Are Most Priests Hypocrites?

[WSpa]

Studies over a long period show that atheists statistically tend to be more intelligent than believers in a god - please find your own links.
Given that priests have to be intelligent to qualify in their profession does this show that many of them may be insincere con men or is this false logic, priests do not conform to the intelligence/non-belief pattern.

[andy-hughes]

Peter - Which bit of 'leave me out ...' didn't reach you.

[zebo]

//Studies over a long period show that atheists statistically tend to be more intelligent than believers in a god - please find your own links.//

If you're intending to predicate your nonsense on a claim like this then you're the one who should be providing the links! One can assume that your unwillingness to do so means your claims are spurious.
When anyone uses the word 'statistically' I am always reminded of a book on my shelf where the writer says something along the lines 'give me your figures, tell me what you want to prove and I'll prove it for you.

[naomi24]

One study I read concluded that the reason atheists are found to be more intelligent than the religious is because, unlike atheists, the religious depend far more on instinct than on rational examination.

[Khandro]

Everyone is a hypocrite in one way or another, why should the priesthood cohort be any different?

btw; "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." — Albert Einstein.

[douglas9401]

Cheers, WSpa. :-)

[andy-hughes]

People find their validation where they can.

[Atheist]

As an aside; Theology is about as respectable as astrology. Neither of them is based on observable and verifiable data (i.e. what goes on in he real world). They start from a belief and then proceed to interpret the world so as to support their preconception.
Most priests are probably not hypocrites or stupid or bad people.

[jno]

Studies over a long period show that atheists statistically tend to be more intelligent than believers in a god

but believers are happier
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7302609.stm

[Atheist]

jno. It's not surprising. I'm usually happier after a glass or two of good red wine.

[jno]

you should try a glass of opiate of the masses.

[Atheist]

jno; I did for a while in my teens, after receiving instruction from Mrs Riley following my conversion to RC-ism (not really conversion, just stuff that happens to kids sometimes). It was all fascinating - a bit like the other stuff such as physics, maths etc. Of course the fun wore off. Achieving collections of First Fridays and Novenas was never really do-able, and the cosy glow of incense-laden church interiors eventually lost its mystique.

[jourdain2]

Perhaps you over-did it, Atheist? :)

[Peter Pedant]

People find their validation where they can.

er does this apply to YOU, Andy

oops sozza Andy, I forgot that this is AndyBank and not Answerbank, and I cant speak to you - OK well that was urbi et orbi ( thx to current Pope)

[douglas9401]

Forgive him, Peter, he knows not what he does.

[10ClarionSt]

We had a priest at our school called Fr. Fitzgerald. He was a tearaway! He used to ride round the estate on a 750 Norton, all leathered up. On Sunday afternoons he would be on Bowlee Sports Fields, playing hurling, always effing and jeffing, fighting and getting sent off, then later, he would be officiating at evening mass, all saintly and holy. We used to go and watch him play hurling. mGreat fun! Was he a hypocrite? I don't think so. He was the only one out of all the priest in that parish who wasn't accused of abusing young boys.

[Hopkirk]

It has long baffled me how highly intelligent people can fall for the fairy stories and guff of religion.

[Khandro]

Hopkirk; //It has long baffled me how highly intelligent people can fall for the fairy stories and guff of religion.//

It could be, only the highly intelligent can understand how wrong you are.

[naomi24]

If you're that intelligent, Khandro, you'll be able to provide an explanation of that then.

[Khandro]

n. Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. :0)

[naomi24]

OK. You can't.