People with higher IQ 'Less Likely to Believe in God' (1 Viewer)

[Jay-Dupree]

I think the reason people with higher IQ's or higher education, or even the athletically inclined, are less likely to believe in God maybe because they place more faith(or trust, if you prefer) in their own knowledge and schooling and abilities.

However, I disagree that the willingness or unwillingness to believe in God is automatically linked to one's level of intelligence. There are learned and unlearned alike who believe in God, and there are learned and unlearned alike who don't. Education or no, it's generally easier for humans to acknowledge and/or believe their own abilities and intelligence than that of a higher being outside of ourselves. We can tangibly see and measure our own and each other's abilities and knowledge, not so much with an invisible God.


Though I'm a Christian and am thoroughly convinced of the teachings of the Bible, I can understand how someone who doesn't share my faith would consider me crazy or at the very least miseducated/brainwashed. The very concept of having faith in anything can at times requires one to think beyond the realm of logic and reason. Something some people just aren't inclined to do, whether they have a higher IQ or not.

But if you think about it, we all have faith in something or someone. A child can put all their faith in his/her parent(s), who can fail them at any time. For those who live on the East Coast, we have faith that there won't be any earthquakes, even though anything's possible, even if unlikely. When you go to work in a high-rise building, you have faith that the builders did their job and that the floor won't cave in under you, though it can very well happen. It's interesting when people describe faith as blind, yet we exercise faith everyday on things or people that could very well fail us.


Not trying to preach or anything, but just giving a different perspective. Eveybody believes in something. Consider that when people don't have faith in God, it's most likely because they have faith in something or someone else. Don't need a certain level of intelligence or skill to do that.
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[scaredytiger]

Then he'd of just cloned Aryans instead of killing Juze.

he would do both.

create a superhuman race through genetic engineering which would then kill "inferior" races.

 

[Jay-Dupree]

he would do both.

create a superhuman race through genetic engineering which would then kill "inferior" races.

Yeah, inferior races, like the Irish.

 

[scaredytiger]

Yeah, inferior races, like the Irish.

nup. the italians. with justin being the exception.

 

[Jay-Dupree]

nup. the italians. with justin being the exception.

Yeah, so which pub did your mum take you to , on your last vacation?

 

[scaredytiger]

Yeah, so which pub did your mum take you to , on your last vacation?

none. shes mortified at any unladylike display.

 

[blakegman]

I think the reason people with higher IQ's or higher education, or even the athletically inclined, are less likely to believe in God maybe because they place more faith(or trust, if you prefer) in their own knowledge and schooling and abilities.

However, I disagree that the willingness or unwillingness to believe in God is automatically linked to one's level of intelligence. There are learned and unlearned alike who believe in God, and there are learned and unlearned alike who don't. Education or no, it's generally easier for humans to acknowledge and/or believe their own abilities and intelligence than that of a higher being outside of ourselves. We can tangibly see and measure our own and each other's abilities and knowledge, not so much with an invisible God.


Though I'm a Christian and am thoroughly convinced of the teachings of the Bible, I can understand how someone who doesn't share my faith would consider me crazy or at the very least miseducated/brainwashed. The very concept of having faith in anything can at times requires one to think beyond the realm of logic and reason. Something some people just aren't inclined to do, whether they have a higher IQ or not.

But if you think about it, we all have faith in something or someone. A child can put all their faith in his/her parent(s), who can fail them at any time. For those who live on the East Coast, we have faith that there won't be any earthquakes, even though anything's possible, even if unlikely. When you go to work in a high-rise building, you have faith that the builders did their job and that the floor won't cave in under you, though it can very well happen. It's interesting when people describe faith as blind, yet we exercise faith everyday on things or people that could very well fail us.


Not trying to preach or anything, but just giving a different perspective. Eveybody believes in something. Consider that when people don't have faith in God, it's most likely because they have faith in something or someone else. Don't need a certain level of intelligence or skill to do that.
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Brilliant post.

 

[Starcraftmazter]

P.S. Einstein strongly questioned the existence of God and did not believe in organised religion.

Despite my love of wikipedia, I will take the word of countless documentaries on SBS on Einstein and the theory of relativity, which all claimed that Einstein's passion for creating a unified field theory was to find the magic formula which God invented/used (as Einstein claimed).

Now don't mistake what I'm saying as claims that Einstein was Christian or that he was a follower of any mainstream religion. I'm rightly claiming that Einstein believe in a God - I'm not saying he believed in a specific interpretation of the bible or so forth.

I'll put this in really big writing. That way, it might get through to you

No u.

This study's sole purpose, is to badmouth religion. It has absolutely no other purpose, no other application, achieves nothing else.

Let me ask you, how has this study changed your opinion of religious people, or otherwise, please state any effects of this study you can think of.

And would you dare to claim, that this study would not result in people going around saying, "you're religious, I'm not, hence I'm smarter, and this study proves it". And hell, unless you've heard of this study yourself, you may just be inclined to believe such a dimwit.

 

[Laphonso-Ellis]

Thusly, I somewhat disagree with the implication that IQ tests are directly involved with religious views, as they only test basic problem solving. It was mentioned earlier that the author of the article was the one inferring this, and I agree. However, the actual test was designed to measure education to religion. There was not enough variation in the surveying, so the answer cannot be taken for fully accurate.

Also, can we please stop with the pointless insults? I don't care if you disagree, but can we discuss this instead? It makes the thread a lot less pleasent to read.

I hardly think the insults are pointless, most of the 'witty retorts' are well deserved and needed and some posters need to be put in their place.

case in point: starcraftmazter for being an inane fuckwit beyond all comprehension and reason, he plays Starcraft FFS, need i say more?

 

[scaredytiger]

I hardly think the insults are pointless, most of the 'witty retorts' are well deserved and needed and some posters need to be put in their place.

case in point: starcraftmazter for being an inane fuckwit beyond all comprehension and reason, he plays Starcraft FFS, need i say more?

please, flood this topic with generalisations based on superficial reasoning.
also, plunge your fingers in acid first.

 

[GreenLeaf]

Religion is dependant on personal preference. Linking it to IQ is irrelevant since there is no hard evidence to life's origin or purpose; only theories.

/captain obvious

 

[BackCountrySnow]

ok, so no matter how hard you try to explain to Starcraftmazter that the article is suggesting that people with high IQs are less likely to believe in god, he won't get it.

So let it go. Let him think that since Einstein and Tesla were deeply religious that this article makes the article invalid.

 

[Starcraftmazter]

Errr, I think you completely miss the entire point of what I'm saying.

"People with high IQs are less likely to believe in god" is the flawed result of the study - but what are the actual repercussions of this study?
And of course the fact that it's flawed.

Now link the problem with the sample space of the study with it's message, and consider the people responsible for it. The picture I get, is bias.

 

[Slidey]

How is it flawed?

 

[scaredytiger]

How is it flawed?

not necessarily flawed. its based on biased samples.
discussed already between myself and exphate.

 

[Starcraftmazter]

Some people have pointed out excellent arguments for why it's flawed.

I like the point that they polled only academics. Then this Lynn guy seems to have a very closed minded and self-imposed idea of what "intellectual elite" means, and further he goes on to generalise, "A decline in religious observance over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence".

Do you not see anything wrong with any of this?

 

[Slidey]

Despite my love of wikipedia, I will take the word of countless documentaries on SBS on Einstein and the theory of relativity, which all claimed that Einstein's passion for creating a unified field theory was to find the magic formula which God invented/used (as Einstein claimed).

Now don't mistake what I'm saying as claims that Einstein was Christian or that he was a follower of any mainstream religion. I'm rightly claiming that Einstein believe in a God - I'm not saying he believed in a specific interpretation of the bible or so forth.

Einstein didn't believe in a God. He believed in the beauty of the universe; he was fully agnostic.

Don't confuse his spirituality with religious conviction, you crusading fool.

Some people have pointed out excellent arguments for why it's flawed.

I like the point that they polled only academics. Then this Lynn guy seems to have a very closed minded and self-imposed idea of what "intellectual elite" means, and further he goes on to generalise, "A decline in religious observance over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence".

Do you not see anything wrong with any of this?

Several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God.

Are you going to even bother reading, you crazy fundamentalist?

 

[BackCountrySnow]

"People with high IQs are less likely to believe in god" is the flawed result of the study - but what are the actual repercussions of this study?

lol, go over your posts and read what you've written, you didn't bring up the issue o the repercussions of this study until late into the thread.

lol, you're full of shit.

And of course the fact that it's flawed.

But look at your logic as to why it is flawed...

Einstein
Tesla
Two greats physisists in the history of the human race were deeply religious, and their religion inspired a lot of their work.

'nuf said, article's argument is invaid.

if you're claiming, that all an article says is that there are some people whom are religious whom have a lower IQ than some people whom are not religious, then all I can do is laugh at this study and anyone who makes anything of it, as it's utterly, utterly pointless and proves nothing whatsoever in regards to any link between IQ and religion.

And as if it wasn't already stupid - it was done in USA, on Americans, and I think that just says it all.

And my favourite:

Telsta & Einstein clearly contradict this most preposterous notion.

Studies like these only lead to generalisations, which are epic fail always.

 

[Ivorytw]

The fact the term "Less likely" is used immediately gives this purely a stance of anecdotal evidence.

Give me statistics.

This however does not cross out the likelihood if this being incredibly true.

 

[scaredytiger]

lol. read the last one as "Telstra & Einstein" at first.

because corporate entities are sentient beings.