Is it true that atheists are above average in intelligence?

Question

I know they say they are, and they say that people of faith are dumb and wouldn't know an intelligent question if they saw one.
I went looking and found some VERY intelligent questions from atheists.

Here's just a few.

Should i kill christians for practice before i go up against god?
Did God ever watch that old show called the Soul Train that was on right before Solid Gold and Buck...
Why are wheels round?
Uranus on a spiritual level?
Whom shall I aim my shrink ray at next
Why is the bible the best selling fiction book ever?
I know of a way to destroy god, it isn't easy though and i will need an army of souls, i can almost guarantee
How on earth do christians believe that Jesus is God or his son? Does God have daughters too??
Will God let people smoke weed in his house in heaven?
Is Bible the same book as Origins of the Specious?
If jesus can sacrafice himself to send people to heaven can i sacrafice myself to send people to hell?
Doesn't God get sick of being told h

Answer 1

the fool has said in his heart there is no God

Answer 2

I don't think that atheists or non-believers in general are more or less intelligent than others, it just seems that the non-believers are willing to openly question the concepts and doctrines of traditional religions rather than base their opinions and beliefs on what they are taught as children or have come to believe for whatever personal reasons they find in their lives (ie: faith found to resolve or relieve the difficulty of life issues perhaps)

In addition, from a historical perspective, modern times permit non-believers to question traditional religion (at least in our society). In the not so distant past even in Western Civilizations, people who had beliefs which did not conform to societal norms were persecuted (and worse). We should not take that right for granted...especially when fundamentalists are in power. Any fanatic religious leadership is dangerous. That has been proven through out history...as well as occurring today all over the world.

Answer 3

Except for the one about the Bible being fiction, those questions sound like they all come from believers. Sorry.

Besides, as others have pointed out, those questions are not anyone's honest attempt to make a rational argument. They're simply trolls, making fun of people.

If you compare the honest attempts at argument coming from the atheists here with those coming from believers, you'll see an obvious difference, with the atheists' arguments reflective of an obviously far higher intelligence. There will be some exceptions, but they're rare.

Answer 4

We should separate real, intelligent atheists from what I call neo-atheist trolls. For real atheists (people like the late Stephen Jay Gould, Dawkins, Anthony Flew, etc.) I believe the answer would be yes, although the primary characteristic that separates them from Christians is pride, not intelligence. I'm talking on the average, of course: many Christians are smarter than even intelligent atheists. But for these real atheists, being in the upper realms of academia, I'd have to say they're above average.

However, the neo-atheist trolls you find here on Y!A are an entire different story. They share the pride of the intelligent atheists, but lack the intelligence. You are quoting primarily these neo-atheists. I call them "neo" because they are atheists primarily out of rebellion for the Christian background they think they had. You can always tell, because they have a laughably ignorant idea of what Christianity is all about. "You Christians think that being a missionary gets you into heaven!" Stupid.

Answer 5

analyze were finished by technique of assorted establishments that coach efficient correlations between Atheism and better intelligence. This is going throughout the time of the board, and they are not sensible for being Atheists, they are Atheists because they are sensible and exhibit a higher factor of rational questioning than maximum individuals. maximum individuals that go into college as theists will come out as Atheists. that is only a effect of being in an environment that stresses the want for serious and summary questioning.

Answer 6

In general, religion is negatively correlated to higher IQs.

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

However, both the religious and the non-religious have adolescents who get bored and do stupid things.

And by the way, the question "Is Bible the same book as Origins of the Specious?" is actually very clever, suggesting a fairly high IQ.

Answer 7

One group of people are not more intelligent than another.
You've chosen quite a few troll questions, which don't give much ammo for the argument.
I've met some really...uh...unintelligant ... Christians, atheist, agnostics, just as I have met some very smart ones too.

There isn't a gene for atheism, Christianity, Islam....its a heart mind body and soul belief.

Answer 8

To the best of my knowledge, no one has done a study between IQ tests and religions.

However, there are numerous studies that clearly indicate that the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to be an atheist. Education is correlated to intelligence, but not always (look at George Bush!).

Keep in mind that many of those questions look like jokes to poke fun, not actual "questions" per se.

Answer 9

Wow, those are some stupid questions.

EDIT: here's one of my dumb questions :)

"Do you think scientists will ever find a cure?"

Go read that and tell me i didnt write a REALLY stupid question :)

See everyone will ask a stupid question (i did it because i like to get a rise out of people).


But what do these have to do with Atheists having higher IQ's then christians???

Answer 10

"How on earth do christians believe that Jesus is God or his son? Does God have daughters too?"

Answer that without the bible!

Answer 11

Here's a Wiki article about Intelligence and Religiosity:

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

Most scientists are non-believers, although that does not establish causation.