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Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists

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Wazzim

Banned
answersbillboardnl8.jpg

Damn..
 

NewFresh

Member
The study, conducted among 350 Americans adults and 420 Canadian college students, asked participants to decide if a fictional driver damaged a parked car and left the scene, then found a wallet and took the money, was the driver more likely to be a teacher, an atheist teacher, or a rapist teacher?

AHAHAHHAHA
 

Slavik81

Member
One of the choices is teachers. The other two choices are a subset inside of teachers. So all this proves the majority of people who were quizzed don't understand set subset relationships.

Except the question would make no sense if two of the options were entirely superfluous. It's likely they assumed it was not a trick question and that the most general option should be chosen only if there's not a more specific option that covers it.
 

Orayn

Member
Stupidly small sample size, though I wouldn't be surprised if a similar trend were reflected if they tried this test for a much bigger group.
 

ckohler

Member
Provocative image. But what is the message? We need to get people to believe something we have no evidence for because we think it will make them less likely to be criminals?

The jails are filled with believers.

That's exactly what the faithful preach. If you aren't afraid of eternal damnation, then you can't be afraid if mortal damnation.

Yes, jails are filled with God fearing people. That doesn't compute with other religious people. You see, to them belief in God can ONLY be a GOOD thing.

It's the highest form of hypocrisy.
 

Orayn

Member
That's exactly what the faithful preach. If you aren't afraid of eternal damnation, then you can't be afraid if mortal damnation.

Yes, jails are filled with God fearing people. That doesn't compute with other religious people. You see, to them belief in God can ONLY be a GOOD thing.

Oh, but a fellow believer who does something that lands them in jail wasn't a true believer.
 

Air

Banned
I don't think the central problem with discussion between atheists and theists is that the atheists are too nasty.

That was just an aside, me reflecting on what could be more than anything else.

I Should have clarified that.
 

Chuckie

Member
Interesting that nonreligious people also voted the same as religious people. Due to my background, and being exposed to different people, I can see atheist's the same as anybody else, but the recent new movement has not done much to help their image. Its similar to the fundamentalist Christian problem, except that Christianity has been around so long that most people know that Fundamentalism is not all it offers. Unfortunately for many Atheists, the movement is fairly new, and goes against the grain in almost all aspects, and many people are not doing a good job in dispelling all the drama associated with atheism.

Cool...there is a movement? Because I'm an atheist and so are 80% of the people I know but so far we have never had the urge to group and make a movement to oppose non-atheists.

Anyway..nice research...so you have [blank], atheist and rapist... appearantly a theist is already above suspicion according to this research... and atheists are ranked below rapists... because you never know... the rapist might believe in God so will never take that money
 

milanbaros

Member?
One of the choices is teachers. The other two choices are a subset inside of teachers. So all this proves the majority of people who were quizzed don't understand set subset relationships.

Yep, logic should be teacher>athiest teacher>rapist teacher.

Saying the teacher is more likely to be an athiest rather than a rapist says as much about statistics than your opinions of these types of people.

Ask the same question in DR Congo. The answer statistically would probably rapist.
 

Slavik81

Member
Stupidly small sample size, though I wouldn't be surprised if a similar trend were reflected if they tried this test for a much bigger group.

770 people is too small a sample? Could I see your math, because based on the equations I'm using, for a 5% error rate 19 times out of 20, that's more than sufficient for a population of 330,000,000.

A better criticism is that their sampling is not even remotely random. The population of North America is not half composed of Canadian college students.
 

DJMicLuv

Member
Well...I like Atheists...
and I like Rapists.
But which one is better?
There's only on way to find out....
FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

msv

Member
Uhm doesn't this show that people think a teacher is more likely to be an atheist than a rapist? What a weird and nonsensical question.
 

Air

Banned
Cool...there is a movement? Because I'm an atheist and so are 80% of the people I know but so far we have never had the urge to group and make a movement to oppose non-atheists.

Anyway..nice research...so you have [blank], atheist and rapist... appearantly a theist is already above suspicion according to this research... and atheists are ranked below rapists... because you never know... the rapist might believe in God so will never take that money

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Atheism
 

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
Only in America.

And maybe third world countries.
 

Fusebox

Banned
Well this is a pretty bleak reflection on the state of religion in America and Canada.

It's kind of comforting to know the results would be very different in Australia, but it's still disappointing to hear that so many people don't trust me just because I don't believe in whatever their personal preference of deity is.
 

SolKane

Member
I'd like to see the study which shows that teachers are distrusted by statisticians more than both atheist and rapist teachers.
 

Slavik81

Member
Well this is a pretty bleak reflection on the state of religion in America and Canada.

It's kind of comforting to know the results would be very different in Australia, but it's still disappointing to hear that so many people don't trust me just because I don't believe in whatever their personal preference of deity is.

As a young, Canadian atheist, I've never encountered this. I think the study methodology is probably just garbage. At the very least, their evidence does not support the stated conclusion.
 

Slavik81

Member
Convert to Christianity so.... so.... hm. How does that keep the guy from shooting me?

Like, should I convert to Christianity so that, in the future, I kill fewer hostages?

If I remember correctly from elementary school, armour goes in a hierarchy:
  1. God armour
  2. Quantum armour
  3. Steel plate
  4. Iron plate
  5. Chainmail

EDIT: Though, beware someone who has 'God bullets'. They can punch through any armour.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Stalin didn't do things in the name of Atheism. That difference isn't trivial.
 
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