Christians less educated than Athetists?

Question

According to Helmuth Nyborg (a Danish professor in developmental psychology at Aarhus University in Denmark
and one of the most cited Danish psychologists), people that believe in God (and religion in general) are less educated than those who are atheists.

How much do you agree with this?

I myself (a Christian), can't help but agree a little bit.

Answer 1

I disagree. There are many educated people on both sides of the aisle. That just means that we should "lean not on our own understanding," yes?

Answer 2

It's not a matter of the group as a whole. After all, in school, all children are taught the same classes with the same materials, lectures, and teacher, but what is actually learned varies greatly. So this is not a black-or-white answer. How "educated" religious or non religious people are depends on many things...

What their individual learning capacity is

The need for satisfying questions by delving deeper to get the answers they are looking for

An individual's tendency to twist and turn written word to emphasise their point of view, rather than learning the original lesson as presented by the author

An individual's perception of faith (ie, the ability to believe in something based on feelings and intuition rather than physical proof)

I was Christian for the first 23 years of my life. I had a, shall we say, "falling out" with the church some ten years ago. I couldn't stand the hypocrisy I saw all around me, but at the same time I still believed in higher spirits. I considered myself a "spiritual, not religious" person. It was enough for me to keep my morals and self-control, but I still felt something was missing. I found what was missing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For me, it's the perfect blend of traditional Chrisitanity, led by a Godhead (the Trinity always confused me), has a female influence (you can't have a solid functioning family without the balance of male and female perspectives), and the entire church functions as a family-nobody is left out, and if you need something, just ask. If someone is able to help you, they will without hesitation. And, most important to me, they hold themselves accountable for everything they do, no matter if they ask forgiveness or not. This virtually eliminates hypocricy.

I know I'm getting off your question, but let me circle back. I consider myself an intellectual person. I can't rest until all of my questions are answered clearly. Because of this, Christianity didn't make complete sense to me. With time, EDUCATION, and perseverance, I found where I belong. So, in my opinion, in order to fully believe in a particular religion, you have to be educated to whatever extent you personally feel is required. Some ask very few quesitons, and some never find all the answers they need, so choose no religion. Athiesm isn't a higher level of education, it's merely not finding the answers sufficient to their questions, so no religion is suitable to them.

Blessings

Answer 3

And this Danish professor can substantiate his findings how?
I believe this is probably a mere supposition or a foolish generalization, which demonstrates that even an esteemed education does not guarantee clear thinking. Here is the point... does degree of education result in clarity of thought? Does degree of education prove anything? I myself have gone on to higher education, but have been impressed with the clarity of thought of an 86 year old lady who only has a 5th grade education. She is a Christian pastor and has allowed herself to be instructed by the wisest man ever to live, Jesus, by reading His word of instruction (the Bible).
Also does believing and following God make one less intelligent. I do not think so. I believe it makes us wiser. ( I am Christian, and it is the smartest thing I have ever done.)

Answer 4

I'm afraid that statistically it's true. That doesn't mean that many very intelligent and educated people aren't also God-believers - they are. It's just that God believers include far more people with lower levels of educational achievement. Why this is is debateble. I'd say it's because basic god-belief offers simpler answers while atheism usually requires the grasp of denser concepts. I'M GENERALIZING, PEOPLE, SO NO NEED TO JUMP IN THE AIR. The bottom line is, believers' average is pulled down by its demographic. That's the cost of there being more of you than us.

And actually, the British Royal Family IS stupid.

Answer 5

While I do not agree that all religious types are stupid, the ratio of educated and non-educated does swing in atheism's favour. Of course that may have something to do with the sheer number of uneducated Christians in the world. I'm not bashing Christianity but there ARE a lot of under/home-educated Christians.

Answer 6

This has always been such a huge debate. Personally, I don't know. I live kind of in a "rich" neighborhood ... and there are several doctors, professors, lawyers, and other educated people that attend my church. On the other side, I've met individuals who never graduated that don't believe in anything. And vice versa, obviously. The whole point of studies and comments that are similar to this prove that people want to view Christians as blind believers with no education and knowledge. Its too hard for atheists to understand why people who have studied (science, especially) are still able to maintain their faith.

Answer 7

I'm sure, and KNOW that there are very intelligent Christians out there, I have a few friends who are Christian and fall into the higher IQ bracket...although they do tend to not take the bible too literally

however, a lot of top scientists are Atheists, maybe this is pehaps SOME of what this research is based on? Although, that's just one academic branch, there are plenty of educated Christian historians/English teachers etc..

I would love to see any research studies done on this, what factors were taken into consideration such as area/poverty, types of schools attended, how did they go about compiling such data etc...?

Answer 8

You apparently failed to notice the obvious bias in the study. How do you quantify intelligence? How do you quantify the contribution of religion? If you can't answer the second question, how do you compare the value of religion with the value of secular education? (Did the professor skip that part and just make an assumption?)

Religion is not a measure of intelligence, and if it were, all I'd have to do is point at Einstein, an admitted believing religious Jew.

Personally, I find it easy to knock professors off of their pedastals whenever they get involved in religious debates. It's actually not that difficult. My favorite strategy is to find common sense solutions to the problems they attempt to complicate beyond the recognition of the audience.

The truth is that common sense drives almost everything we do, and the greater complexities of life are driven by careers, not by our life's real needs. As a result, the arrogance that accompanies intellectual accomplishments is evidence not of greater education but of insecurity, and the insecurity comes from stubborn unanswered questions, mostly about life.

(and God...)

Answer 9

thats a matter of opinion. i understand where people get the idea, but the christians i know have a very concrete perception of reality, and a great deal of common sense. education does not reflect the intelligence of people, but only the availibility of opportunity and the motivation required to pursue a degree. polls are always objectionable. give me an academic field (other than theology) that isn't littered with athiests.

Answer 10

Yes christians are less educated than atheists, most atheists are ex christians that read the bible and the history of christianity.

Answer 11

I don't doubt it. Some of the more fundamentalist types shy away from education because it might invalidate their ideas on religion. The braver folks start to find the flaws in their religious concepts as they learn more, and find it harder to hold on to their old beliefs. Some might revise their beliefs, but a lot of them drop the matter altogether.

(After reading a lot of the answers to this question, I am in full agreement. Most could do with a little brushing-up on their basic logic skills.)