Are Religious People Stupid?

The World's Greatest Cat ponders it all.

Here's something that may shock many: there's people out there who believe in both the existence of God and in the existence of dinosaurs! Sadly, this simple fact is lost on those who are unable to remove their minds from today's social climate. To these unfortunates, most religious  adherents - and all Christians - hate science, hate those who don't agree with their particular theology, hate women, hate gays, and love to go to war.

Let's face it, those who believe this tripe are as ignorant as those who once thought minorities were too dumb and irresponsible to hold public office. In other words, they're prejudiced. There's no simpler or truer way to put it. That doesn't mean we adherents should start over-reacting, though. Trust me, the last thing this world needs is another group of whiners and finger pointers. There's more than enough of those out there as it is.

So, what can be done? For starters, believers should start making things pretty clear about their own beliefs. I'm a Catholic, for instance. I can say without hesitation that my religion does not demand that I deny evolution. Nor does it demand I deny the laws of science and nature (a miracle is an exception, not a refutation).

Oh, and there's no rules saying I have to beat up those who don't adhere to the Vatican's teachings. A lot of the people who leave comments at supposedly high-end political websites might be surprised to learn that.

The point is this: we live in a free society. That means people are pretty much allowed to avoid any group they want to. Before they attack certain groups, however, the rules of morality and intelligent discourse demand they should at least get their facts straight first.

Sadly, however, many choose not to. Which means it's up to others to set the record straight.