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From: trb@masscomp.UUCP (Andy Tannenbaum)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: phs.2144: Re: Educated religious people
Message-ID: <134@masscomp.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-Nov-83 16:45:36 EST
Article-I.D.: masscomp.134
Posted: Sun Nov 13 16:45:36 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Nov-83 01:04:31 EST
References: <389@u1100a.UUCP>
Organization: MASSCOMP, Littleton, MA
Lines: 32

The ARROGANCE of some people amazes me.  Are highly educated people
less religious than normal people?

The implication is of this question is that perhaps it isn't too smart
to be religious.

What do you mean by educated?  A PhD in Computer Science from one of
the hotbeds?  I wouldn't call such a degree evidence of the well
rounded education of a renaissance man.

I'm pretty familiar with "religious" Jews.  Some of these people
investigate Jewish law as there vocation or primary avocation, much as
many of us hack computers.  Their position is not unlike that of the
researcher:  There are some competent ones, there are some incompetent
ones.  There are rabbis whose insights and whose abilities to share
their knowledge are so brilliant as to blow you away!  Much like CS.
And yes, there are also learned Jews who are arrogant, who turn up
their noses at anyone who isn't like they are.  Just like the person
who asked the leading question about whether highly educated people are
less religious than normal people.

Belief in God isn't based on understanding, it's based on faith.
Likewise, there is no understanding the creation of the universe,
that's also based on faith.  The bible viewpoint is no better than the
scientific viewpoint, and it's no less valid.  It's all based on
faith.  I find it just as odd to hear a scientist tell me that
the world is a few billion years old as it is to hear a rabbi tell me
that the world is 5744 years old, if not more so.  The scientist is
trying to represent the truth, the rabbi is trying to tell me that this
is what faith has him believe.

	Andy Tannenbaum   Masscomp Inc  Westford MA   (617) 692-6200 x274