http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence
Fan Club! Help me explain this!
2006-12-30 15:37:36 · 18 answers · asked by Laptop Jesus 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
People with great intelligence become accustomed to understanding everything, accustomed to most things seeming transparent and to everything being logical and capable of a proof (well at least eventually).
Religion is faith based and the lack of hard proof and logical explanation is perplexing presenting a barrier for people of high intelligence who are used to understaning almost everything.
No matter how smart a human is we cannot understand something that is not fully revealed yet and which seems to operate outside the bounds of our universe and is able to somehow pierce the continuum.
2006-12-30 16:04:25 · answer #1 · answered by G's Random Thoughts 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I believe there are several factors in play. For one thing, there is no way to directly measure "intelligence," or really even to *define* it. IQ is fun and interesting, but really only a measure of certain particular aptitudes. More pertinently, if you sift through the article, you find that Lynn operated from the underlying *assumption* that "education level" and "intelligence" were equivalent. I don't have much trouble believing that increasing levels of secular education and decreasing religious faith correlate, because my experience is that secular educational institutions are directly and intentionally hostile to faith. So in other words, it is not increasing intelligence that diminishes religious faith, it is increasing secular indoctrination. There is also the matter of selection bias. What sorts of academics were surveyed? Did they include scholars specializing in theology, apologetics, Bible languages and culture, etc.? If through intent or negligence they omitted such, clearly the results are invalid. Blessed Atheist -- I have never known of Xians being quick to present their IQ scores, and in fact I usually resist the idea. However, just to confirm your perception, mine is (or at least was, as of my high school days a bit over 30 years ago) somewhere in the 140-148 range, depending on the test. If Xians indeed are quick to provide IQ scores, I'm sure it is precisely *because* of the accusation that we are unintelligent and uneducated. Incidentally, that Telegraph article was from Aug. 2008; another article, in the related links column, has some rebuttal commentary by Paul Wooley of Theos.
2016-05-22 22:46:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Correlation doesn't show causation.
Unfortunately this correlation might of occurred because of the populations of atheism in comparisons to Christianity. Or it could just mean that you have to reach a certain intelligence threshold to deny god. *shrugs* Any idiot can say god did it.
2006-12-30 15:59:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it takes some power to get away from religious programing. I like the part about scientists being less religious then society.(that tells you something)
2006-12-30 15:49:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religions, by definition, don't deal with measurable
outcomes. So, folks who spend time with religion may
be moral and happy, but not have an edge on IQ.
2006-12-30 15:48:36 · answer #5 · answered by farmer 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheists - Made great advances to society
Muslims - Made great advances to society (though 1% of 1.9 billion Muslims are regressing)
All other things besides Christianity - Made great advances to society.
Christians - Some Christians made great advances to society, but they would've been considered non-practicing.
2006-12-30 15:42:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
w00t w00t. Here's a video that confirms this too. It's pretty interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I5V9JPzMxY
So making fun of people for being religious is just like making fun of someone for being less intelligent than you. Maybe I should rethink my ways? ...Nawww
2006-12-30 15:46:19 · answer #7 · answered by Darwin d00d 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"A man has to belong to the intelligentsia to believe such a thing, for no ordainary man can be such a fool!" - Freidrich Von Hayek
Because "intelligent" people, using the scientific method, see no "proof" (Guess Einstein was a fool?), and have to much pressure by that diploma shoved up their rectum against their brain to think, because FAITH is not about "proof", if you have absolute proof that God exists, it would not be a "FAITH" at all, it would be obedient people worshipping in terror, not choosing to believe, choosing love, because they "FEEL" it is right. Without choice, without faith, without love, without freedom, life is hell.
2006-12-30 15:43:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Well, when you're in regular dialog with the creator of the universe, you don't need intelligence -- you're surrounding yourself with smart God(s).
2006-12-30 15:40:21 · answer #9 · answered by STFU Dude 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Intelligence of what? an IQ of 85?
2006-12-30 15:41:37 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋