If we did a survey about I.Q. and religious choice, what would the smartest people turn out to believe in?

Question

What about the dumbest people?

Atheism, agnosticism, wicca, and so on all count as religions.

Okay, I agree, agnosticism and atheism are no religions in the strict sense, but can be thought of as religious choices, for the purpose of this question.

I'm not talking about having an education, either in science or in religion, because it's not the education that makes you smart. In fact, many people enter school/college without the necessary grey matter.

ownlee_me - Why is the incabability of formulating an opinion a sign of stupidity? If you found yourself in a situation where you'd have to decide between the good of your friend and another, opposed to each other, what would you choose? Oftentimes, contradictory dilemmas defy logic and intelligence.

Answer 1

Probably Buddhism would have the highest IQ because study is highly valued not only within the religion, but also within the culture in which most Buddhists are raised.

I'm not going to go into the dumbest.

Answer 2

I can't speak for everyone, but out of all the Pagans I know, I don't know any with an IQ under 130. My IQ is 159, my husband is 145, my best friend is 162, her son is 181. Not all my friends have been recently tested, but we did a poll once and these are the results I remember. For the most part, I believe that anyone who doubts the religion that was handed to them by their parents is probably higher on the IQ charts. Because most Pagans are converts, this would stand to say that many will probably fall in this category.

What started my path to religious independance was reading a book called The Church of the Subgenious by JR Bob Dobbs. Mentioned by an earlier answerer. I found it comforting that there are others that found wisdom within that. Also, the Atheistic style writings of Douglas Adams played a part.

The dumbest people would be those people who make religious choices that don't allow for alot of free thought, or that just accept the answers that are given to them. The largest groups would be the three Abrahamic (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) religions that tend to retain familial members. This is obviously just a theory and I don't doubt that there are people with High IQ's that belong to those religions. Also, these religoins don't allow for a lot of abstract thought. There is no Allegory, just truth and lies.

Answer 3

a million. what shows do you watch on television.? all sorts, frequently Discovery and Nick. Monk. heritage 2. what books are your favorites? just about something. Michael Crichton is my well-liked author , the Bible (I have under no circumstances examine it in total although) 3. what makes you sense at peace the most? Going to Mass, the Rosary. 4. do you do something particular like yoga, meditation etc..? The Rosary is Meditation. 5. about what number hours an evening do you sleep?6-8 6. do you connect magazines if so what are they?No, If I did it will be Nat. Geo. 7. what's your non secular decision? Catholic. 8. why do you pick that faith over others? i trust it really is ideal, why else:-) 9. What do you recommend to be doing in 2012? ;) more beneficial credit for this one haha no longer something 10. does your track, back up your faith in any respect or are they separate entities? I attempt now to not blend both. 11. do you make the most of sex to strengthen your spirituality? any specialties which include tantic, kamasutra etc...? Nope- Virgin 12. age?16 thirteen. area? Inverness, Fl. united statesA. 14. gender?Male 15. interest once you've one? scholar 16. quest in this lifetime? what's the only ingredient you sense you should do earlier you die?Hmmm. stay? i opt to study some languages and get my degree in heritage.

Answer 4

Well, I know several people who follow the Wiccan religion, who are in the Omega Society. "The Omega Society is an IQ society at the 99.9999th percentile (one-in-a-million level on a test of general intelligence) and exists for the recognition and encouragement of individuals of extremely high intelligence. It was founded by Ronald K. Hoeflin, Ph.D"

Answer 5

Unbiased Questionnaire – is that possible? LOL

I’ll give points for religious creativity. IQ is not an absolute.

The Christian: 50 percent score for well-read Catholics; a very low score for newer Protestants. I’d credit them for their literature, historical art, as well as their skills of sleight of hand.

The Jews: It’s hard to say. I rarely hear them speak. Rabbis could easily top the class.

The Moslem: No comment. I can’t figure them out.

Wiccan: Very high scores for the well-read Wiccans; low scores for the wannabes. I commend: their free spiritedness and camaraderie.

Hindu: Probably the most open-minded. They’d probably top the class. I commend: their passion and their rich contribution to metaphysics and culture.

Buddhist: Low points. The Buddhists I’ve met lack compassion, ironically! Can I give full points to Buddha instead?

The Satanist: Near full points for genuine practitioners; very low points for wannabes. I commend: their dedication to breaking the mold of religious slavery.

Answer 6

Higher IQ people are probably a cross section of theist and atheist. Both require a lot of thought. Lower IQ people are probably agnostic (sorry, not saying agnostics are not smart) because they don't know what to think and can't formulate an opinion either way.

Answer 7

The smartest people would be in the Church of the Subgenius. The dumbest people would be Neocons.
The dirtiest, poorest people would be Muslims.
The meanest would be Pastafarians.
The most easily duped would be Christians. (Look at what Bush made them believe)
The most independant would be Wiccan/Pagan.
The most anti-Christian would be militant Atheists.
The most confused would be Agnostics.
The most backwards would be Amish.
The most anti-authority would be Satanists.

Answer 8

Atheism and agnosticism ARE NOT RELIGIONS!!!!!

Now that that is out of the way -

I believe the atheists and agnostics would be on the high end and the fundies would be wayyyyyyyyy down at the bottom.

Answer 9

Deism, actually. Basically, "We need someone to get this all started, so we'll say some sort of god or goddess created the big bang/inflation/whatever and then walked entirely away."

Einstein and Hawking fall into this category, for example, as did Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Answer 10

There is a negative correlation between intelligence and believing in religion. This has been know for a long time. There is also, of course, a negative correlation between education and religion.