What if atheism is like Aspergers?

There are some people that just cannot comprehend spiritual matters. Those kinds of people are atheist, but not all atheists are those people. Many atheists were previously devout in their religion, but decided it just wasn't their truth.

edit: wow, some of these answers sound really insulted! You know whats more insulting? That you are so afraid to be compared to someone with a "defect".

Aspergers Atheism

Yes, with so many people believing in a wild variety of gods I have considered many reasons why I seem to the the "odd duck out", mental imbalance/disability being one of them.

Then again, the "wild variety" seems interesting. And the various superstitions. And the propensity of people to grasp for the supernatural when they can't find a natural explanation. And the long and colorful history of gods-belief. And what about drugs giving people "spiritual experiences"? And research which tells us people who are more prone to "spiritual experiences" have a less developed sense of self:

http://chattahbox.com/science/2008/12/25/spiritual...

So it might be me, but I do not think so. Then again, I would think that if I were deluded. Then again again, I seem to function adequately. So I'll just do what most people do and plow on ahead regardless.

On a side note, have you ever considered that "asperger's" and "scoring on the autism spectrum" might just be part of the future of the human race and the slow emergence of post-humanity?

Actually, there isn't a "scale". Each of those terms simply has a different definition. Also, I object to the term, agnosticism in general, because that actually means you don't "know"....and as far as I'm concerned, no human being can KNOW whether or not there is a God, because such things are unknowable. So everyone is an agnostic.

If atheism is a symptom of autism, how do you explain the vast differences between the religious beliefs of those who aren't born with this "birth defect"?

I think it's more likely that theism would be comparable to the autism spectrum. Especially now that nearly every kid is being diagnosed as autistic, aspergers, or PPD/NOS. It's the new ADHD.

False comparison. There's a big difference between Aspergers and atheism. and I don't like it that you're comparing the two. For onething, you chose to be an atheist. One doesn't chose to be an aspie.

Intuition does not entail fact. There is evidence of a brain center that responds to religious talk, it is simply unreasonable to think that proves anything about the rest of the universe.

I have Asperger's. I take offense at your suggestion that atheism is a lack of something, rather than the opposite.

Pretty insulting. What if I asked you "what if spirituality is like schizophrenia"?

No, I do not consider my lack of belief to be a defect of any kind.

~Atheist, ex-fundie-Xian, former New Ager