Do you think that because you believe that you have less intelligence ?

Question

Does believing in God and trusting the bible mean that a person is less intelligent. I have a college degree and feel that I am as wise as the unbelievers

Answer 1

Oh, Honey, some of the greatest minds in human history were Christian theologians! Even people who aren't Christian agree on this! Look up Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, just for a few. . . . some of the most brilliant scientists have been Christian thinkers (Stephen Harding, Einstein, etc.). . . some of the most well-known writers through the centuries (C.S. Lewis, Isaac Asimov, Dosteyevsky, Dante, etc.), even the music we consider the most brilliant has come from Christians (Mozart, Hayden, etc.) Our current Pope Benedict is a brilliant, highly educated man by all accounts.

In my own darkest hours, when I was doubting my faith, I thought about all the minds far greater than mine, who believed....and I felt pretty secure about it!

The vast majority of the people on this site, could not match these thinkers in intelligence. ;) And yet. . . they think they know more. Weird, huh? LOL

Answer 2

It's not a matter of intelligence (and having a degree doesn't mean you're intelligent either, just that you passed 40 - 50 courses)

It's a matter of understanding how religion started and what began the god myth.

Gods were created when man did not understand how the natural world worked (e.g. the sun god made the sun rise everyday). As we began to understand how these things really worked, it seemed silly to believe in Ra as the sun god.

We're at a stage now where we can explain most of the natural world but many people still hold onto our primitive belief in a god.

This is because the concept of god has been so entrenched in our cultures for several millenia and it will take time to undo it.

Answer 3

You have a college degree, huh. Does that make you intelligent? Does it make you wise? Is your level of achievement in education really an appropriate measure of your own mental flexibility?

Nope.

Here's what it tells me: you can be taught. That fact, combined with your religious inclinations, tells me that you can be taught a thing without genuine interest in the truth (or untruth) of that thing.

It suggests that you were a person of faith before you studied the natural sciences, and somehow you could not un-learn the christian falsehoods about creation. In turn, that tells me that you are dogmatic and mentally immalleable. That doesn't speak well of your actual intelligence.

Knowledge and doctrine do not make intelligence- in fact they are the _opposite_ of intelligence. Education negates the nessecity of advanced problem solving skills, especially considered in practical application.

Your habit of "trusting the bible" shows me that you have little interest in true metaphysical understanding or accurate self knowledge. Could someone with these traits be "wise"?

Faith does not eliminate the possibility of intelligence, but to me, it does represent a counter-indication thereof.

Answer 4

The correlation you allude to does exist, but as with all correlations, it doesn't say anything about any individual. What it says (as one example) is that if you divided a herd of scientists by religiosity, you would find more of them in the non-believer pen than in the believer pen.

Among college graduates, the number of believers is less than in the population as a whole. and religiosity diminishes as academic achievement increases - and becomes downright dramatic in the sciences.

But keep in mind:
Many intelligent people have no college
Many intelligent college people ARE believers
Many non-believers are idiots
Many believers are idiots.

Answer 5

I don't think believing in a Higher Power means you are less intelligent. NOT reading up on things makes one less intelligent. Now, based on that, you have to admit there are many Christians who do not read up on certain things. They simply hear one say "Bah, Evolution means we come from Monkeys... that's wrong... the Bible proves that". THIS is what gets them in trouble, as Evolution doesn't state we descended from Monkeys. But many Christians will not read up on it simply because they will believe another Christian over anyone else. THIS is what makes them less intelligent. Not because they believe in God and trust the Bible.

Celtic Reconstructionist Pagan

Answer 6

You can certainly believe what you want- that is indeed the beauty of belief.

You cannot however create your own facts. And the fact is the higher the education, the less belief in God.

It also depends on your college major. If you majored in something easy, you might still even be a creationist. But only 5% of scientists are creationists.

Answer 7

It doesn't mean your less intelligent. It just seems to nonbelievers that believers can be a bit naive and ignorant about the hard realities of life.

Answer 8

I question your rationality not intelligence. Science has found so much that contradicts the Bible, I can't see how you can justify following it in your own head.

I do not question the rationality of Deists who think there is a god, but no one knows about him. So it is not that you believe in god. But a book written by unidentified zealots is not a good source for anything.

Answer 9

Indeed you are. Wisdom comes from God. The world (unbelievers) may have God given intelligence, but they will never have wisdom.

Psa 111:10 The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom;

Answer 10

No, historically the smartest people where the scribes, and clergy who were educated. Most people criticize those who blindly follow without thinking.

I'm in college and believe in God and read the bible.