Are Christians intellectually inferior to Atheists?

Question

In September, 1999, the prestigious magazine, Sciemtific American, published figures showing that while 90% of the general American public believes in a personal God and an afterlife, only 40% of scientists who are BS-degree-only holders so believe and only 10% of scientists regarded as eminent believe in a personal God or an afterlife.

In a 1998 survey of more than 500 members of the National Academy of Scientists, it was found that 72% were atheists, 21% were agnostics and 7% believed in God. A very similar breakdown was found in relation to belief in an afterlife.

Results of a survey published in Skeptic magazine the same year showed that about 40% of scientists in general believed in God. In particular, 40% of mathematicians, 30% of biologists and 20% of physicists were believers, according to the study. These figures tend to agree with the Scientific American figures for BS-holders, while the figures for the NAS correspond more closely with the Scientific American figures

Answer 1

Not gonna touch this one!

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Answer 2

I think you'll find the Scientific American figures pretty reliable, especially when it comes to leaders in the fields. However, in all fairness it should be noted that there are eminent scientists who manage to uphold high scientific standards and achievement yet keep a religious view. This even applies in areas where atheism is very high, e.g., the biological sciences.

What the numbers hide is something even more interesting. 20% of physicists may be believers, but would you venture a guess as to how many are "evangelical" or "born again?" Yes, that would be a VERY low percentage. And what about the proportion that are "deists" - that is a belief in which there is no personal meddling deity? Yes, that would be a much higher proportion than you'd find in the general population.

And the bottom line, like it or not, is the well-documented inverse relationship between IQ and the "religiosity index."

But below the bottom line is that not all human intelligence is easily measured as IQ.

Answer 3

The difference between atheists and Christians is: atheists put their faith/beliefs entirely in man and Christians put their faith/belief entirely in God.

I have multiple degrees and I have been blessed with great intelligence. My degrees are in a box somewhere, not on the wall. My intelligence is shown through my work and interactions with others. I do not feel the need to crow about how "great" I think I am to every Joe, Flo, and Moe that I come across.

My point is the fact that intelligent people don't have to continually remind people that they are smart, whether those "smarts" are real or imagined. If anything this shows only insecurity.

Furthermore, intelligence in no way correlates to a college degree nor vocation. Do people really believe this? I got news for you, there is something that is far more important than "book smarts" and that something is common sense. Without common sense, intelligence is useless. There are plenty of people running around with Master and PhD degrees that don't have brains enough to fill a thimble.

Answer 4

Science uses a study of evolution which Christians do not believe. This is not to say many of us don't take the evolution exams and ace them and go onto become scientist. Some of us cannot continue to work in a field with so many disagreements to what we believe. This does not have anything to do with intelligence. It has everything to do with beliefs. I asked a similar question yesterday. Where Athiests focus is other than God, in this case the focus is Science. Our focus is God. We have PhD's in many studies, not necessarily science. We are teachers, ministers, councillors, psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, nurses. Just like everyone else. The problem with the results you listed is it doesn't show how many Athiests have a PhD in Theology. We do not believe in Evolution, so we tend to stear clear of studies that require us to take it. Athiest do not believe in God so they steer clear of theology. Make sense? I believe it does.

Answer 5

I'm not sure I'd pick on Chirstians and I'm not sure I'd couch it in those terms..
But in order to fully divorce yourself from the idea of god you have to have a certain intellectual confidence which correlates with intelligence.

There is a well documented body of research about the fact that disbelief rises with all measures of intelligence, but I'm sure we shouldn't try and bring facts into this.

By the way more Philosophers and eminent Writers are atheist than the general popuation so its not just about science.

Answer 6

I don't think it is necessarily a sign of intellectual difference but instead Atheists tend to gravitate towards different fields. Not that Christians aren't intelligent but science isn't necessarily one of their priorities.

I suppose you could do a study and find a high percentage of family service and child welfare workers are Christians - would that mean they are morally superior and more compassionate than Atheists? No but that type job fits in better with their core beliefs.

Answer 7

how can one say that christians are intellectually inferior to atheists when it was atheists that were screaming the world was flat for a thousand years and the bible said that it was round the whole time, or how they are still saying that evolution is a science and yet it cant be proven. Christians at least admit that Creation is a matter of faith not a science because it can not be proven. Once the atheistic community admits that evolution is a faith not a science i think they will be alot smarter.

Answer 8

Not at all we simply live by our faith, It makes no difference what atheists think or believe as far as I'm concerned. You can have all the scientific figures you want it wont really change anything.

Answer 9

*eyeroll*

and it has nothing to do with personalities, right? or with how more atheists tend to enter into fields of science, whereas religious people tend to enter fields such as social welfare, teaching, nursing, and the like? i noticed that you left these fields absent in your little study. i guess they aren't as important to you, huh? probably because then you'd find that religious people vs atheists don't show any significant differences in intelligence once you compared them equally.

Answer 10

First, you presuppose that knowledge can only be gained through schooling.

Second, the survey is limited to scientists. It's logical that there would be more athiests within that field. A more inclusive, accurate survey would include all college graduates.

Answer 11

Scientists gave us the atomic bomb, pesticides, lawyers and long range artillery and you call them intellectuals ????????? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ! I think you mean brain damaged.