Atheists Pitted Against Believers on Canadian TV Show January 19, 2010

Atheists Pitted Against Believers on Canadian TV Show

By Guest Contributor
January 19, 2010

This Sunday (the 24th), the Canadian TV show Test the Nation is going to be pitting several different groups against each other next week to see who has the higher IQ.

Two of the groups: Atheists and Believers.

[Picture removed]

I believe that’s us on the right.

In case you’re curious about the show, sometimes they quiz viewers on things like sports trivia or Canadian history. This is only the second time they’ve tested a demographic group’s IQ.

My friend Justin Trottier is one of the representative atheists.

3. Why will your team do well on the test?

I think we will do well because Atheists tend to be questioned on their beliefs so much that they tend to be very well read and well-researched, and as a result are quite knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects. I think that will make our team a dynamic and successful one.

Make us proud, Justin!

(Or else.)

(via Struck by Enlightning)

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  • Nick Wallin

    In the picture, the two Trekkies on the right are from the “Nerds” team.

  • dan

    Just a hair splitter, but we don’t have beliefs to be questioned about.

    ‘Atheists tend to be questioned on their beliefs ‘

  • Tony

    In the picture, the two Trekkies on the right are from the “Nerds” team.

    How on earth could you tell that? Most atheists are pretty nerdy in my experience. Name another group that reads biology textbooks for fun!

  • Karen

    Why are born-again Christians so attractive? I really wonder why -asymmetrically- Atheists, for the most part, were left out of that gene pool.

  • Darwin’s Dagger

    So you don’t believe anything? There, I just questioned you about your beliefs. I imagine that you believe all sorts of things that are beyond your capacity to know, since no single person has the capacity to know everything. Unless you are an evolutionary biologist who has studied the evidence you only believe that the science supporting evolution is sound, and that if you were to examine it you would reach the same conclusions as the actual scientists. That is an entirely reasonable belief when compared to some of the things believed by theists, but it is still a belief.

  • Darwin’s Dagger

    The teams on the ad are the Twins and the Nerds, not the Believers and the Atheists.

  • My husband is on the atheist team. We’re going to kick ass (I’m away at a stupid academic conference in San Fran, boo). btw, that’s the nerd team on the right. Subtle difference, I know.

  • I’m an atheist and a nerd, but I’m neither a Trekkie nor really very interested in biology.
    .-= Secular Planet´s last blog ..Comforting Others in Pain =-.

  • Grant

    How on earth could you tell that? Most atheists are pretty nerdy in my experience. Name another group that reads biology textbooks for fun!

    If you go to the site (by clicking the picture) they list all the teams. They don’t look very happy in the thumbnail picture next to the smiling believers, but I think that’s just because the photo was taken from farther away.

  • Grant

    My husband is on the atheist team. We’re going to kick ass (I’m away at a stupid academic conference in San Fran, boo). btw, that’s the nerd team on the right. Subtle difference, I know.

    Really? Which one is he? Please tell me he’s not the one with his hat all goofy. If he is, make him wear his hat straight or backwards, the tilted look makes people look like imbeciles. If he isn’t, then good for him.

  • NewEnglandBob

    Anyone participating in ANY kind of reality show is nothing but a fool.

  • Mara Jade

    This looks super interesting. I know that I, for one, will be trying to watch that. I may tell my atheist cousin and uncle in BC about it as well. I think they’d be interested. Especially since we three are all alone in our family as atheists.

  • There’s nothing better than Canadian tv.

    Let’s all watch and do shots every time someone says, “eh” or makes a statement that sounds like a question.

    Go Canadian Atheists, eh?
    .-= Lagunatic´s last blog ..Ma vie rempli de Glamour =-.

  • littlejohn

    I realize that as atheists we can’t have any real rules, but is it too much to ask that people representing our side leave the damn Star Trek uniforms at home?
    Sex appeal shouldn’t matter in an intellectual argument, but of course it does. Those outfits practically scream “I still live in my parents’ basement.”
    Take a clue from the Mac vs. PC commercials. It’s hip to be, well, hip.

  • aspentroll.myid.net

    Picky, picky, picky.

  • DGKnipfer

    It’s also hip to know what you’re talking about. Since the two Star Trek geeks are from team Nerd and not team Atheist maybe you should hold your rant till you get the complete facts. We are supposed to be the sceptical ones who check their facts first.

    Edit: Cool, if you click the pic it takes you to the web page for the contest. You can brouse around and find a pic from team Atheist pretty quick. They look like average people.

  • Hemant

    I was joking about the atheists being on the right. I thought that was obvious…

  • justanotherjones

    Those teams are the Twins and the Nerds. Look here for more teams, including the very popular atheists.

  • justanotherjones

    heh, looks like I’m not quick enough.

  • Revyloution

    Karen said

    Why are born-again Christians so attractive? I really wonder why -asymmetrically- Atheists, for the most part, were left out of that gene pool.

    I don’t know about you, but I’m DAMNED handsome 🙂

    Lagunatic, my favorite Canadian T-shirt says “Yes, Canadians say ‘Eh’, but its a helluva lot better than ‘HUH’! ”

    Living down stateside, I do miss Canadian news. It just seems so much more honest.

  • Claudia

    I’m a little confounded as to how people could think that the trekkies were the atheists automatically.

    Sure there’s plenty of overlap in the nerd-atheist population, but still.

    My money’s on the atheists or the nerds. However when it’s all over I want the nerds asked if they are also atheists and the atheists asked if the are also nerds. Betcha you get a lot of “yes”s.

  • Cafeeine

    I’ve been confronted a few times by theists with claims that trekkies and atheists are almost interchangeable terms, to the point that one tried to use an incident involving trekkies as an argument against atheists. He went as far as to say “Everyone knows Star Trek is an atheist’s paradise”.

    My money is also on the atheists or nerds.

  • Claudia

    He went as far as to say “Everyone knows Star Trek is an atheist’s paradise”.

    Actually, he’s right on that count, though it’s interesting that he could know that without being a trekkie himself (perhaps he was warned against the program by a preacher?).

    The world of Star Trek is basically atheist as per explicit instruction of creator Gene Roddenberry, himself an agnostic. If you watch the series, especially the Next Generation, you’ll see that none of the regular characters are theists. Explicit religion is frequently associated with backwards societies and rationalism and science elevated at every opportunity. Also, often “Gods” are revealed to be exploitative mortals with superior technology.

    /trekkie mode

  • muggle

    “Everyone knows Star Trek is an atheist’s paradise”.

    Ugh, I HATE, HATE, HATE Star Trek. It’s as boring as a church sermon.

    Damn, I don’t like many reality shows but this could get interesting. Besides, it’s more a game show and I love those! Wish we were getting it here in the States.

  • Joffan

    Logically, muggle, “All Trekkies are atheists” is not the same statement as “all atheists are Trekkies”.

    \\//

  • The results are in! I posted them on my blog here: http://struckbyenlightning.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/test-the-nation-results/

    But the atheists came in 3rd, the believers 4th. The nerds won. The person with the highest IQ was an atheist though, so yay! You can still take the test online even if you’re not Canadian (just pick Outside Canada for province).

  • illy

    Atheists will win on the Problem of Pain, and the theists will win on ethics–sorry, no amount of reasoning will convince me that atheists have any arguments against my killing my ancient and rich momma in secret to get her money–an only child here.

    It should be a draw lol. Meanwhile, my momma should be very happy that I’m unconvinced one way or another.

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