Thursday, December 27, 2012

I Believe in God... Am I Unintelligent?

Today I had someone question my intelligence because I believe in God. According to them, the mark of true intelligence is in not confusing "fact" with "fiction". This honestly made me quite angry. I do not understand how someone can think me less intelligent for believing in a higher power and belonging to an organized religion. Personally, I think religion says a lot about a person's character, but not necessarily anything about their intelligence. In my opinion intelligence is seen in one's responsibility, formal schooling, and ability to make important life decisions.

Rather than a lack of intelligence, I think the fact that I believe in God shows that I am capable of having hope. I have strength enough to believe in the unseen forces at play in my life, and I am informed of what comes after this life. I do not see what portion of that makes me less intelligent than anyone else. My faith in God is not due to lack of information, but rather studying and seeking to find out for myself. As you all may remember from a previous post, it was only through diligence and hard work that I was able to come to this belief in the first place. If anything, I believe that I am more informed about life than those that don't believe in God or His works. Regardless of these feelings of mine, I do not think that it is ever acceptable to personally attack another person for something as personal as their religion.

I don't mean to rant and rave; I guess all I am trying to say is that people are different, and that is respectable. Intelligence does not lie in one's ability to believe that there is something bigger out there. If my friend is an Atheist I won't look down on them or think them stupid, I will love and respect them for their beliefs. I would love it if others could do the same for me.
❤, Meagan