_reform_promises_2
http://tinyurl.com/b9e26q
I think it’s more entertaining to compare these states by average IQ. This site, top50states.com ranks them 1-50 with 1 as the state with the highest average IQ and 50 being the state with the most people who can’t tie their own shoes. The criterion used in the rankings is listed in the site.
Of the Most religious states, Mississippi is the winner at 50th, Alabama is 45th, South Carolina is 38th (and the only one not in the lowest 20 per cent), Tennessee is 41st, Louisiana is 49th, and Arkansas is 42nd.
Of the least religious states, Vermont ranks 4th, New Hampshire 2nd, Maine 7th, and Massachusetts is 1st.
No surprises here!
df…proof that intelligent people can still be stupid
Isnt it just intuitive that as education and IQ increase so does nonbelief? none of the PhDs that I know are religious and this includes a friend with a PhD in religion from Duke divinty school.
No surprises…the religiose tend to be less educated, less CULTURED, and prone to savage breeding which is why you find less of them in the Ivy League schools….and even less of them in the arts & humanities.
They end up majoring in biddy-Baptist homemaking and creationism at Bob Jones University (BJU…LOL!!)…peer-reviewing each other!!!
For what it’s worth, as far as I have learned, Oregon, one of the least religious states, is the only one where a terminally ill patient is entitled to die with dignity, rather than burdening their families with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills attempting to prolong their agony for a few more days.
Meanwhile, Phreedunce and his lifers wanted to give Terry Schiavo a drink. It makes me shake my head in disgust. You can open the eyelids of the comatose with with toothpicks, but still they do not see. In this one way, Phreedumbass and Terri Schiavo finally have something in common.
But, not in her belief about the right to die.
NeoWolfe
Written by somebody who thinks the frontal lobe is the “emotional center” of the brain rather the cognitive center of the brain.
Hey i know its kinda off topic but i though alot of people who are into funny videos would get a kick out of this, its right up our ally
http://www.hotdamntv.com/watchvideo.php?vid=75&video=Immaculate%20Conception
NotsoFast Said:
Just as science is of no value to the Chritian unless it supports his/her position, then I guess polls have no value either, unless it supports your particular position. I suppose when all is said and done everything is irrelavant and we should all go to our cave and sit down and be quiescent.
Hay Dave, look, AA will get my membership this year but I am going to forgo this opinion site from now on. I read this early in the morning looking for freethought opinons and news, but what I get are jcc and phredudum. Sure, they can be passed over, but then your left with the comments by the people they have challenged, its as if they control this site.
I am sure my absence will not cause a void of any great means, just thought I would let you know.
Sorry Ga4ry, but I took a vote a while back, and people like the naysayers. Thanks for your support.
DW, Great links!
Mr. Dave,
I am with ga4ry. The two godbotherers are diverting every thread with their claims of transcendent knowledge. One of them recently admitted to being here expressly for the purpose of spreading their version of reality.
I am tired of the same old arguments about evolution, abortion, and Obama. While it is true that some newer members find it entertaining to engage them, there are others who have been through it too many times and would rather not have to pick and choose which comments to read.
These two disciples of nonsense have driven away more than one member. Is there any way to redirect their inanity to a permanent dedicated thread. Then they could wax ineloquent to any who cared to read their hackneyed opinions. I know neo would like this so there would arise a favourable side effect.
Thank you for your attention.
I don’t mind the naysayers. I haven’t got so much ego? emotion? angst? impatience? (or whatever) tied up in my viewpoint that seeing a disagreement annoys me (even if it’s endless reruns of very weak arguments). I don’t claim perfect knowledge and, occasionally, I hear something that challenges me and I check it out. Mostly I just find flawed info/arguments but even then I’ve still added something useful to my knowledge base.
Besides, if this blog were just preachings from the converted it would bore me very quickly.
dw
What are you talking about?
Are you unaware of the history of George Gallup, how he distorted his poll results to make America look like we were all raving theists?
NotSoFast said:
No, I was unaware of that. Does that make all polls suspect then? Impartial polls are difficult to find. Everyone has an agenda. Perhaps you were just referring to Dave’s poll reference. Even so, other polls back them up such as the one’s I cited.
I have heard someone say 99% of America believes in God. I know that’s not true.
Anyway, I truly think that having a belief in God is the cause of some acts of immorality. Just as children sometimes disobey their parents on purpose, Christians disobey God the father. So it really is no surprise that there is more errant behavior where belief is more prevalent. Of course having Jesus’s blood covering you get’s you forgiven for whatever you do, so you might as well do it. Eh?
If you dont like the trolls then *DONT RESPOND TO THEM*. We could make them disaapear inside of a month if everyone made it their personal policy to totally ignore them.
Come on atheists, you are bright and should be able to figure this out. No matter how stupid their posts are and how difficult it is to let that level of stupidity go unchallenged just do it. After a few days it becomes easy.
NotSoFast, I’d love to see where you found this information about Gallup distorting poll results about religion. And while were at it, how do you feel about Barna Group and Pew Forum polls on the subject? (Don’t forget to include support for any assertions. Some of us skeptics like to check out the things we’re told)
Comment from: phreedm [Member]
It’s fascinating to me how full of hatred you are in your defense of a religion that is supposedly about love.
If you can’t appreciate the irony nor comprehend the hypocrisy of your position then you have no business — none — of characterizing others as ‘idiots.’
thx
DONT FEED THE TROLLS!
If you want to see a troll infestation, go to the debates on the youtube videos. There is one pathetic theist who has gone through at least 100 names, since the owner of the vid keeps banning his names.
But good ole youtube doesn’t bother capping the number of usernames one person can make, so he keeps trolling along.
What, I guess you are still not done embarrassing yourself.
I guess you didn’t read the link: http://www.neuroskills.com/tbi/bfrontal.shtml
Don’t confuse him with the facts, his mind is made up. He says:
“Written by somebody who thinks the frontal lobe is the “emotional center” of the brain rather the cognitive center of the brain.”
Yeah, do you have a point besides the top of your head?
NeoWolfe
There have been times when trolls were mostly absent for an extended period and as a result the level of discourse was elevated. There used to be some very intelligent and funny people here; they drifted away. You really don’t need godbots to to make things interesting.
Godless,
I tried once to get people to refrain but there will always be some who find the pull to respond too enticing. I share your sentiments but…
Obeah said:
“Then they could wax ineloquent to any who cared to read their hackneyed opinions. I know neo would like this so there would arise a favourable side effect.”
I don’t know if that was intended as some backhanded insult, and I don’t really care. In the past I have bitched about how few contributers here really want to dig into the big picture. Such as the idea that just before the big bang all material that makes up the galaxies and all time and all space were contained in one superhot subatomic particle.
I was told that thousands of agnostic websites exist, and that’s true, but, do you know what’s on them? Even ones linked to this web site? They have doubts about whether or not religion has merit. Was the pope taken out of context in his speech about political bullshit. I don’t need that shit, I call myself an agnostic because I don’t feel satisfied that science has proven, even though they have dismissed it, that some seed of inteligence might have had a hand. They have failed to prove to me that the astonishing complexity and tenacity of life is an ACCIDENT.
But, as I explained to JCC, doubt about the origin of the universe is no excuse to pick up a book of ancient myths about gods and heroes and bestow upon it “divine inspiration”. That’s insane!!!! How does a thinking person make such a leap? And they refuse to really look themselves in the mirror and admit that they have been duped with a promise that humans don’t really die like every other plant and animal on the planet, they go before their god and are judged on how faithful they’ve been to their religion. Happiness forever, no more pain. They want to believe that so much that all logic has no hope to reach them. The promise of escaping death.
On how many occasions has religion proven that it has delivered on that promise?
I know I’m the red headed step child, and maybe I don’t belong, and maybe I never have, but, at least I can back up anything I believe with facts. And when someone brings a new prospective or proves me wrong, credit is given.
NeoWolfe
Comment from: thx1138
Hatred? Not at all…just pointing out the obvious. Ignorance is our most expensive commodity…
Alex…you’ve got to learn to be consistent…
You posted several challenges to JCC and myself just one or two threads ago…
Comment from: godless sodomite
Well that settles it…let’s give all christians a Phd and we’ll wipe them out of existence…
from: phreedm [Member]
Yes, hatred.
‘Calling a tail a leg does not mean a dog has 5 legs.’ Abraham Lincoln.
AND….
‘Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.’
Matthew 5:21-22
Your holy book, pal, not mine. According to the Naz, you sir are in danger of hell fire.
from: godless sodomite [Member]
I’ve got some advice for you: Don’t READ the trolls.
Simple, no?
Phreedunce left this unfortunate open,
“Well that settles it…let’s give all christians a Phd and we’ll wipe them out of existence…”
No, lets make them earn a Phd and they will wipe themselves out of existence.
Too, easy.
NeoWolfe
dfledermaus
Actually, I got most of my information from reading American Atheist Magazine. There have been a number of mentions down thru the years, I don’t remember exactly how many. One story I recall was how somebody counted the cars in church parking lots on a Sunday morning, and got much lower attendance figures than Gallup was giving out.
Don’t know much about them. My impression is that Pew Forum is a reputable organization.
Good idea.
….if phreekdum only had a brain.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
neowolfe
I don’t know of any scientist who has even tried to prove that. But science does not dismiss things; it just does not make claims where there is no information to back them up.
Again, no scientist has tried to prove that. Science has established beyond any reasonable doubt that the evolutionary process has produced the complexity and tenacity of life.
Thank you.
Phreedumbshit,
Refer to shrinking god thread where I proved your buddy JCC doesn’t believe in his own bible. Would you care to take me on now? He refused to answer for months, then got brave, then reaped the consequences, care to step up? Care to put your insane beliefs to the test?
What do ya think folks? Will he puss out, leaving crickets chirping? Will he cast shadows never answering the tough questions? Is he a sad sack of shit that can’t back up his beliefs with facts?
I will be watching and keeping you honest, Phreedunce.
NeoWolfe
I agree, very few religious people possess the cognitive skills to earn a PhD which is why so few people with advanced degrees identify with any particular faith. Here in Chapel Hill, NC we have the most PhDs per capita in the world and without exception those that I know who have attained this level of education, my brother included, are all agnostics or atheists regardless of their particular field of study.
NotSoFast,
I just wrote a response to your relevent post. Unfortunately Dave’s fucked up website just deleted it again. Gotta crash.
NeoWolfe
neowolfe:
You did? Where? How?
I did? Which ones? What are you talking about? My belief in the entire Bible remains in tact.
JCC, last one on this subject, you are quoted as follows:
“Refer to shrinking god thread where I proved your buddy JCC doesn’t believe in his own bible.
You did? Where? How?”
You said that Noah’s flood was local. Your bible says that Noah’s ark came to land on the top of Mount Ararat. The tallest mountain in Turkey. Your bible says that all the creatures of the earth were saved inside the ark (we’ll excuse the fish who would have died as well in such a cataclysmic change in their environment). You realize it’s a myth, and just admitted it. It’s also a myth that god immancipated the Israelites with ten plagues, it’s also a myth that with Aaron’s staff, the red sea was parted, is also a myth that Moses split a stone to provide water, it’s also a myth that manna rained from heaven.
What you would like to be a myth to forget is that Joshua, the first of the judges, executed absolute genocide upon the occupants of the “promised land”.
All I can do to help you, JCC, is to open your eyes about the lies you believe in. If you are like me, and science hasn’t convinced you that all nature is an accident, it doesn’t mean you have to fuck a virgin and worship at the temple of Athena. Common sense rests somewhere between.
NeoWolfe
What on earth (or anywhere else in the universe) does that mean? What nonsense! What a cluttered mind! Is there a scientific theory, unknown to the rest of us, that states that “nature is an accident”.
Just more of Neo’s “free thought”. Oy.
neowolfe:
No. That’s not correct. You obviously didn’t read my last reply to you in that thread: http://tinyurl.com/de8qsr
Huh?
I beg your pardon, it’s not my eyes that are in need of opening.
That’s just it; I once was, but am no longer.
Hmmmm. An “accident” of what?
P.S.
Please try to start using blockquotes…