Rate of Atheism in the Autistic community

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I read about this a few years ago.

A believe in GOD requires imaginative, abstract thinking.

A doctor suggested that ASD "concrete thinking" is possibly the cause of beliefs in atheism, since it may limit such imaginative, abstract thinking in favor of concrete thinking.

(Search google "Autism concrete thinking")

Further ....

That's why all all my life, many times people told me, "You lack common sense".

That's the NT way of saying, "You aren't seeing the big picture" or "You're not very good at thinking abstractly".

Not sure if "seeing the big picture" , and "thinking abstractly", are exactly the same thing.

But yes, that IS a thing I have experienced about autistics - detail oriented to the point that they are blind to the big picture. Seeing the trees but not the forest.

In fact it can be like a language barrier when on this very site.

I wasn't brought up in a religious household, but I was exposed to it quite young after joining the Boys Brigade (a Methodist run youth organisation.) That involved plenty of Bible studies as part of the system of rewards and rank, and attendance at Sunday services, at least on parade days. All of the senior officers and most NCOs were active Methodists (I'm unsure if this was a strict requirement.) Even though we never spoke of religion at home and otherwise never attended a place of worship, my involvement at BB was never questioned and nor was any of their religious instruction (my father had been in the BB as a lad, and thoroughly approved, thinking that the military style discipline would bring me out of my shell - it didn't.)

The things is, I just never understood that people gathering to worship was anything different to any other kind of social gathering. The transcendental and faith aspects were seemingly inconceivable to me. Without wishing to demean anyone's faith (I'm older and wiser now, I hope!), I simply saw religious gathering as if it were a kind of fan-club for people who's "special interests" were their gods, prophets and a good sing-along, no different than, say, a Star Wars convention. I could see well enough that the Christian parables were often good lessons in morality, but if it was suggested that they were anything other than fiction, I assumed that this was just the enthusiasm of a committed fan, the same way that other people talked about the characters in their favourite soap opera as if they were real people or their favourite sporting heroes as if they were familiar friends. The entire spiritual aspect of religion simply went right over my head; it's not just that I didn't comprehend it - I didn't recognise at all that religious people experienced anything profound; I thought they just enjoyed it in the same sense that I enjoyed my hobbies.

Ultimately, although I have taken an interest in theology later in life and know which rational arguments appeal to me, I think it is a lack of a certain emotional response which makes me atheist (more strictly, agnostic - I consider the existence of a creator unlikely but not beyond all reasonable doubt.) Maybe being very alexithymic has some part to play in this, preventing me from feeling or recognising whatever the emotions are which people describe as faith and the transcendental; I don't really know, but I don't feel that it leaves a gaping hole in my life that needs filling, either.