September 20, 2011
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Atheists on Xanga are More Likely to Have Autism
I found a study that has explained so much to me about some of the Atheists on Xanga.
People who are atheists are more likely to have autism. Here is the link: Link
When I was a kid, I saw a child who was taught a bunch of dates and he was autistic. He could remember all of the dates. It was impressive. I think it makes sense to teach autistic people facts and figures because they can memorize them but they tend to struggle with more complex concepts.
That has been my general impression of Atheists on Xanga. They can repeat facts and figures but they struggle to process information that is more complex.
Some Atheists complained that xanga created Revelife for Christians but did not create an ish site for Atheists. I think they just thought Autisable covered the Atheists.
Is it me, or does it appear that Atheists struggle to process complex information?
Comments (198)
Omg what.
FIRST.
look at this one.
So I’m just going to sit back here and watch some people’s heads explode.
I’ve noticed that. Not just on Xanga, but irl as well.
::waiting for the drama to rev up:: Good job w/ the title, Dan.
IMMA BREAK OUT THE POPCORN!!!
lol oh man…
Considering that theists can become atheists, and atheists can become theists, I don’t think a person’s brain has anything to do with personal beliefs/lack thereof.
Let me help you understand Autism better..
Someone with Autism is really only interested in the facts..No fantasy or fiction.
My 13 y/o boy has high functioning autism..I always try to get him interested in fiction..and instead he will take everything literally. Example A Muslim told him once” God does not want him to study insects because those are God’s creatures and they are not meant to be captured and studied”..
He got so upset..He asked me if he was going to hell because of his bug collection…
I was so effin pissed..And the butthole that said this to him knew that he has autism.
My point..Everything is pretty much black and white with them, concrete thinking, no bullshit.
hahaha
This is so bad. But it making me laugh my head off!
The atheists on Xanga are just a small segment of all atheists in the world. Relatively-speaking, it looks like most of the open-atheists just talk about religion.
I don’t think you understand Autism. I do agree, that I have noticed, that people on the ASD tend to be more atheist or of a more moderate persuasion of their religious upbringing. But, I have also met people on the ASD that were very fundamental to their religion.
They do it’s hilarious. In the labs you can always tell who the atheists are because they’re always the ones that stay after hours over-analyzing their preliminary findings.
I lol’d, but I think you might be losing your trolling touch there, Dan.
lol srsly.
Obvious troll is obvious.
/lol
But on a more serious FYI it wouldn’t be surprising. Autistic persons tend to have the inability to observe/appreciate metaphoric/symbolized constructs (see heider and simmel task). The Jewish and Christianity bars are quite interesting. Good article find, cites lots of Cohen and Firth, some of my favorites.
*touches this one with a 10-foot pole*
*BURSTS INTO FLAMES* FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
@SoapAndShampoo - See neuroplasticity.
It takes little efort to see they share many characteristics and none of them involve having a high IQ. They are far from the healthiest and happiest of people and social problems are the norm. Do they tend to lack a normal amount of empathy HELL YES
Those who are Autistic are not always unable to process complex information. In fact, it is entirely possible for a person with Autism to be extremely creative and to not only understand complex information, but to create it.
Excuse me?
I logged in after a few years of Xanga disuse just to post this.
“People who are atheists are more likely to have autism.”
Wrong. I read the “ Religious Belief Systems of Persons with High Functioning Autism” study, and the link that you referenced. Both of them express this corrected sentiment:
People who are autistic are more likely to be atheist.
In fact, word for word from the link to the blog that you posted, is this sentence:
“I think it seems likely that a huge proportion of high functioning autistics are atheists, but, that doesn’t mean that a huge proportion of atheists are high functioning autistics (though a larger proportion than the general population).”
“They can repeat facts and figures but they struggle to process information that is more complex.”
Really, Dan? Really? Since when did TheTheologiansCafe turn into TrollKingofXanga? Or was it always that way, and I was just too young to realize? Meh, whatever.
Edit: I’m going to post this here, too: ಠ_ಠ
Atheists on Xanga can’t even process simple ideas. @Godlessliberal banned me for the following comment:
1. Atheism cannot be proven
2. Faith is the belief in that which cannot be proven.
3. Therefore, athiesm is a faith-based belief.
Not one atheist here on Xanga has been able to understand that SIMPLE bit of reasoning.
So screw anything complex. They can’t handle it.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace -
Curtis, you probably got banned because you’re the biggest troll on xanga. You playing the victim is pretty laughable.
@whataboutbahb - And yet he does it all the time. He actually told me that the slippery slope fallacy is an invention of atheists and liberals. What a dumbass! lol
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - Atheism isn’t a belief. It’s a lack thereof. Fail.
Haha, come on Theo, you’re really trying to raise the rabble with this one, aren’t you. A backhanded slight at Atheists, saying they fail to understand complex information. For shame. I expect more from you.
Oh, and for the record, I’m high functioning Asperger’s. Not Autism. Close though.
Hey look! Fireworks!! Hmm, well, then mission accomplished. Well done!
Where are the boobs?
That is the single most closed minded and rude thing I’ve heard out of this “Dan” person.
There are many different, varying degrees of autism. Did you know that Albert Einstein was most likely autistic? He was also a very religious Jew. He was almost Prime Minister of Israel.
To say that ALL Atheists are autistic, or that all autistic persons are Atheist is just rude, distasteful, and stereotypical.
I hope that someone else out there sees how blatantly rude this is.
Oh man that is one crock of bull shit
[They can repeat facts and figures but they struggle to process information that is more complex.]
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Says the idiot that believes the Earth is less than 10,000 years old for no other reason than “teh buy-bull told me so.” *facepalm*
Nice trolling!
@InternetDominator - Not true at all. Theism is “belief in the existence of a god”, and “A” is prefix used to portray a lack of the following word. “Atheism” is the lack of belief in a god. Proper atheists believe that there is no God. Atheism is a belief.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - Not really. It’s a lack of belief. A-theism. Look it up on the internet buddy. Multiple atheist sites say this. Multiple atheists simply lack a belief. Who’s the one that’s right? The atheists or those trying to tell them what they believe?
So then basically, the Christian God sends people to hell for having autism? That’s not very nice.
Dan, you’re confusing atheists taking joy in knowing, learning and using facts with actual autism. Sorry we can’t do science with our feelings.
FAIL, Dan! I’m an atheist but I can’t say for sure if I have autism.
Wait! My dad is atheist and my mom is Christian. Does that make me half-autistic?
Uh oh, not touching this one ha ha. But I noticed Jews are really low, does that make us the extreem complex thikers? I think so.
@InternetDominator - No. Look it up on the internet, buddy.
Atheism
Dictionary.com “the doctrine or belief that there is no God.”
Merriam-Webster.com “a: a disbelief in the existence of deity b: the doctrine that there is no deity”
thefreedictionary.com “1. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods. 2. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.”
The New Oxford American Dictionary “the theory or belief that God does not exist.”
Lack of a belief in something means that you believe that that something does not exist. Theism is the belief in a god or gods. ”A-Theism” as a term denotes by the A prefix that there is no god. Thus, an atheist by definition means someone that does not believe a god exists.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - Well there are two distinct definitions:
1. There is no God, i.e: positive atheism, or explicit atheism2. Lack of belief, i.e: negative or implicit atheism.
Look online. Do surveys. Ask atheists, and most often you’ll see that most of them fall into the second category. I won’t argue with you over that point; you just have to do some information seeking yourself. Again, don’t try to tell us what we believe or don’t. We’ve already figured that out for ourselves.
@InternetDominator - I wasn’t telling anyone what they believed. I was defining the term properly. I stated “proper atheists”, meaning those who follow the term to what it means.
Why are some people accusing the author of saying that all atheists are autistic? He never said that once and never does the data. Sheesh. Read the article before you comment.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - You’re defining it according to what some dictionaries that you’ve cherry-picked say.
I wish there were a mini that said “A+ TROLLING!”
LOL I think it’s quite the opposite, and cults that gobbled up a family member – including Campus Crusade, now “Cru” – are the people who base their lives off of, like, three sentences Bill Bright told people to relay like parrots into the wondorusly naive minds of its victims! WOO!!!!
@InternetDominator - That I’ve cherry picked? Ha. Every dictionary I checked said the exact same thing. I didn’t feel like copying them all. Even URBANDictionary says it(and the first result seems to have been written by an atheist!). Every atheist I’ve ever met has stated that they do not believe a God exists.
@InternetDominator -
be·liefNoun/biˈlēf/1. An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.2. Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction. More »Wikipedia - Dictionary.com - Answers.com - Merriam-Webster
To have no belief in anything is to either be completely ignorant of it or have no opinion either way. If you hold to the opinion that it is true that there is no such thing as God, that has to be a belief.
*chillin, eatin’ gummy bears and reading comments.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow -
Dictionary definitions are hardly authoritative, especially when it comes to more complex terms.
And there is no such thing as “proper atheists.” Of course there will be varying thoughts and what a term means will evolve over time. Does christianity mean exactly one thing across the board? No, the term has different meanings to a lot of different people.
@Garistotle - Doesn’t this sound like a Trun entry!?
really though?
@trunthepaige - ”It takes little efort to see they share many characteristics and none of them involve having a high IQ. They are far from the healthiest and happiest of people and social problems are the norm. Do they tend to lack a normal amount of empathy “
Children who, from an early age, disbelieve in the existance of Santa are probably more analytical than their peers. Higher IQ? Sure, not necessarily; but it’s probably generally indicitive of a healthy amount of individualism and logical thinking.
@InternetDominator - See what I mean? You can’t understand simple logic. That means you are irrational.
But we all know that already without you FAILing to understand a simple proof.
@whataboutbahb - @In_Reason_I_Trust - TheoDan writes it. You prove him right!
What a bunch of maroons!
When faced with a simple logical proof you start babbling, abusing and slobbering.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - “Atheists on Xanga can’t even process simple ideas. @Godlessliberal banned me for the following comment”
And you blocked me for hypotheizing, from the evidence of your entries and comments, your identity.
My offer stands for your answer to accusations and my apology and retraction if demonstrated wrong.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace -
Curtis, I’m neither an athiest nor am I autistic (at least to my knowledge!).
It was a nice attempt though! Keep ‘em coming!
@whataboutbahb - Agnostic?
@whataboutbahb - You are a maroon though. And that’s what counts. As in babbling, abusing and slobbering.
@Celestial_Teapot - I blocked you because you’re a psychotic, criminally obsessed stalker.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - You blocked me after I wrote my entry and before I begun my “Obama-backed crusade” against you.
I didn’t take you for a liar, Denise. Oh, wait; nevermind.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace -
I do babble…and I may slobber on occasion. I don’t really abuse. I could answer that better though if I knew more about the context. (If it’s in regards to people or animals, then I can safely respond with a “no.”)
The problem with your idea is that it is idiotic. God is not a “complex idea” it’s a ready-made answer to each and everything that you don’t understand. People with autism, mental health issues, or any other section of society that has a higher risk of traumatic experiences are more likely to question the notion that there is some ever-loving fantasy being that has their back. Theodicy after theodicy has failed to explain both evil and the utility of believing in God. God or gods or anything of that nature has nothing to do with anything other than what we want to believe, and when we are confronted daily with the kinds of difficulty that no one else seems to experience, we have to explain to ourselves WHY and there is no god willing to answer us.
Or maybe it’s the other way around: people who have autism are more likely to be atheists because they don’t feel the need to conform to a ridiculous, completely socialized, fucked-up fairy tale. They lack the social instinct that would make them feel as though they need to be on the bandwagon, and thus see that religion is a joke.
Some of them seem to have trouble socializing, but that could probably be said about anyone who spends a significant amount of time on Xanga.
I think its supposed to be the other way around……
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - Your proof fails upon noticing that the first premise isn’t always true. Of course, you don’t understand that because you’re one of the most insane people on the face of Xanga, so you trying to make fun of me is cute. Very cute, Curtis.
@mtngirlsouth - Well yeah, but atheism isn’t always a belief. There are at least two types as I outlined. To hold no opinion either way would be implicit/weak atheism. Look it up.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - You’re still failing to get it; besides, there’s a difference between “I do not believe” and “I believe x is false.” Besides, like Bahb said, dictionaries are hardly authoritative. Look up truth sometime. It will usually say something along the lines of that which is true, that which is factual, or that which corresponds to reality. Then look up reality, true, and fact. It’s all circular.
oh for the love of God…lol
@InternetDominator - No. You fail to get it. You’re going around with crap that doesn’t matter, and ignoring the fundamental point I am trying to make. What does a theist believe?! That there is a god or gods. You would never argue that. It has NOTHING to do with Christianity; it is simply the belief in some kind of god. Yet for some reason, you fail to comprehend that an atheist is simply supposed to believe that there is no god. IT’S IN THE NAME. If you want to believe “nothing”, than you should be an “abeliefist”.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - And the definition of theist has nothing to do with the definition of atheist, dumbass. And the reason I spewed “that crap that doesn’t matter” is to show that your little dictionary is not always authoritative. You missed the point.
Just because “it’s in the name” doesn’t mean that definitions of explicit and implicit, weak and strong atheism don’t fucking matter.
We’re done. Obviously you’re devolving into rudeness, and that’s something I just can’t tolerate. So… bye bye!
@InternetDominator - AHAHAHAH!!! I’M devolving into rudeness?! Who just called who a dumbass?!?! Wow. You’re right. We’re done. You make absolutely no sense and can’t even make a valid argument other than “You’re wrong”. Great work.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - It was in response to your mockery and capital letters. Granted, it shouldn’t have been done, and I’m sorry, but still. I see no point in continuing this conversation.
@TheGuyYouD0ntKnow - Actually, I argued that dictionaries aren’t always authoritative matters on important topics like truth, reality, and *gasp* atheism. I also argued that there’s more than one definition purported by atheists. Lastly I argued that there’s a difference in saying that you don’t believe something and saying that you believe that that something is false. So I definitely said more than “nuh-uh,” and you keep pretending as if I’m not saying anything at all and sweeping everything I say under the rug.
@InternetDominator - Neither do I. Actually, I thank you for being the first to end it. I regret my decision to have said anything in the first place. I usually function on the “no one is ever going to change the other person’s mind” mentality, so it never even makes sense(to me) when I get into these pointless arguments. Apologies for anything that requires it(by the way, I didn’t intend to sound like I was mocking you. Sorry if it sounded as such.), and I bid you a good day/night.
sometimes, dan, i remember why you amuse me so. This is one of those times.
Hmm comparing atheism with autism…interesting. I can see how they may have connections…but I think it has more to do with their lack of wanting to absorb the information of religion. Also as children some of us like to rebel what we are taught and because we can, we choose NOT to believe in a religion because we can or are too lazy to take the time to simply believe. At the end of the day it is a choice for us. As human beings we have that power.
@robbiearnold - You are aware that Autism is a SPECTRUM of disabilities that aren’t all-inclusive to a lack or gain thereof, right? I have Autism and think MOSTLY in abstract/metaphors/symbolism. I even write poetry that covers topics from growing up to death, to love and romance, to just about anything.
Hey, dummies, this is a troll post.
“Some Atheists complained that xanga created Revelife for Christians but did not create an ish site for Atheists. I think they just thought Autisable covered the Atheists.”
Made me crack up. Omfg. That’s so fucking funny. Talk about talking shit. Oh, the controversy.
Bullshit. Your blogs are always so unoriginal, controversial and full of bullshit, Dan.
You lack writing skills and creativity. Sad. I just read a blog from 13 year old Xangan, and she wrote a hundred times better than you.
It was a dare, wasn’t it?
hahahahahhaaa
can you provide a link to this study?
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - Faith is the belief in that which cannot be proven
So God cannot be proven?
haha..
@Xcite_Me - interesting that there is no source for the graph, and no indication of how exactly these figures were put together.
my guess is that it was compiled either through poor research using a small or localised pool of interviewees, or that it was created by researchers with a specific (and weird) agenda.
firstly, the ‘evidence’ shows that autistic people are more likely to be atheists, rather than that atheists are more likely to be autistic.
and secondly, the very idea that atheists are more likely to be autistic, or that any conclusions can be drawn from this unsourced graph, is ridiculous and offensive.
in conclusion, dan is a bulbous bell end.
Seriously? You *know* this is offensive and ridiculous, right? The fact that you try to narrow down the concept of differences in belief systems by generalizing characteristics of autism to a whole group of people, shows to me that it is you who does have a good grasp of complex information.
checked autisable.
hey, at least a parent of an autistic child will love god:
http://www.autisable.com/755083935/autism-made-me-love-god-more/
seeing an older guy like Dan making such troll entries is just yuck.
@RazielV - Of course we are, but in science we’re not as interested in the spectrum as much. Hence why I said ‘typically’. The spectrum has evolved/expanded clinically over the years to give Autistic and those with Autistic yet high functioning (Aspergers, but not quite Aspergers) traits access to the resources that are beneficial should they need them. It’s an insurance thing (stupid insurance). However in research we don’t focus as much on the spectrum, you either meet the p-value for Autistic, Aspergers, or normal. Definitely check out some of Firth and Cohen’s work, some great fMRI studies in that line of research.
The article you linked to says “autistic individuals are more likely to be atheist”,
and here you have turned it around to say “atheists are likely to be autistic”,
which is just unnecessarily offensive.
In my own “studies” (AKA, day-to-day life/experiences)
i find that for some reason, a lot of Christians often offend people moreso than atheists.
It is absolutely fine to hold to your own beliefs,
but why try to hurt other people in the process?
Am I the only one that gets your sense of humor? lol. Reading these comments….man, it’s HILARIOUS that people think you are actually serious.
@Celestial_Teapot - Good you did not say that because it is a fact atheists are not significantly more intelligent than average (IQ103). And have you ever wondered is sorting for self professed atheists out the the far larger pool of people saying they have no religion, is that about like sorting self professed chauvinists out of the far larger pool of Christians? They are not just blindingly saying without thought what their mother raised them on, but understand a wing of theological thinking. My guess is that any individual member of a group who can explain to you their thinking in greater detail than average is likely more intelligent than an average member of that same group
After years of watching these questions, I’m cracking up that anyone took this seriously.
LMAO. One of the best posts you’ve ever written, Dan.
You’re autistic for posting this.
Firstly, most people with autism are far more intelligent than the “neurotypical”. Secondly, I’d say not even HALF the atheists on xanga are on the autism spectrum. I don’t care what link you grab. You’re pulling this out of your ass. This is rock bottom for you and I hope someone eats you alive for it.
@Lyrical_L - The existence of God can be proven. I have done it countless times here on Xanga. My proof is only three sentences long.
Consequently the belief in God is totally reasonable, unlike atheism which is a faith-based belief.
@InternetDominator - If my first premise is false, then prove atheism.
Of course you can’t.
So my proof stands.
I’m glad I’m not the only one struggling with how retarded atheists seem to be getting.
imo, being Atheist is almost a part of the Hipster fashion now.
Great post! I agree 100%.
Celebs photos update…
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/leo_new363/
http://leonew36.wordpress.com/
http://leonew360.wordpress.com/
Einstein had Asperger’s Syndrome, which is autism. Don’t tell me that he couldn’t process complex information.
@UltraViolet847 - Exactly. I have two children on the spectrum, one of whom is very high functioning, and he wants concrete facts. He has a rich imagination and loves to play, but if he asks me ‘why’, he expects me to give him an honest, factual answer.
‘Because goddidit’ is not going to satisfy his natural curiosity.
I am weak, so I am going to be hated. I have my grandmother’s support as of now, but I know she sees me as a pebble in her shoes. Nobody takes me seriously. I can’t live functionally. So what am I suppose to do? Just ignore that I am a burden? Be thankful I have arms? Live in social isolation watching t.v. ?
When I had a jib, nobody wanted to talk to me. If I get a job, I will be the same. The only thing that keeps me going is wrath. I cannot live like this. Why can’t euthanization be legal? I don’t want to live an inferior life, it is an embarrassment to my dignity.
I guess, I am suppose eat, sleep, and if I get a job, eat, sleep, work, and wait for death? I can’t make life meaningful. But my condition makes others feel better about themselves. I am like darth vader, just pure wrath. Today I shall pray for a caucasian five year old little girl to get by an ambulance.
I don’t care if dearRickyhas it worst. Inferiority is an abomination no matter how you look at it. It is cruel to allow individuals who desire not to live, to live. I shall pray for a mother to lose her son. I shall pray… Blood, more blood. I know others have it worst then me. But, I don’t find comfort in other’s weaknesses. I look at my inferiority and that is enough for me to want to bash shulls. If I could express how I feel.
Genocide. Let’s bomb africa.
Not happening, but I did say I was angry. Sometimes I feel alright, but anger is my normal feeling. I guess I could focus on becomming a better chess player. How can I have sex since prostitution is illegal? I will pray for a caucasian woman to be raped by a black man.
If I could make a pact with Lucifer so that I could massacre, I would. Till then, I crawl to my hole, like a rodent. Does anyone else feel as I do?
Not getting enough hatemail lately?
Without reading them, I’m guessing there’s a lot of up-in-arms comments about how insulting this is and if so, that’s what strikes me as interesting. Is it insulting to be thought of as Autistic? Because it shouldn’t be. Autism is the word used to group together certain attributes, behaviors, and such. It’s not like calling someone stupid.
~V
Lolol. This is so full of win. I’m enjoying the fireworks in the comments.
Wow, Dan…trying to start a flame war?
/grabs popcorn
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - In all fairness, God cannot be proven empirically. That’s kinda the whole point of ‘faith.’
However, to grant you your argument, and claim that lack of proof against is tantamount to proof, I’d like you to prove the following to me.
Prove that unicorns don’t exist.
Prove Santa Claus, as believed by children, is not real.
Prove there is no tooth fairy or Easter bunny.
Prove that the Flying Spaghetti Monster, as worshipped by the church of the FSM, is not real.
I’ll be waiting.
Wow Dan. Thanks for showing all those who don’t believe in Christ that He really changes us for the better.
@Galbsadi - Einstein’s Relativity was not proven empirically for decades. Yet he proved it through pure reason and it was accepted.
Likewise, atheism is proven to be a faith-based belief through pure reason.
And the existence of God is proven through pure reason.
Atheists ALWAYS set arbitrary standards like you just did and refuse to believe anything that doesn’t meet those arbitrary standards.
Such self imposed ingrained stupidity is what makes atheists look autistic as TheoDan’s statistics so clearly show.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - Hence why I said there’s a such thing called ‘faith’ regarding these things. Both theism and atheism hold a degree of faith, regardless of the attached religion.
I pointed out arbitrary standards to show how lack of proof against cannot be viable proof for, hence reiterating that this is still a case where faith is required, regardless of the individual belief applied.
This should make quite a bit of sense to you. That is, of course, unless you hold the same mental deficiency TheoDan accused of atheists on Xanga.
The study was on high functioning autism, ie the mental benefits without the analytical difficulties. You are characterizing it as atheism being a mental disorder because you are an attention whoring prick.
Wow, I’m unfriending you.
Does the study reflect the situation of all atheists, or just atheist Xangans??
Yea I agree to some extent that austistic people tend to deal with facts better than complex info.
@Galbsadi - Atheists assault and insult people who believe in God.
It is hypocritical to criticize people for having faith in God while at the same time holding to a belief that itself is based on faith.
Since atheism is a faith-based belief, athiests have no basis with which to criticize others for also having faith-based beliefs.
Since the existence of God is provable through reason, atheism is in the realm of belief in the Cookie Monster since neither atheism nor Cookie Monsters can be proven.
Dan, I think this can be point #1 of a post entitled:
“100 things that will make an Atheist angry”
I doubt this is going to surprise too many people. Additionally, we need to be careful about generalizing here. I think it seems likely that a huge proportion of high functioning autistics are atheists, but, that doesn’t mean that a huge proportion of atheists are high functioning autistics (though a larger proportion than the general population). Social context probably matters as well. In a nation like Estonia being an atheist is a lot less deviant and nonconformist than in the United States. Estonian high functioning autistics might still be atheist, but a much smaller proportion of atheists in Estonia are going to be high functioning autistics.
Finally, there’s another group which I think exhibits many of the same tendencies as atheists in the United States: libertarians.
This is the rest of that article. Generalizing is to be taken with care, as this doesn’t mean if you’re atheist, you’re autistic, even high-functiong autistic. But to answer tha question asked, Yeah I’d say so. But where does faith fall into this discussion. Faith is a belief, not a fact, so does that make faith a more complex thing or information??? Peace
Atheist idiots are savants vs religious idiots who are just idiots.
That’s because atheists trust science more and they get all those vaccinations as children.
Our society does not try to censor information. Rather it just floods society with so much garbage that one cannot process the truth and so remains in ignorance. Like these “studies”. They are so bogus, but they will allow the biased a chance to repeat to back up their own lack of thinking.
And it has been obvious to me that the simplistic religionists are the simple ones because they refuse to think for themselves. They have much more problems dealing with complex issues than atheists. Look at the Tea Party as an example of simplistic thinking for complex issues.
Well, I personally think that Autistic people are more likely to be Atheists than Atheists are to be Autistic, just because Autistic people understand science more than emotion.
Atheists and Christians probably have a similar capacity at grasping difficult concepts.
On a less civilised note, what was the point in this post? To put a little more hatred out into the world?
@tendollar4ways - Whatever kind of idiot you are, admitting to it in writing doesn’t help your case.
Nice trolling, sir.
Awww. Dan must not be getting enough attention lately. Whenever he needs some, he posts something controversial. Good work, Dan! You got me to post!
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - I won’t argue that it is, in fact, hypocritical for one with faith in the lack of a divine being to criticize faith. However, it is equally hypocritical for one with faith in the existence of a divine being to criticize faith in the opposite; this is, quite frankly, exactly what you appear to be doing.
You keep claiming that God’s existence is “provable via reason.” Since you clearly believe this so, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind explaining how you come to this conclusion, lest you be written off as a hypocritical idiot.
Way to troll both atheists and autisable members! this should be great.
@NeverSubmit - Actually, and it says something that this was the only comment I saw fit to respond to, there is much to be said about both the presence of evil and the utility of belief. The problem is not that the information you seek doesn’t exist. The problem is that you’ve never actually sought it.
@Galbsadi - I’ve written out my three sentence proof of God all over Xanga. I think doing so here is not appropriate. You are nevertheless welcome to visit one of my posts called “The Existence of God Proven in 3 Sentences”. LINK
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - I’m sorry, but after reviewing your post, I must state that this is not proof, but rather assumption. (1) and (2) hold sound, valid points, yet on (3) the system does indeed rely on faith. (Mind you, this is from the mindset of a person who tends to agree in the existence of a divine being [although I properly label my agreement as being based in faith]…to call it absolute truth is, at best, irrational, and at worst insane.)
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - Well as usual you’re missing the whole damn point. I don’t have to “prove” atheism; I simply have to show you that atheism isn’t necessarily a belief in order to shoot down your first premise.
@trunthepaige - “…My guess is that any individual member of a group who can explain to you their thinking in greater detail than average is likely more intelligent than an average member of that same group.”
Haha, sharp point; I never really reached this idea. The debaters of the blogosophere self-sort on education/ intelligence/ leisure time.
I have met some disturbingly uncurious and unthoughtful Atheists in my time.
@haloed - for dan to make his point he needs less than one out of ten of xanga atheists have unusualy low levels of empathy. Without any doubt the the real level here is better than three times that
Yeah this entry was prefect. @A_DistantMemory -
You do realize that the only thing the results can detail are how likely you are to be atheist if you have autism?
The study is explaining autistic demographics, not general populations. The fact is that 1 in 4200 people in the United States has autism (= 0.0024 percent). The US has a general population of 309 million. That means there are approximately 75,000 people with autism in the US. Now conservative figures for American atheists have ranged from 7 to 10 percent. Let us suppose that 10 percent of Americans are atheists (= 30.9 million). Approximately 84 percent of Americans are Christian (= 260 million).
From the provided chart, about 25 percent are atheist and 17 percent are Christian have ASD. Do the math, that means about 18,750 autistic are atheist while 12,750 are Christian. As a percent of the general populations, this means that approximately 0.06 percent of atheists and 0.005 percent of Christians are autistic. As a percentage of their respective populations, there are 12 times as many atheists ASD as there are Christian ASD.
This simply means among the autistic, there are slightly (6,000 or 8 percent) more atheists than there are Christians. If you were to take a random sample of all atheists in America, by proportions alone, there is a 0.06 percent chance of selecting an autistic person versus a 0.005 percent chance of selecting a random American Christian and them being autistic. By these figures, you are more likely, among random samples of their populations, to find atheists that are autistic. However, this does not mean that “Atheists on Xanga are more likely to have autism.” Why? Because Xanga is not a random sample of America.
I find it not hard to speculate that autistic are not known for trolling the internet and running blogs. The fact that among random samples you are 12 times as likely to find atheist ASD versus Christian should not be surprising. There are slightly more (8 percent) atheist autistic among those with ASD. Add to this that the atheists make up a significantly smaller proportion of the American population (10 percent). Thus, it is not shocking at all. Most characteristics will be more pronounced in smaller populations. Considering that there are 1 atheist for every 8 or 9 Christians, you will find that characteristic more “washed out” in the Christian population compared with the atheist population. This is basic demography. There is certainly nothing we can infer about being atheist or Christian that would support saying “being atheist causes you to be autistic.”
@Galbsadi - A true conclusion based on two true premises is the essense of logic.
My proof of existence of God makes no assumptions at all. Especially since the conclusion is based on a definition not an assumption.
@InternetDominator - Atheism is a belief. Look it up.
Belief in a negative is still a belief.
@bryangoodrich - Bryan’s brain rules.
Just one curious question though: why isn’t Xanga a random sample of America?
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - I’ve done so. It depends on where you look.
@InternetDominator - As I alluded to earlier, I doubt that you could expect a similar proportion of ASD to use the internet, much less Xanga, as Americans do in general. Therefore, Xanga cannot possibly represent America, especially in terms of who has ASD. The same would go for those that are poor, by analogy. The fact that someone drives a car, has a computer, has internet access, has a smartphone, etc., all represent people with certain demographic characteristics, such as having the money to purchase all those things or use them effectively. So if you’re trying to get a random sample that would characterize one of these groups, you cannot select or apply it to a population that doesn’t resemble its structure. The point of a random sample is that the randomness washes out all those biasing factors (we say the random error/bias averages out to 0). Thus, when I say Xanga is not a random sample, I am saying that the fact someone is on Xanga or the internet is that it is biased from the rest of America. While Xanga probably does resemble the structure of American demographics in some ways, I doubt it does with regard to ASD, and we certainly couldn’t assume it does! As I said, I find no problem speculating quite the opposite: we aren’t going to find 1 in 4200 Xangans being autistic.
@Celestial_Teapot - Or an IRIT blog.
@Garistotle - Ha! On point. Hector, though, favors critique of different targets. =P
Haven’t had any trouble with it so far.
@bryangoodrich - So basically since autistic people are more likely to use the Internet, it doesn’t constitute a random sample? Shoot me if I’m taking what you’re saying out of proportion.
@Celestial_Teapot - Maybe different targets within the same bracket.
@Galbsadi - His “argument” has been thoroughly refuted many times, but I dedicated an entire post to it here. The original idea was to have it linked to him every time he brought up his fallacious argument, but since then he has forced me to block him, so he no longer has access to it.
Supposing all of this was true…. let’s take it a step further. Autism is something a person is born with (or it develops around age 2, whatever, the point is no one CHOOSES autism). By your reasoning, if I am reading correctly, autism makes is more difficult to believe in Christianity. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, it makes it impossible for some autistic folks whose brains just cant wrap around all these difficult concepts. So, “God” makes a person, designs that person to find it impossible to believe in God, and then, the ultimate bitch slap, damns that person to hell for all of for not confessing that Jesus Christ is the one and only savior. Sounds like christianity to me.
@At_Sixes_And_Sevens - Wtf!!! Im gonna slap you with a dirty trout!
@InternetDominator - I’m saying that I would speculate that autistic people use the internet less than normal people, for reasons I think should be obvious. I don’t have evidence to this, but it is a commonsensical reason to avoid assuming otherwise and letting that bias enter the critique. It is not a random sample because (1) it wasn’t randomly selected, and (2) the demographic structure of Xanga users will probably not resemble those of America, especially in the areas significant to this discussion (viz., the autistic population that surfs Xanga).
I think that there is a grand distinction between a persons personal belief’s and their ability or capacity to complexly think or analyze information. I believe that some people claim to be Atheist’s because they don’t know what to think about a higher power or simply elect to not care about said power so they therefore think that they fall under the category of Atheism. On the other hand, I believe that there are true, ironically practicing Atheist’s who do not fall under the category you are thinking of. I definitely see the merit in your argument but I think that it is unfair to lump all Atheists together because of a small population who make the rest of us look bad. Lastly, a person’s personal belief does not necessarily affect a person’s capacity to think about complex issues, but it can affect how a person might do so, and I think that should be distinguished. I don’t want to discredit you, I simply want to clarify and defend myself and my fellow Atheists to a degree.
You need to watch where you tread. Yes some studies may show some inclination, but you are making a huge, great, sweeping statement. I think you really need to THINK about what you say before you say it. Or is that idea too complex for you?
Autism, by it’s very (well, by what we understand of it’s) Nature blocks or inhibits the brain from processing or following cultural patterns. Religions such as what is presented in this study are fully a part of our Culture.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - I guess you are living proof that some people simply cannot be taught. At least I can say I tried.
@GodlessLiberal - Doesn’t surprise me, given the way he acts.
@Galbsadi - ohhhh snap mothafucka!
@bryangoodrich - Gotcha. Thanks!
ha. bunch of bull.
You troublemaker you.
Well, I can kind of see that, I have an autistic adult son, and he takes everything literally…everything is black and white with him. He doesn’t understand or grasp other’s feelings or ideas that are different from his own. He reads only non-fiction. He has fallen away from the church and doesn’t feel comfortable there. The concepts of hope, faith, love, are difficult for him to grasp, as is anything having to do with theology.He’s never stated that he’s an atheist, but I can see that the way he thinks, or does’t think, could easily lead him to see things that way. I think it has to do with the whole “theory of mind” thing. It’s too abstract.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - ……and when are you putting up more pictures of you being a woman?
This seems like the kind of post that should be reported for trolling and inciting… not put as the first thing on the top of the website. Way to give a great negative impression of Xanga, hope there weren’t any new users browsing the site today.
this is a good post simply because it exposes a lack of mental evolution in the atheistic mind. sure, if i can see it, then it exists. if i can’t, then it is not there. i wonder what atheists are breathing? to be fair, we should not attack the atheistic mind as it is akin to attacking a mentally challenged person; that is of course, unacceptably uncivilized. autistic/asberger types depend on what is solid and seen and they need this physically factual basis in order to function at their best. atheism and the autistic connection is a great study because we see parallels. god would never hold autism or asberger syndrome against a person’s nonbelief BUT he also knows that we make choices and the word of god penetrates much deeper than autistic imbalance.
@GodlessLiberal - You’ve never refuted any of my arguments. Your only response was to ban me because you simply don’t have the intellectual heft to compete with me in the arena of ideas.
The way you worded this makes it sound like atheism is a cause of Autism.
I think what you mean is people who are Autistic are more likely to have no believe in God(s)
@petiteme_x - You are yet another example of the autistic atheist. I will try to be kind based on your condition of mental retardation.
@Galbsadi - You conceded to me! You acknowledged that the first two premises of my proof are true and you simply proclaimed that my conclusion was an assumption. And a proclamation is not an argument, especially since my conclusion is based on a definition not an assumption.
You have proven TheoDan correct. You are simply unable to grasp even the simplist of concepts.
You can’t make the connection between simple facts and a definition.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - hahaha oh yes calling someone a retard is blatant kindness… you clearly haven’t learned your manners
Perhaps this is a specific condition we must also address, I believe it is called putting your foot in your mouth syndrome. Oh and multiple personalities, I must never forget to include that one in your diagnosis.
And my comment proves that I am autistic because…..? Right. An unjustified remark based on you being butthurt over stealing some chick’s pictures over the interwebz.
Is it me, or does it appear that you are just stupid?
It’s not hard to imagine the whole of the moon.
@petiteme_x - Retarded is as retarded does. TheoDan has set the plate. And it was you who launched into hateful abuse and personal attacks.
That you fit the pattern of an autistic atheist is you being you.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - hahah oh hun don’t play the victim ;) Will you ever realize how hypocritical it is for you to be bitching about “abusive comments” when you’ve been known to attack people on here? Wow. Living in a glass house and throwing stones, absolutely amusing.
Lol
Lol! Have I mentioned how much I love you Dan?
Does this mean if I don’t find Jeebus I’ll become autistic? I also hear Christians are more likely to be ridiculous trolls.
@petiteme_x - Me stating the facts is not playing victim. Your insults, on the other hand are simply proof that you are a hateful troll with a chip on his shoulder. I should be able to go Xanga-wide without having to suffer the abuse of criminally insane psychotics.
Atheists are also more likely to be disgruntled potheads and Obama voters.
correlation does not equal causation
“Is it me, or does it appear that Atheists struggle to process complex information?”
It’s you Dan…. even I can tell and I’m not an atheist.
Hmmm… we may have to get this on Autisable to get the fireball reaction that might come from the Autism Community…….deep thought… any takers?
belief that there is/are no god or gods = atheist
no distinguished belief of whether one or more god(s) exist = agnostic = open to possibility that there may exist any number from zero to infinity gods
Once introduced to the idea, you either believe one way or the other (theist or atheist) or you are uncertain (agnostic).
I liked the comments more than the post.
And just when I thought it would be quiet for a while…
Oh come on Dan, this is pretty provocative and trollish of you.
Well, speaking as an Aspie and an atheist, I’d like to think I’m more intelligent than the average joe, but that isn’t necessarily because I’m an atheist. Moreover, Autism doesn’t mean you struggle to process complex information; rather, it means you’re very grounded in reality-logical, thoughtful, but not very good at abstract things.
I agree that there is a correlation between Autism and atheism, but I believe it’s because we demand evidence and facts behind things and are very organized/structured/etc. I may be a bit biased because I’m an atheist, though.
@InternetDominator - Is there something de facto distinct about the two? I know the two are logically distinct, but by informing your atheism by reading atheistic literature and by validating it by discussing burdens of proof, by criticizing religious claims to truths and theistic claims in general, aren’t you de facto rejecting that God exists? Aren’t you in effect taking the physical world as self-sufficient, morals as human conventions, and so on?
@InternetDominator - there are some atheist sites that conflate the two definitions. for example from American Atheists: Atheism is the lack of belief in a deity, which implies that nothing exists but natural phenomena (matter), that thought is a property or function of matter, and that death irreversibly and totally terminates individual organic units. This definition means that there are no forces, phenomena, or entities which exist outside of or apart from physical nature, or which transcend nature, or are “super” natural, nor can there be. Humankind is on its own.
@TheThinkingPerson - i read that autistic people tend to make fewer teleological/purposive attributions to the world (including the world as a whole and human behavior). http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2010/05/29/people-with-aspergers-less-likely-to-see-purpose-behind-the-events-in-their-lives/ if so, it seems less to do with rational thinking in general than it is with an impaired social cognition.
Well, given that my score is in the mid-30s ( http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html ) I guess I better convert to atheism since it would be a better fit. Thanks for the advice!
@petiteme_x - Ignore the troll. Your life will be so much easier. Or just call Curtis a lesbian transvestite.
I find this post to be a one sided generalization. I find it Sad that in America of all places we have the discrimination of something we don’t understand.
Thank you Hitler Dan, for showing your true colors and now I will be blocking you. It seems like Americans would be able to grasp the idea of walking in someone else shoes, of not doing the norm, and thinking outside of box. Clearly the older generation is still passing down the prejudiced ideals of its time.
Look at the facts, do the math.
Just because someone has a different belief doesn’t give you the privilege to hate on them. And while I’m at it just because someone has a different way of thinking doesn’t make them retarded. Has anyone thought that because you put such a negative light being autistic or being in the spectrum that people who are don’t talk about it? It is not that they don’t feel, they do, but they seem to know how to better control the feelings they have and isn’t that what the goal is? Not to let your emotions get the best of you?
Or is it okay to have people running around with their emotions out of control? As long as the have the Christian label or whatever it is that you believe in its okay.
*Shakes Head*
What about; people with Autism are more likely to be an Atheist.- That sounds better to me. You can change your mind about religion, you can’t change being Autistic. Also, aren’t Autistic people normally a lot more realistic? So, Atheism is realistic.
Learn how to process information about autism. You definitely need to work on the connotations you employ.
Here is a direct link to the study:
http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/proceedings/2011/papers/0782/paper0782.pdf
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - lmao Alright Sybil, in your own box of a world you are merely a sad sad victim of repeated abuse. *sigh* Perhaps this is from years of contemplating if you were a male or a female. Just a heads up, it doesn’t help to be a man in real life but be a chick online.
And naw… I find a lot of humour in your stupid statements.
@InternetDominator - hahah been there done that! But is there really anything else to do on a Tuesday night besides bug a common twat on xanga? Just for shits and giggles really ;)
Really??? I mean really???? reeeeaaaaaaaaaaalllllly? REEEEEEAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLYYYYY????
There are quite a few holes in that. Whoever wrote this obviously has very little knowledge of Autism… Rarely do people with high functioning Autism have trouble with understanding complex information. On the contrary, there are many Autistic people out there with genius IQs, working as technological engineers, computer programming, neurology, physicists, etc. I think Autism has as much to do with beliefs as your hair color. BTW… I have high functioning Autism, and I’m also a Christian. As for ‘complex stuff’, I’m actually very interested in physics and genetics (and science in general). Can’t stand labels though…