Autism and Athiesm

[CalmMyTits]

I'm an atheist/agnostic but it's not because I'm an asspie (or autistic, since they merged Asperger's into autism) it's because I'm able to see all the logic flaws in the Bible. I don't deny that perhaps there is a cosmic entity out there somewhere, but I can definitely say that it is not the JudeoChristianIslamic God.

 

[LordCustos3]

I'm an atheist/agnostic but it's not because I'm an asspie (or autistic, since they merged Asperger's into autism) it's because I'm able to see all the logic flaws in the Bible. I don't deny that perhaps there is a cosmic entity out there somewhere, but I can definitely say that it is not the JudeoChristianIslamic God.

That and the neither of the most popular versions of the God Hypothesis match observed reality.

If we were living in a universe overseen by an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent Great Spirit, the world would not be so full of horror and misery, and life would be noticeably better.

If we were living in a universe overseen by the vengeful, petty, cosmic sadist portrayed in Abrahamic scripture, life would be noticeably much MUCH MUCH worse!


But, anyhow.
The "All atheists are just 'spergs and autists" narrative can go die in a fire.
We all know of at least one crazy 'sperg/autist who most definitely is not an atheist, and can barely even process what that ideological position means, sooooo, yeah....we have a point of evidence that implies that the venn diagram of theist/athiest/sperg/notsperg doesn't overlap that way.

 

[Reshiram]

"They do not have a section for faith in their brains"


That couldn't of been worded any weirder

 

[Tailersfan]

Because not believing in something for which there is not evidence is clearly pathological There is something very wrong with the logic here.

 

[CalmMyTits]

"If we were living in a universe overseen by an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent Great Spirit, the world would not be so full of horror and misery, and life would be noticeably better.

If we were living in a universe overseen by the vengeful, petty, cosmic sadist portrayed in Abrahamic scripture, life would be noticeably much MUCH MUCH worse!"

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[OR 345]

"They do not have a section for faith in their brains"

This seems to imply that people are basically hardwired for faith?

 

[Surtur]

"They do not have a section for faith in their brains"

This seems to imply that people are basically hardwired for faith?

I think I remember reading somewhere that we in fact are.

 

[rammy2nd]

i am a high functioning autistic and an atheist. my parents are orthodox christians. i was taught to believe in god and the lord jesus christ. i thought every where i go, everything i do, theres an imaginary friend watching my every move and judging me. when i turned 27, i got tired of doing what my family told me and made the decision to think for myself. i need proof that something or some one exists. i just cant take your word for it. i guess i can understand. maybe i was programmed to do this? but im the only non-christian in my family (as i know of). no offense to anyone who is christian, i do not hate religion in general. its just not for me and my family accepts that. i hope you do, too. just my opinion.

 

[Holdek]

i am a high functioning autistic and an atheist. my parents are orthodox christians. i was taught to believe in god and the lord jesus christ. i thought every where i go, everything i do, theres an imaginary friend watching my every move and judging me. when i turned 27, i got tired of doing what my family told me and made the decision to think for myself. i need proof that something or some one exists. i just cant take your word for it. i guess i can understand. maybe i was programmed to do this? but im the only non-christian in my family (as i know of). no offense to anyone who is christian, i do not hate religion in general. its just not for me and my family accepts that. i hope you do, too. just my opinion.

Well, I think many, many non-autistics go through a similar process. I know I did. I mean, mine started when I was 15, and I'm still purging vestiges of faith-based thinking from my way of thinking now, 15 years later.

 

[Not Bluckles]

I'm an atheist/agnostic but it's not because I'm an asspie (or autistic, since they merged Asperger's into autism) it's because I'm able to see all the logic flaws in the Bible. I don't deny that perhaps there is a cosmic entity out there somewhere, but I can definitely say that it is not the JudeoChristianIslamic God.

<snip>

But, anyhow.
The "All atheists are just 'spergs and autists" narrative can go die in a fire.
We all know of at least one crazy 'sperg/autist who most definitely is not an atheist, and can barely even process what that ideological position means, sooooo, yeah....we have a point of evidence that implies that the venn diagram of theist/athiest/sperg/notsperg doesn't overlap that way.

Add me to the atheistic aspie list, but I feel like it is my autism that led me to start looking at the Bible's logical integrity and rejecting it.

It's interesting, the "All atheists are just 'spergs and autists" narrative, as you put it. Even when I still believed in God, I felt like people on the spectrum would be mostly atheist/agnostic... after all, the existence of God can't be logically proven. We're supposed to be over-analyzers. It's a matter of faith, not logic. (And if you have faith, fine, whatever, good for you. I don't mind.) But judging from the times I used to lurk on the aspie forums, that was very far from true. Maybe the majority weren't Christians, but it was still a very large number.

Theories on why so many autistics would believe in God:
• They learned it from their parents, and won't believe their parents are capable of lying or being wrong.
• They were raised as believers and don't open up easily to new worldviews
• The need for a system to answer all the questions about how the universe came to be and why we're here
• The Bible provides an easy (as in, one volume) guide to morality, what's right and wrong, that a billion people respect and obey. It contains "The Rules" for how to act.

Now that I've pissed off all the Christians here, thoughts?

 

[Kosher Dill]

How's that different from the reasons anyone else would believe in God?

 

[Bugaboo]

How's that different from the reasons anyone else would believe in God?

Yup, pretty much

 

[QI 541]

Even when I still believed in God, I felt like people on the spectrum would be mostly atheist/agnostic... after all, the existence of God can't be logically proven. We're supposed to be over-analyzers. It's a matter of faith, not logic. (And if you have faith, fine, whatever, good for you. I don't mind.)

It's because people have a tendency to behave differently in different contexts. Scientists can be completely scientific and logical when experimenting, but completely discard this when talking about religion. Fundamentalists can be completely insane when talking about religion, but otherwise seem like normal people in everyday life. Aspies may overanalyze the anatomy of fictional hedgehogs, but completely fail to realize why they can't get a girlfriend.

 

[DStecks]

Well this is news to me, being both an aspie and a devout Mennonite. I guess I was fucking wrong.

 

[Holdek]

Well this is news to me, being both an aspie and a devout Mennonite. I guess I was fucking wrong.

Since you're a devout Mennonite, are you supposed to be using a computer?

 

[Kosher Dill]

It's OK as long as it's a wood-fired computer.

 

[Ryan Rash]

I wouldn't count Chris as atheistic, even if his belief in God is seven different kinds of fucked up.

While the article linked at the beginning of the thread is full of agenda-driven bullshit, I do find merit in the idea that autism and atheism + agnosticism can go hand-in-hand, considering that the linear-minded nature of autistics can lead them to doubt the existence of something for which there is no hard evidence.

 

[DStecks]

Well this is news to me, being both an aspie and a devout Mennonite. I guess I was fucking wrong.

Since you're a devout Mennonite, are you supposed to be using a computer?

Not that kind of Mennonite. It's a long story.

 

[NobleGreyHorse]

As far as I can tell from the outside, there's a lot more variation in the Mennonite community than there is among the Amish. Some women in my area still wear the long dresses and the "tea strainer" mesh bonnets, but even those women will wear print dresses in reasonably modern colors, whereas the color range of the solid dresses worn by Amish women is like... I want to say five basic colors, and even those are covered up by black aprons. But I've seen identifiably Mennonite women shopping in Wal-Mart, chilling on the bus, and basically much more in touch with "the world" than Amish people, who mostly encounter the rest of us to do business.

Then there are the people you would never know came from a Mennonite background just by looking at them (if you're from Pennsylvania and have heard of "Auntie Anne's Pretzels," Auntie Anne is a Mennonite who now also sells books about how to start your own business like she did). A friend of mine from that background is an art history professor. She dates, swears, uses computers, dresses like anyone else, you name it. You'd have to talk to her to find out about her religious background, ginormous family, and all that good stuff.

 

[Holdek]

I wouldn't count Chris as atheistic, even if his belief in God is seven different kinds of fucked up.

While the article linked at the beginning of the thread is full of agenda-driven bullshit, I do find merit in the idea that autism and atheism + agnosticism can go hand-in-hand, considering that the linear-minded nature of autistics can lead them to doubt the existence of something for which there is no hard evidence.

It's not that their linear-mindedness "can lead them to doubt the existence of something for which there is no hard evidence," it's rather that they have a difficulty thinking abstractly. So they can think of all kinds of magical shit so long as it is corporeal.