Why do studies show that atheists are more intellegent and more highly educated than believers?

Question

Look it up on the web if you don't believe me. Please don't act like I'm making this stuff up and don't have any sources. They're out there.

Answer 1

If this is true, I think it is possibly because most Atheists today are first-generation Atheists. In other words, they were not raised that way. They are people who are skeptical, analytical, and inquisitive. They do not just take what they are told as the definite truth, but re-examine it to see if they feel it is in line with their own beliefs. I am very willing to bet that people who question their beliefs and change religions are also generally more intelligent than those who do not ever convert to another religion. Of course, I'm a bit biased on this, since I've converted to another religion myself. ;-) But seriously, people who question their birth religion are probably the more intelligent people.

As Atheism becomes more mainstream, I am willing to bet that the intelligence level among Atheists will become closer to that among other groups of people.

Answer 2

Atheists need to have proof. It just goes with the whole "highly educated" thing. If an atheist could "see" God walking around or have a wound healed by Jesus on the spot, then they'd "believe" in God or Christianity. Since they can't prove that God or Jesus exists and there is no solid proof out there, they decide not to believe.

As for studies proving the intelligence of atheists over believers, I am sure that they are biased. Let us not forget that there are more types of intellgence than beans in this world. Just because an atheist student does better on their SATs or can solve a crossword faster than a believer doesn't mean that believers are stupid or vice versa. The facts are only factual because someone said they are and whoever sponsored the said study paid for those facts.

Regardless, every religion [and non-religion aka Atheism] has its idiots.

Answer 3

The last IQ test I took told me "...your IQ exceeds 150 and its measurement is beyond the scope of this test." A "real" set of tests I took for USDOD after high school agreed with that result. I am a Christian and know several others with similar IQ scores.Most of the people I met at a Mensa meeting I was dragged to by a former friend and several similar meetings or conferences, etc. were not. Other Christians I talked with about my observations (my Physics department head for one, at that time the youngest person to get a PHD-Physics degree at U. Texas) shared my lack of interest in the people I met at those meetings.

I suggest that you may find that there is no significant difference in a good population sampling, and that Christians generally lack interest in activities where the IQ numbers are known and thus don't "come up on the radar" of those making such studies.

Answer 4

Well shucks I have 2 degrees and I am a total Jesus Freak. How many degrees do you have?

Actually there is a huge prejudice against Christianity at Colleges and Universities they push out the Christian profs and won't hire new ones and they are very good at indoctrinating the young impressionable students.

Check the stats on that. I've know profs that got fired for being too Christian and I've met them that were immanently qualified and could not get hired except by a religious College.

Answer 5

It seems that believers are more bounded by beliefs, and believers do not put themselves before their higher power. True philosophy in god are such that if he is all knowing, all powerful, and seeing and hearing, then why should believers needed to be all knowing like the creator. It has been promised that all believers will gain richness in many aspects. On the other hand non believers or atheists are not bound by or being fearul of ever expanding ones mind. any knowledge gain are for the self and to use it as a means of self interest purposes, be it the gaining knowledge of the world around them or to better themselves in ways of gaining wealth but mostly, though to gain more knowledge or to live for the purposes of such knowledge.

Answer 6

I believe that is because Atheist only approve of the tangible and pursue higher education because that is how they judge their purpose in Life. Also, all the time we believers spend at the house of worship they can be studying in college. Plus, God has been painted as a myth for the simple-minded therefore reliogion altogether is undermined.
Tell me if they converted to Theists would their intelligence decrease?

Answer 7

Well the Atheist that I do know of are intelligent people. That being said that does not indicate anything when it comes to religion. It simply says that these people are so arrogant that if they in their infinit wisdom cannot explain something then it must not be true. Well I know that there are alot of things out there that cannot be explained not even by Atheist, does that mean it does not exist. OF course not. I do not profess to be a know it all like they do.
It is a shame really that intelligent people are so full of themselves.

Answer 8

Many scientists that I know personally or have known are atheists. I believe that scientist type of people live their lives trying to get proof of various theories and concepts. That is their realm. Because one thinks in those terms on a regular basis and because one can score high on an IQ test, does not make that person superior in thinking in all matters. Evidence of those highly intelligent people in life who have little or no common sense or those who have no people skills. The belief in an organized religion has nothing to do with intelligence level, either high or low, it has to do with the ability to have faith.

Answer 9

You know, I can buy that. A highley intelligent person might have problems believing in God whose ways are unknown to us yet but by His Word, the Bible. Does that make Atheists right? No, becausejust because something hasn't been proven yet, it dosen't mean that it dosen't exist. (Remember, it wasn't that long ago that we didn't know about atoms and it would have been hard to believe that there are things that small in our world). Personally, I don't believe that science disproves God. All science does is explain how the world around us works. Just because you prove how the creation works that dosen't disprove the creator.

Answer 10

Only the anti-Christ would make such a claim. There are those atheists that are hell bent and Devil driven to turn this country in to some kind of Godless Sodom and Gomorrah, but the fact is, there is no cure for stupid. Ill-informed, undereducated, uneducated and even ignorant can all be cured, but not stupid. The facts keep getting in the way.