In your experience, do you think that religious people are more/less intelligent than non-religious people?

Question

I don't intend to offend with this question. I'm just very curious as to what people think about this link that some say exists between religion and intelligence. I read up on this topic for my History of Psychology paper, for which my internet source was

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

Most researchers seem to think regilion and intellence, however you want to define that, don't possitively correlate. And I must say they make as compelling case as you could expect. But I want to know how people see this question from an personal point of view. Tell me what the tests and tables can't.

Answer 1

the researches are correct .. religeon has nothing to do with intelligence ..

Answer 2

Inteligence is knowing or learning something, Wisdom is putting that knowledge to use.In my experience within the religious people and the nonreligious people a lot of people gather knowledge, yet very few actually do put it to use.I believe that what ever inteligence or knowledge is gathered by a person, is a waste of time and effort, if it is not used, and I also believe that all the tests and tabless cannot be accurate since they only count the gathered knowledge or intelligence not how a person uses it.So the tests and tables are incomplete and do not tell the full story.

Answer 3

It's a popular belief that theists are uneducated or lack a higher IQ. I personally think that this got started as an explaination as to why people believe in G-d. Something that swept the whole thing under the rug without it having to be dealt with.

Personally, there are many theists out there who are extremly bright. C.S. Lewis would be one of them. Some of our founding father's were. I've been called stupid, uneducated, low, retarded, primitive etc etc. It would be surprising to most people that both my father (who is very Catholic) and myself both have IQ's that qualify us for Mensa - who tested us themselves.

Now, I do believe that spelling and speaking different languages has a correlation. The more languagese I learned the worst my spelling got! As a trained linguist I see a better theory then the one of theists as uneducated.

And by the way, I doubt all atheists out there are brillant masterminds. Most are just common people living their own lives quietly. All groups have their bright and dull stars.

Answer 4

I think it's about the same.

Remember 75% of the Ivy League Universities are RELIGIOUSLY FOUNDED. Yes, that means Harvard and Yale, among others.

There are scores of totally religious colleges and universities that graduate hundreds of students each year with a variety of degrees.

I really CAN'T see an Atheist ever going to Regent University.

Mainstream religious students (Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics) generally do as good in school as do the Arabs and Persians (Catholics and Muslims) and Asians (who can be Christians, Buddhists or not aligned) and those from India (Hindus).

A private Catholic school education is generally considered the best around and while the poor kids might be crippled with broken knuckles, they do know how to spell and do math!

Answer 5

It depends on how you define, "Religious." Generally, anyone who accepts the superiority of Godhead is considered religious and thus more intelligent than one who, out of envy or hate or simple foolishness, forcefully denies the existence of God. I would make exception, however, for those who nominally call themselves, "atheist," but still believe in a moral order of things. My observation is that atheists who are envious of God (envious of His power or greatness) are just mean-spirited people, which can lead them to be downright evil in some cases. But those who consider themselves atheist yet are rather innocent in that they are searching for answers to the reasons for suffering in this life, they may indeed be sincere and just not yet found truth or God or the scientific reason for the natural and harmonious order of the universe. So, those who are envious of God are less intelligent, while those who are seeking sincerely truth are more intelligent. The most iintelligent person is the one who is asking, "What is the duty of a man about to die?"

Answer 6

Having discovered 'anti-truths' in 1994, something not in your books, let me offer you my insights.

Intellegience is not wisdom, wisdom is beyond intellegience.

The most easily people to brainwash are those with high P.H.D.'S.

Intellegience is more about a faith in mankind's truths, truths that can lie, as in the Tree of Knowledge of Adam and Eve fame....that is a big problem.

God does not lie, except to say, you must be careful of Lucifer, the "light' that deceives the world, it believes in God is very intellegent, but is evil, and preys on the souls of this earth, quite successfully, corrupting social programs, religions and other things to create paradoxical problems.

It appears that anti-truths may prove that the devil did indeed deceived mankind....now try getting 'the mainstream media' to tell you that. They were discovered in 1994, and up until now they have not told you about them, have they ?

The devil does exist; it believes in God too !

Answer 7

Intelligence has nothing to do with your religious, moral or political believes. Many intelligent people are by fact very bad peoples, the history of the humans is full of examples.

Answer 8

There are alot of different types of intelligence, everyone has the ability but not always utilized. I think of everyone as intelligent til proven other wise because I know it's possible.

As far as myself I believe in God but not religion. Being called smart all my life got old a long time ago because I don't do it to be better than anyone but as a hobby.

Answer 9

It's an unfortunate stereotype that intelligence has something to do with religious belief. I've met so many atheists who couldn't even pass basic college courses. Einstein once said that science without religion was lame, and religion without science is blind. It just seems like the more outspoken religious people ARE unintelligent and backwards, like Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson.

Answer 10

As you said, most studies indicate that theists have less education than atheists. I'm sure the thumbs down will start now. Why do people always want to shoot the messenger?

I've provided another source that supports your original findings.

Note - you may have noticed that a few theists here don't seem to understand your question.

Answer 11

It depends. Richard Dawkins knows a lot more about science than I do, but I bet I know history and religion far better than he does. Similarly there are many people who know more about history and religion then I do, and they may be Muslims or Wiccans or Atheists or other Christians.