Does God hate gays?

No. Christianity is clear that God is love, and doesn’t hate any of His children. Anyone claiming to the contrary is badly misrepresenting the Christian faith. Such voices get far more attention than they deserve, and I won’t dignify any of them with a link.

The more significant controversy is whether gay relationships are by their nature sinful, or not. Christian social conservatives use biblical arguments to attack homosexual behavior rather than gay people.  They are typically careful to remind people to “love the sinner, hate the sin”.  For some, this maxim might just be lip service to cover up a prejudice to which the biblical passages provide convenient support.  There is no good reason, however, to believe that all or even a majority fit that description.  Just as it is possible to “love the sinner, hate the sin”, it is possible to disagree with someone’s argument, but give their sincerity the benefit of the doubt.

Other Christians interpret the same scriptures much differently.   Continue reading “Does God hate gays?”

Do nonbelievers have higher IQs than believers?

Yes, statistically speaking, there is a negative correlation between belief in God and IQ.  It may or may not have been true back in the days when monks were saving civilization, but it appears to be true today.  From this, some people draw the conclusion that God is not likely to exist.  This is not sound logic.  It’s an understandable shortcut in a world where we don’t have time to investigate everything we hear, but this subject is potentially too important to deserve anything less than careful thought.

Consider that there is also a negative correlation between wealth and belief in God. People in wealthier countries are less religious than those in poorer countries.  Within the U.S., people in wealthier states are less religious. What might be going on here?

Both money and intelligence – and I would strongly suspect other things like education level, physical strength, beauty, health, youth, popularity, etc. – are things that make a person feel self-sufficient, superior to others, and possibly meritorious. Continue reading “Do nonbelievers have higher IQs than believers?”