Why is there a negative correlation between educational level and church attendance?

Answer 1

Just hang around Yahoo Q&A for awhile and it is very obvious..... The data is strongly supported.

One should not be criticized for lack of intelligence, but proud and dumb...that is such a bad combo.

Answer 2

I would suspect if its true that a higher level of education means less likelihood one will attend church it probably has nothing to do with how educated someone is or how intelligent someone is (because educational level and innate intelligence are two different things). I would suspect it more has something to do with the fact that people often stop going to church if they go to college, have studies to do, a social life, and maybe even sleeping to do on Sunday morning. High school kids often lose interest in the church they were raised in anyway, and attending college may make it more likely the person will just not want to get up on Sunday morning or otherwise take the time to attend a church he had lost interest in anyway. The other thing is many college students move away from their communities and aren't going to find a new church once they're at school.

I think, too, there's the chance that since people who lean toward being very religious often also tend to lean more toward the introspective/human/verbal type of intelligence the schools lose a higher number of this type of student along the road from, maybe, middle school on to high school graduation. People who tend to lean toward religion also tend not to be very aggressive, so this, too, could account for losing some of them along the way.

Also, as far as I know, church attendance has gone done anyway. At the same time (as far as I know) college attendance has gone up. This probably contributes to the gap.

Those are my theories.

Answer 3

I guess, it is wiser to make a survey to find out whether it is really true that there really exists a negative correlation between educational level and church attendance. Or if there is, may I have the honor to have your resources, please?

You see I couldn't answer the question, no matter how interested I may be, because I personally believe that there must be a research done on this subject first.

Answer 4

It is because the man is trying to hold us down. They figure if we get the conspiracy agents the people we will be for the people. So in other words you can’t demonstrate the aspect of this endeavor until you understand the meaning of church and state. There is no education without the children and without the education there are no children. I don’t understand where these right wing liberals are babbling about anyway. It is obvious to anyone that the educational level of our country is on a decline and drug and sex are up. If anyone is to fix this problem they need to get to the source of this catastrophe and fix it like you would fix any other plumbing problem. Basically we need to flush it down the toilet in order for anyone to understand. The negativity has come from pillow pants of course.

Answer 5

If you read my questions, I asked the same thing, but a little more crudely...

To me, I believe that you can find different doors to the same room (Christian, Buddha, Jew etc). Just as you can eat different foods for energy. Can we really say eating carrots are wrong but eating apples is right? Probably not. They both gives us energy and fullfull us though. But we definitely have our preference. I think that as long as you aren't trying to convert others and not referencing the bible as truth (ignorant) and also makes you a better person than I'm all for it. We need God in our life, there has not been one CULTURE or CIVILIZATION on this planet that has NOT believed in a higher power. Its genetically encoded in human beings.

Its hard to have understanding but easier to have faith. Just as an ant cannot understand the purpose of a football stadium, how can we "understand" God. There is no other choice but to either have faith or belief. Its either or. There is no choice not to have belief (even athiests believe in something) or not to have faith, that would be like saying, "this statement is false". A paradoxical situation.

Answer 6

interesting.. i have never beard of this correlation and i am sure that this is a very stretched out corelation but in someways makes sense.. More time at church less time studying.. but perhaps to be more complex it would have to due with type of people that go to church.. easily manipulated / somewhat arrogant / very close-minded type of people.. not to disrespect anyone.. ha

Answer 7

thems alot of big words and wes' but humble christians hehe .... if ur saying that higher education leads to less church attendence then i would say its because secular humanistic views are taught in the mainstream educational institutions ...they educate God right out of ya ...spectacularly ignorant imo but such is the way of things.

Answer 8

Why are you being so critical of people with a good education?

College grads can still go the church.

Answer 9

well i never thought of that. probably the more educated ones become doubtful of their own religion or go to church less often because they think they know it all.

Answer 10

A minister walks by a kid with a box of kittens and asks what kind of kittens the kid has.
Kid replies, "These are Christian kittens." The minister nods and walks on pleased.
Three weeks later the minister sees the kid again and asks, "How are those Christian kittens?"
The kid says, "They aren't Christian any more."
Minister asks, "How is that?"
Kid says, "Their eyes are open and now they are atheists."
I read this on another question. Thought it applied.
The corollary question is: Why is it that Christians have persecuted scientists for centuries? Answer: They like to think.