Comments on: Intelligence and Religion

By: Tellie

Tellie — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:29:57 +0000

Yea, I guess I just have my moments. Somedays I wish I were average, and then there are days that I realize how much easier certain aspects of life are when you're above average. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:18:22 +0000

Sometimes it's easier to just be “average”…but trust me–that's not the way to get anywhere! Use what you've got…no matter what anyone else thinks/says/does! I was “smart” and “extraordinary” all my life…then somewhere along the lines I started caring more about what other people thought of me than what I thought of myself. I too could have graduated at a much younger age…gone to college…then…God only knows…but instead…I'm a “college dropout”…and no matter what I have to say I'm never considered “extraordinary” anymore…because I lack a piece of paper. I'm “just another housewife”. That being said…I'm happy to be a housewife. I'm home with my kiddos–who don't care about my piece of paper…and I know that I'm intelligent….no matter what anyone else believes. God blesses people with different gifts–and some people just need to accept that! Also…I am a firm believer that religion kills spirituality. Some people are too worried about religion to truly ever know God.

By: Tellie

Tellie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:42:33 +0000

I have not heard of those books, but I shall definitely check them out. I’m very familiar with CS Lewis and read a lot of her books, but I don’t remember which ones exactly since it’s been well over 10 years since I’ve read them. What topics do they cover?

By: Emmanuel

Emmanuel — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:11:43 +0000

Have you ever read C S Lewis? I dont mean the Narnia stuff. Those are good, but even better for intelligent folks are the books Mere Christianity, The Four Loves, The Abolition of Man and The Problem of Pain. I totally identify with you on being singled out because of being too intelligent, but these books gave me a very fine perspective on life, otherwise I might have ended up devoting my life to one of the ‘fire-and-thunder’ preachers or the other extreme of hedonism.

By: I can’t come up with a catchy title so this will have to do for now | Intelligence Is A Curse

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:29:42 +0000

[...] My blog is entitled Intelligence Is A Curse, because like everything in life intelligence is a double edged sword: it is both a blessing and a curse. I know to some the title sounds somewhat conceited, but I in no way flaunt my intelligence. There is no reason for me to hold my head up high and look down on people when I could just as easily been born below average. I have never thought highly of myself for this very reason. I talk more about this here. [...]

By: RenaissanceTrophyWife

RenaissanceTrophyWife — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:53:38 +0000

Ok, this is going to be a long comment, but it's striking how similar our stories are. I'm older than you, but also grew up playing classical music; resisted going straight to college after 8th grade (for social reasons, like you) and instead took multivariable calc and engineering physics at the UC during my freshman year in high school. I know what it feels like to be singled out. Finished HS in 3 years, went to college on a full ride at 16, entered med school before I could drink legally. You have an excellent perspective regarding your intelligence, and honestly it's fine NOT to blend in. I understand you want to, but after a while, people get used to seeing you in classes and it's not so much of a novelty any more. Especially in a university setting with a narrow age range, it will probably happen any time you go to a new class, but in the real world there will be more diversity of experience as well as intelligence. If you truly want to blend in, challenge yourself to find a situation where your natural talents are in fact average for that population-- then you don't have to downplay your intelligence or feel singled out. Just my 2 cents; I understand how alienating intelligence can be. RenaissanceTrophyWife’s last blog post..The End: Getting to “Rich” (Part I)