religiosity and intelligence, what's the relationship?

Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence

Check out this web site and tell me what you "think"

Answer 1

I read the entire page you present and it only confirms no relationship exists. Even if it did, intelligence or lack of it will not change Gods plan for eternity. Blessed Christmas and love to all!

Answer 2

Sigh, this is a frequent question on this board. Wish someone was compiling that stat and surveying the religious affiliation and intent of the person asking the question.

Having designed and participated in some research projects, please realize that it is very difficult to remove the bias of the researcher even with a review board examining the study. Many research studies have major design and/or implementation flaws, but are still published for a very meager nugget of truth within the results that may spur someone on to clean up the study. In order to know if there is any truth in these results, first religiosity has to be defined. Is it someone who carries out every statement of positive living their religion requests? Is it just someone who attends a Holiday service? Does everyone who declares a religious affiliation meet the definition of religiosity? Is it someone who is totally obsessed with religions (e.g., a person with a temporarily lobe injury.) Second, religions would have to be selected. Are these studies looking at Christians versus Atheist? Christians versus Buddhist versus Hindus versus Muslims, etc.? Does the tool translate into difficult cultures so Christians in American can be compared to Muslims in Iran or Buddhists in Japan? Third how are the participants recruited? Did someone just go to various Churches, Mosques, etc? Did they select the most religious one within a religion or just go to the smallest one possible with less faithful members? Did they just mail this out so anyone can choose to be anything and answer? What sort of tool was used? Did they do intelligence tests or did the participants self report what they assumed their IQ was? Every aspect of a religious survey is important down to the statistical tool and who did the interpretation.

Frankly there are many fine universities and colleges in this country which are religious schools. Some of these schools are so outstanding in their fields of studies that people attend in spite of the schools religious affiliation.

I am sure you are thinking the mass of people in a religion versus the mass of people outside, but are you really including the poorly educated atheist or nonreligious person or do you assume it takes higher thinking to choose to be atheist? It is easy to take the few outspoken atheist and assume they are all successes. I would think there is a flaw in that line of thought when we notice criminals on the news such as meth lab related arrests, etc. After all, no religion would condone such activities so they are not religious and by default mess up the atheist category since most think religious practice (a religion) versus lack of religious practice (atheist or agnostic or lacking the mental acuteness to even think of any higher purpose, good or religion.)

Frankly this is a very, very broad question that would take years of research of various designs to even begin to draw a conclusion. Go back and read the studies the article is based upon and find out if there is any true validity. Don't assume because it made Wikipedia this validates the research.