Religious Belief as a function of Intelligence?

Question

LOL I'm going to get killed for this.
I will start by saying the views in these studies do not necessarily represent my views. Actually I'm not sure where I stand on this at all because psychometric analysis is not exactly controlled, falsifiable science.
Also, IQ tests do not assess all types of Intelligence - from what I learned in psychology they just test logic, spatial, maths, and language ability. I just posted this here to see discussion because I think its an interesting/controversial topic. So don't hate on me - I'm just a blood elf warlock ok :)

My question is what does everyone think of the trend in psychological studies which show religiosity to be negatively correlated with intelligence (IQ). How do you interpret these studies? Is this a correlational fallacy? Are the studies merely unreliable or invalid?

These studies generally used college students so as to minimise inter-subject variability

Here are some references

Bell, Paul. "Would you believe it?" Mensa Magazine, Feb. 2002, pp. 12–1

Clark, Regan (2004). Religiousness, Spirituality, and IQ: Are They Linked? University of California. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.

Burnham P. Beckwith. (Spring, 1986). "The Effect of Intelligence on Religious Faith." Free Inquiry.

Dawkins, Richard (2006). The God Delusion. Bantam Books, p 103. ISBN 0-618-68000-4.

There are a lot more. Just do a search

Answer 1

I think that it is really a matter of 'critical thinking' ability. Religion simply cannot withstand the glaring light of critical thought... it just evaporates... poof. It's very simple, really... even though it's taken me a very long time to figure this out. I have been guilty of 'projecting'... 'anthropmorphizing'. I used to think that 'critical thinking' was an innate human ability. I thought that since I did it, then everybody could do it... and DID do it.

I was badly mistaken. Critical thinking is NOT an innate human ability. It must be LEARNED... and in order to learn it, you must have the capacity... the potential... to learn it. Unfortunately, it seems that most (around 85%) of the adult population of the USA does not even know what critical thinking IS... much less actually know how to actually DO it. Part of the problem has to do with the US public education system... it is designed to create 'employees'... not 'thinkers'. It is even possible to get an advanced college degree... even a degree in one of the 'fuzzy' sciences... and STILL have not heard of 'critical thinking'. Unless you have an advanced degree in one of the 'hard' sciences, it is very unlikely that you will possess any critical thinking skills. In other words, apart from the 'hard' sciences, anyone who manages to acquire critical thinking skills does so IN SPITE OF their schooling... not BECAUSE of it. The rest of the problem seems to be related to intelligence. There have been around 40 studies over the past 80 years which revel a statistically significant INVERSE correlation between intelligence and religiosity... in ofher words, the LESS intelligent a person is, the MORE likely that person is to harbor supernatural (religious) beliefs. Conversely, the MORE intelligent a person is, the LESS likely that person is to harbor religious beliefs. From my observations, the CAPACITY (potential) for learning critical thinking skills does not even EXIST until you get up around an IQ of 125 or so.

While it took me decades to figure this out, religious leaders have been aware it for centuries. The Luther quotes serve as an example of this... but he certainly was not alone in this view:

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but... more frequently than not... struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." ~ Martin Luther

Religious 'shepherds' KNOW that their 'flock' (sheeple) are scientifically ignorant and incapable of critical thinking. They KNOW that they find 'scientific' sources' to be intimidating and incomprehensible. These puppet-masters KNOW that their flock (victims) will seek their 'knowledge' from 'trusted' sources... the very-same puppet-masters. When the sheeple hear things like 'scientists claim that humans and apes shared a common ancestor, in the distant past', they experience 'cognitive dissonance'... this information is in conflict with the 'truth' that they have believed for their whole lives. So... where do they go to resolve this cognitive dissonance?... Scientists?... NO! They go to their 'trusted' sources... the sources who KNOW that they have been taught WHAT to think... they have not been taught HOW to think. Sources who KNOW that they can lie, obfuscate, misrepresent with impunity... with absolutely NO RISK that their minions will seek out independent, peer-reviewed corroborating information.

Where this nonsense comes from is an INDUSTRY (Christianity) whose BUSINESS it is to create whole generations of adults who are, at once, gullibile, irrational, willfully ignorant, self-deluded, intellectually dishonest, droolingly stupid and hypocritical... and willing to tithe 10% for having their cognitive dissonance held in check through regular doses of holy bullshit.

They do their jobs very well indeed.

Here's the key thing to understand... a 'truism'...

1) religious 'belief'... the internalized certainty that specified myths, superstitions and fairy-tales are congruent with 'reality' CANNOT WITHSTAND the glaring light of 'critical thinking'.

2) over 85% of adult Americans profess religious 'belief'

3) THEREFORE, at least 85% of adult Americans have not applied critical thinking to their religious 'beliefs'.

There are some obvious outliers, of course... scientists those work obviously requires critical thinking... yet they seem to check their brains at the church door. I cannot explain this, other than to say that it is a good example of 'compartmentalization'... and it plainly shows that even brilliant people are not immune to self-deception and self-delusion. Fortunately, such people are so few in number that they can be regarded as an anomoly, rather than a cause for grave concern.

Finally... the upshoot of this is very serious, when you think about it. Around 85% of adult Americans are delusional... MADE that way INTENTIONALLY. Something that account for 85% of ANYTHING can be said to define what is considered 'normal'. So, on that basis... in the USA... INSANITY is 'normal'... and thus, the inmates are running the asylum... and the inmates have control over the most sophisticated nuclear arsenal in the world. THIS is a cause for grave concern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xKDKq_PPbk&mode=related&search=
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Answer 2

There have been over 55 such studies world wide, and all have produced the same result. You cannot simply dismiss this, as some would like to here, because it does not fit with what you would like to be true.

It clearly IS true that people who self identify as religious are statistically more likely to have a low IQ (I say statistically pointedly before anyone tries to dodge the issue because this of course means that some religious people will have very high IQ, but that this outcome will be less likely and a greater number of non religious people will have a very high IQ).

So if its a real, measurable effect then we need to find a plausible cause. One possibility is the simple one - religious people are less clever. This would account for some of the mind warping denials of established science because it does not fit with biblical based prejudice that you see here.

But as you say, there is also a small possibility that it is a false correlation. This would mean that in fact both religiosity and low IQ are correlated to something else. And the question is, what is it that predisposes people to be religious that could underlie this correlation?

Answer 3

I think it makes sense that the average statistics would show intelligence and religiosity to be negatively correlated. Those who are more intelligent tend to do more critical thinking and logic, because it is easier for them and they understand the importance of it. On the other hand, people are less intelligent are more likely to not bother thinking (because they find it difficult) and just accept things on faith instead. While it is difficult to measure intelligence, and there are certainly many dumb atheists and smart theists, I think the statistics (which do show a negative correlation between intelligence and religiosity) do point to a very real average correlation.

Answer 4

My IQ 121 is only just above average and I'm an atheist.
I think my stance on religion has more to do with my upbringing than on anything else – both parents were atheist.
At 60 I've seen myself become a little fanatical about/over various issues and if things had been different in my early childhood programming I'm sure I could have been convinced that invisible sky thingies exist.
I think I was seven when I first became 'aware' of the invisible sky guy concept - I was amazed that adults could believe in such things - my amazement has not waned.

[edit]
DuckPhup, I love your stuff.

Answer 5

There is a very real and demonstratable correlation between IQ and education and religion and religious belief. What it boils down to is this; the higher the IQ and the better the level of education, the less the tolerance for religion and other such childish myths and legends. Other than academic study of course.

Answer 6

Well I have my own religious beliefs, I'm a pagan. I also have an IQ of 145 and a degree in English and History. I'm sure some people who follow a spiritual path are intelligent, and some are not, same as most other areas of life!

Answer 7

Love your avatar :)
I believe as a person becomes more educated, they gain the ability to intelligently question what they have been taught. This may equate to a function relating to IQ. The more intelligent a person, the more they question, the more they open their minds to possibilities. I am not saying that any intelligent person can't have faith in a deity, all I am saying is that a person of intelligence explores the issue for his/her self, and may be more likely to arrive at the conclusion that man created God, not the other way around.

Answer 8

What you are talking about is the Age of Reason, the Secular Enlightenment.
It became popular among educated people to be humanists or athiests...it was believed that religious beliefs are for the uneducated and ignorant and superstitious.

Answer 9

I would say it probably has a closer correlation to education, but I don't have any studies to back me up on that. I will accept grants to start one, though!

Answer 10

In laymans terms please.
Are you implying that the more religious you are the lower you are on the IQ graph.??
I don"t agree with the studies on IQ I think they are missing something else that goes on in the brain that humans need to believe in. I think it is residue left from our caveman days that some people cannot let go.

Answer 11

I'd have to read the study, and your references, to make any sort of informed statement.

Just quickly now though, off the top of my head, I wonder how they measured "religiosity"? What IS "religiosity" exactly?

EDIT: I enjoyed reading DuckPhup's entry immensely (see his entry below). This is what I had originally come to R&S to find. Well thought out responses to the phenomenon of religion.

BTW I have a working IQ of around 85 - 90 out in the real world...no idea what it is in here.