| In my experience in college (despite the name, St. John's is secular), actual intelligence, as indicated by SATs, sophistication of expression in speech and writing, and success in the curriculum, was not much of a predictor of who was religious and who was not. Additionally, most of the agnostics were by no means hostile or even indifferent to religion, but maintained a lively interest, and were genuinely in conflict about what to believe, although at various levels. The biggest predictor of atheism or contemptuous agnosticism, frankly, was pretentiousness, or at least anxiety about being cool. That is not to say that I did not know people with deeper reasons, I did. But it was the guys who were playing at being sophisticated who were the most visible, because of their propensity to sneer, I suppose..... |
