Religious beliefs = particular level of intelligence?

Question

Why do many people in this section arrogantly imply that people from other belief systems (whether it is a Christian, Atheist, Pagan, Jewish, whatever) are of lower intelligence than themselves?

I hear so many times, things like... "Oh, anyone who believes that isn't thinking", or "If someone is a (insert belief system), they shouldn't be taken seriously".

Why does it have to be this way? Why do people judge the intelligence levels of other human beings simply because of their religous beliefs? Just because someone doesn't agree with you religously doesn't make them dumber than a bag of rocks. All it really means is that you are being rude.

Answer 1

I agree because nobody (not one person) believes 100% the same thing as anyone else, so if those arguments were true, we would all be of lower intelligence due to our religious comprehension or lack thereof.

Liesel.

Answer 2

If you don't have a love for the truth then your IQ based on what your learning or have learned will be way down. TRue Genius never settle for what is supposed to be the truth or the answer. They seek the reason why and find that learning one thing leads to another which is why IQ's are always growing on these people who seek knowledge and understanding in Love.. Any religion that would want you to sit blindly and take someones word for the truth is a false one. Whether it is disguised as Christianity or other. True christianity wants you to learn with an open mind on How GReat Thou art and his magnificent world he created here before man so unkindly condemned it to the Hell it is now by ignorance and hate Great example. April 6th 1945. Man discovers another use for nucleur power. What could be used as a cheap source of energy in a productive manner was made to be a bomb to be dropped on Japan. Men of Brilliance and love seek to be helpful. Men of ingnorance and hate seek to dominate and kill.

Answer 3

There are intelligent people from all different religious paths. I don't want to be biased in my answer, but I've noticed that people who participate in religions that require a lot of research and study tend to be smarter. For example, the Wiccans I know are responsible for their own beliefs and are, of course, well read. They also have all pursued, or are currently pursuing, higher education. I don't think it's that being Wiccan automatically makes the person smart, but I think that personal responsibility and intelligence led them to the path of Wicca.

That said, I have met some very smart Christians, Jews, Atheists, Muslims, Pagans, and Agnostics. The problem is that with the different sects of Christianity, because it is such a large population, I've run into more uniformed people of that religious tradition. I have met more Christians that are dumber than a bag of rocks than Muslims, for example, just because I know way more Christians than Muslims!

Answer 4

A wrong belief is a wrong belief, regardless of whether or not one labels it a religious belief. Claiming that it is an article of faith offers no protection; it is still a theory about the world, and the world is something we share. Tolerance for other religious beliefs is fine in the short term, but when the opportunity arises one must work to correct the fantasies of the deluded.

Answer 5

There is a development theory dealing with how people develop religious beliefs:

Faith is seen as a holistic orientation, and is concerned with the individual's relatedness to the universal:

Stage 0 - "Primal or Undifferentiated" faith (birth to 2 years), is characterized by an early learning of the safety of their environment (ie. warm, safe and secure vs. hurt, neglect and abuse)

Stage 1 – "Intuitive-Projective" faith (ages of three to seven), is characterized by the psyche's unprotected exposure to the Unconscious.

Stage 2 – "Mythic-Literal" faith (mostly in school children), stage three persons have a strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe, and their deities are almost always anthropomorphic.

Stage 3 - "Synthetic-Conventional" faith (arising in adolescence) characterized by conformity

Stage 4 – "Individuative-Reflective" faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties) a stage of angst and struggle. The individual takes personal responsibility for their beliefs and feelings.

Stage 5 – "Conjunctive" faith (mid-life crisis) acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems

Stage 6 – "Universalizing" faith, or what some might call "enlightenment".

Answer 6

For all of you that don't know, studies link it with other things than self confidence. Actually, Harvard and other leading schools have done studies stating exactly what we are saying. The higher the IQ the less likely someone is to believe in God(s).

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T BELIEVE ME GO HERE: http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-thinkingchristians.htm

And for those of you thaat are too impatient to read the evidence gathered by Christians themselves here is the conclusion!

The consensus here is clear: more intelligent people tend not to believe in religion. And this observation is given added force when you consider that the above studies span a broad range of time, subjects and methodologies, and yet arrive at the same conclusion.

This is the result even when the researchers are Christian conservatives themselves. One such researcher is George Gallup. Here are the results of a Fall 1995 Gallup poll:

Percentage of respondents who agreed with the following statements:

Religion is Religion can
"very important "answer all or most
in their life" of today's problems"
------------------------------------------------------------
Attended college 53 percent 58 percent
No college 63 65

Income over $50,000 48 56
$30,000 - $50,000 56 62
$20,000 - $30,000 56 60
Under $20,000 66 66
Why does this correlation exist? The first answer that comes to mind is that religious beliefs tend to be more illogical or incoherent than secular beliefs, and intelligent people tend to recognize that more quickly. But this explanation will surely be rejected by religious people, who will seek other explanations and rationalizations.

Answer 7

This is why I don't go to church even though the pope used to call me anyway.Go figure. I still had friends in high places who wanted to talk to me anyway.He gave me a watch when I was confirmed 35 years ago before he was pope. My therapist says I'm delusional and that it never happened. So much for my belief system and intelligence.

Answer 8

Logically, one's intelligence level should include the ability to communicate one's ideas with factual support, rather than endless generalizations and baseless suppositions. Atheists excell at both and thus render their responses to most questions in here utterly useless for any intellectual purpose. Same thing applies to most of their questions which are the result of much indoctrination by their peers and literature which encourages their mindset, thus being on a level with religious proseletyzing.

Answer 9

Each seeker must find their own path.
It's nurture more than nature. If a person is not presented with a truth that makes sense to them or if they have the underpinnings of their life long faith swept away my a tragedy; it's not intelligence but emotion at work.
Everyone sees the world through their life experience and can only embrace a faith that explains their life to them.

Answer 10

I don't know why people jeer at those who value a relationship with Deity.

I suppose rudeness is as good an explanation as any.

[Speaking for myself: I value my relationship with God very highly. I take my beliefs seriously. As for my intelligence -- if my dues were paid up, I would be a member in good standing of MENSA. I qualified via the Navy General Classification Test. MENSA requires a minimum of 68. I had a 74.]