Q: It seems that the trend in people with PhD’s is to stop believing in God or start questioning His existence; why is it that the more “educated” you become, the more atheistic you lean?
A: I’m not positive that "more educated" and "atheist" have a direct correlation. Having come from the engineering world, it was drilled in my head to avoid finding a correlation between two variables based on limited evidence. In other words, I might run across a friend at a local coffee shop three times in a five week period and conclude that whenever I go there, he goes there. I may later learn that he goes there every day and therefore there is no correlation between his presence and mine. The fact is that there are many PhD’s who are Christian or believe in a god, so I’m not sure there is a direct correlation between smarts and faith.
On the other hand, there may be an indirect correlation. The more we learn, the more we rely on our learning and our own understanding. God never asks anyone to check his or her brain at the door, and Scripture encourages investigation and discernment. But the Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes…” and “‘…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” The wiser we become in our own eyes the easier it becomes to believe only what our minds can grasp.
It does seem that most of the PhD’s we see on TV or meet in person are University Professors &/or Scientists who are either atheists or agnostics. These are people who have spent and continue to spend a great deal of time in secular academia. This environment is not just neutral to the Christian message, but often hostile to it. In many cases there is very little respect for or tolerance of Christian belief in faculty members or researchers. This is especially the case in the area of hard sciences. So, the lack of belief in many who hold PhD’s may simply be the product of their environment.
Read More......
A: I’m not positive that "more educated" and "atheist" have a direct correlation. Having come from the engineering world, it was drilled in my head to avoid finding a correlation between two variables based on limited evidence. In other words, I might run across a friend at a local coffee shop three times in a five week period and conclude that whenever I go there, he goes there. I may later learn that he goes there every day and therefore there is no correlation between his presence and mine. The fact is that there are many PhD’s who are Christian or believe in a god, so I’m not sure there is a direct correlation between smarts and faith.
On the other hand, there may be an indirect correlation. The more we learn, the more we rely on our learning and our own understanding. God never asks anyone to check his or her brain at the door, and Scripture encourages investigation and discernment. But the Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes…” and “‘…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” The wiser we become in our own eyes the easier it becomes to believe only what our minds can grasp.
It does seem that most of the PhD’s we see on TV or meet in person are University Professors &/or Scientists who are either atheists or agnostics. These are people who have spent and continue to spend a great deal of time in secular academia. This environment is not just neutral to the Christian message, but often hostile to it. In many cases there is very little respect for or tolerance of Christian belief in faculty members or researchers. This is especially the case in the area of hard sciences. So, the lack of belief in many who hold PhD’s may simply be the product of their environment.
