Is there any correlation between IQ and belief in God(s)?

Question

Please dont give answers unless accompanied by a link to back it up.

Answer 1

I think you could interpret things in any number of ways. It could be that people with higher IQs are overly anaytical and can't accept matters on faith, which all religion is. Also, I could be that they are prideful people, only willing to rely upon their own intelligence (or perceived intelligence). When it comes down to it, IQs mean very little, unless you have a severely low one, which may be due to any number of physical and mental disabilities. We could also ask the question why do most serial killers have very high IQs. Is it because they are more apt to be violent and need to get their way? Who really knows. Like I said, you can do tests, can do whatever, but it basically comes down to conjecture.

Humilty is often difficult for the educated and wealthy.

Answer 2

It is not at all surprising that surveys conducted at liberal universities show 'higher intelligence = less likey to believe in God.' Conduct the same surveys at Holy Cross Seminary and you will get the exact opposite result. The following points are well worth considering:

"The attempt to use psychometric measures of intelligence, such as the IQ test may be criticized. Some scientists object to the idea that intelligence is a single, measurable characteristic; others object to the use of specific tests. As such, any studies about intelligence tend to be controversial."

"Studies focusing on correlations between religiosity and other socioeconomic factors, such as higher education or interest in science, are not reliable to predict a relationship between religion and intelligence, even if it is assumed that these factors are typically associated with intelligence. Correlation is not transitive: that is, even if A is correlated with B, and B is correlated with C, you cannot draw the conclusion that A is correlated with C. It requires a separate set of data to establish that correlation."

"Some of the studies primarily deal with unmarried high-school and university students, and other studies show people become more religious after marriage and have children. A recent Gallup International survey indicates this is international. It showed that levels of atheism decline after age 30 while self-description as "a religious person" rises."

"Studies of religiousness and intelligence have been predominantly performed in the U.S., which is not necessarily representative of other populations. The USA has, for example, a higher level of religiosity than other developed nations."

Answer 3

Following up with a paraphrase from the wikipedia source that people have been siting.

It says that 90% of Americans believe in God. However, the study so far has concluded that 38% of the natural scientists, 24% of the doctors, and 31% of the social scientists surveyed said they do not believe in God.

So, what does this mean, it means that 62% of natual scientists, 76% of all doctors, and 69% of social scientsts believe in God.

If 62% of natural scientists believe in God, that says a lot about our atheistic friends who say that science has no need for God.

From personal experience, I have an IQ of 158 (top 99.8%) and believe in all the facts surrounding the life, death and resurrection of Christ as well as the possibility of a young earth scenerio. (From the perspective that God created the earth and universe as we view it now, 6000 years ago.) Having an atheistic background, I turned to research and explanation of other atheists-come-Christians to find out what it took to actually convince them.

The secondary part of the wikipedia thread has to do with religiousity. I definitely believe that that correlation exists in the fact that people with higher IQs tend to be less religious. Honestly because religion itself doesn't make sense. A relationship and belief in Christ is not a religion. So further data as such will skew the results.

My final point and thought is that as someone is more intelligent, they feel that they know more and hence don't need someone else to explain something to them... they in their pride seek only answers and facts that support what they belief and everything else to them is foolishness. Therefore, why do they need God?

Answer 4

What I say less than is as an atheist/agnostic. ------ convinced, there should be a correlation, yet even someone with a "severe" IQ ought to understand this correlation does not educate squat with appreciate in the route of the existence or non-existence of a god. If something (assuming the study valid), the relationship between IQ and faith educate that folk with "better" IQ have a tendency to have a lot less faith. Whoopee-do-do. perception in a god is an argument of religion (perception it truly is not in preserving with data), not intelligence. resembling the argument that faith in a god does not educate its existence, the shortcoming of religion in a god does not educate that a god does not exist. that should be sparkling. as well to, you'll reject institutionalized non secular perspectives in the route of a god and yet nonetheless have self assurance contained in the existence of a better potential previous themselves. I do purely not supply a damn both way. it isn't magnificent that contributors of the nationwide Academy of technology are a lot less probably to have self assurance in a own god. the potential to attempt an difficulty is middle to the clinical technique. to that end, on account that one can not reliably attempt for the existence of god, it type of feels logical that those people would not settle for the argument as being valid. I fail to confirm the massive deal about the correlation. So what?!? Do you sense one way or the different better helpful because of it?

Answer 5

Sorry I don't have a link, but I happen to know a great many people who are very religious and also have PhDs in things like Physics, Genetics, Chemistry, French Literature, Biochemistry, Education, Film etc. Also consider, the Egyptian pyramids and other great feats of engineering usually had connections to a religious theme. An additional consideration is the many private universities that are also religious institutions (like the University of Notre Dame). I actual attended a seminar by a Nobel prize winning scientist (sorry I can't remember the name but it was 4-5 years ago) who said that he found no contradiction between his belief in God and the findings of Science.

I think there is no correlation at all. Stupid people are drawn to atheism and religion alike.

Answer 6

Some of these answers are amazing. I've spent a few hours looking around in R&S and the most idiotic questions were those posted by Atheists and yet they are the ones saying Believers are stupid?

There are many people with high IQ's that believe in God.

Answer 7

I think its more related to arrogance than intrinsic rejection by more intelligent people. The more intelligent one is the more they might think of themselves, believing their own opinions are the most valid and not listening or ever conceding any point unless they thought of it or someone with their viewpoint thought of it. It takes a humble and intelligent person to be a believer, in my opinion anyway. My IQ is quite high (modest huh?) as are most of my friends', all over 120-130 but we are all religious. I think sincerity and humility comes into play more than intelligence. A dumb sincere guy can accept an evident truth more easily than an arrogant intelligent person.

Answer 8

Yup. From this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_intelligence

In 1986, an essay in the magazine Free Inquiry, which is published by Paul Kurtz's Council for Secular Humanism, summarized studies on religiosity and intelligence.[1] In it Burnham Beckwith, the author of self-published and subsidy-published books on socialism and futurism,[2] summarized studies on religiosity and its relation with attributes that he considered positively linked with intelligence: IQ, SAT scores, "success", and academic certification. Although conceding that it was easy to find fault with the studies he reviewed, "for all were imperfect," he contended that the studies he examined, taken together, provided strong evidence for an inverse correlation between intelligence and religious faith in America. Beckwith's essay in a political magazine dedicated to the promotion of atheism should not be confused with a scientific study of the topic, however.

His essay said:

In this essay I have reviewed:

sixteen studies of the correlation between individual measures of student intelligence and religiosity, all but three of which reported an inverse correlation.
five studies reporting that student bodies with high average IQ and/or SAT scores are far less religious than lower-scoring student bodies;
three studies reporting that geniuses (IQ 3+ standard deviations above average) are much less religious than the general public;
seven studies reporting that highly successful persons are much less religious in belief than are others; and
eight old and four new Gallup polls revealing that college alumni (average IQ about one standard deviation above average) are much less religious in belief than are grade-school pollees
. . . All but four of the forty-three polls I have reviewed support the conclusion that native intelligence varies inversely with degree of religious faith; i.e., that, other factors being equal, the more intelligent a person is, the less religious he is.

Answer 9

Whats an IQ? Just kidding. I find there are penty of intelligent people who do or don't believe in God(s). If someone suggests that there is some proof I would question their a priori biases.

Answer 10

Why do I need a "link"?
No, there isn't any correlation. There are very low IQ'd people, who are because of birth defects, or accident, unable to have the same thought processes as you, but they have a deep belief in God. What is your point, anyway??