From: atdhb@acad2.alaska.edu
Subject: Atheists--born or made?
Organization: University of Alaska
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 02:53:32 GMT



    The following article was first published in the Alaska American
    Atheist newsletter (Feb. 1991).  The subject relates (however
    tangentially) to recent discussions on alt.atheism and talk.philosophy
    about the negative correlation between intelligence and superstition.

    Mr. Herman is a well-read, articulate, erudite and intelligent
    individual who grew up in Iceland in a non-religious household.  He
    holds opinions that quite often go against the common grain and his
    letters to the editor are usually soundly denounced and excoriated by
    the masses.

    I will see that he receives copies of all responses to this article,
    and will invite him to respond.


    ------------------------------------------------

    Atheists are Special

    by Harold Herman


    Does exposure to reality and knowledge scare people into myth and
    fantasy?  Is the door to reality and the real world open to only a few?

    Cornell University science professors say yes to both questions.

    Science students were asked at the beginning of a course which theory
    each subscribed to, creation or evolution.  Then, after the course had
    been completed, the same students were asked the same question. 
    Always, at the end of a science course, there were more creationists
    than at the beginning.  The implication is clear:  The average student,
    wading deeper and deeper into reality, became frightened and retreated
    to suck the religious pacifier.

    Ex-astronaut James Erwin is an example of an individual finding himself
    over his head in reality.  His scientific education, plus the dramatic
    personal experience of standing on the moon, looking at the earth,
    caused him to retreat to a primitive level of Christian fundamentalism. 
    Seeking to disprove what he saw during his experience on the moon, he
    began a series of expeditions to Mt. Ararat, looking for Noah's Ark,
    injuring himself seriously twice.  He exhausted himself on the lecture
    circuit trying to erase what he had learned and experienced.

    Obviously, the door to the real world of the freethinker and/or atheist
    is open only to the atypical few, perhaps 10% of the population.  Of
    this minority, only one percent have the moral courage to stand up and
    be counted.

    America is a modern, developed country where literate people are
    exposed to and have access to a steady wealth of knowledge of every
    variety, yet are as steeped in myth, superstition and ignorance as the
    population of China.  A noted anthropologist from China spent six years
    in America trying to find out why.  He found it puzzling that
    Americans, swamped with material from various media, free schools, free
    access to great libraries, high standard of living, etc., were as
    ignorant and superstitious as the mainland Chinese.

    For the typical American, intelligence, education and experience do not
    provide paths to the real world of the free-thinking atheist.  In my
    opinion, the ability to side-step or free oneself from religion in
    congenital. The atypical mind, like talent, is an accident of birth,
    not something learned.

    Our mission should be defined according to the above realities.  We
    need to find our own kind and be available and visible to those who
    have the gift (key to the realm of the freethinker) but have yet to
    discover it.

Newsgroups: alt.atheism