A British researcher, Richard Lynn, claims to have found a correlation between intelligence and relgious scepticism. In a study spanning 137 countries, Lynn found that high intelligence produced an extremely high likelihood of the rejection of religious faith.
Lynn is an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Ulster and wrote the study with John Harvey and Helmuth Nyborg, of the University of Aarhus, Denmark. In one study cited by the men, a survey of the American National Academy of Sciences found only 7 percent believed in God. Another survey of the Royal Society found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God while at the same time 68.5 per cent of the general UK population were believers.
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Though flattered, I don’t find this conclusion particularly surprising. Faith is, by its very nature and definition, an acceptance of a belief without or even despite proof. To be a person of theistic faith, (mono- or poly-) requires a deliberate and consistant suspension of logic and reason.
The higher an individual’s intelligence, and one might think also education level, the more difficult maintaining this suspension becomes. Higher intellect usually comes with an inquisitive nature; a need to define one’s self and surroundings rather than to accept. Non-theistic philosophies and ethics provide much of the same framework for guiding human behavior without the reliance on magic or guilt or fear of retribution usually associated with theology.
I’ve used this unattributed quotation on these pages before, but it seems appropriate again. Someone said to a theist,
“I only believe in one less god than you do. When you figure out why you’ve rejected all the other gods available to worship throughout history, you’ll understand why I reject yours”
The higher one’s intelligence, the more inclined one is to believe he can walk on water, ala Keith Olbermann.
As much as I take an evil pleasure in this headline I think all these measures of “intelligence” are flawed. Intelligence encompasses many qualities, most of which aren’t open to the quantifying studies we submit to measurement.
“…In one study cited by the men, a survey of the American National Academy of Sciences found only 7 percent believed in God…” Look who the researchers already determined to be paragons of intelligence–men, members of the National Academy of Sciences. There’s a lot of unexamined bias in the group selected for comparison.
Some of the most thoughtful, well-informed and intelligent posters to this blog are believers. The same may be said of the atheists!
Atheism benefits the Zionists and magicians who run society. If i wanted to destabilize society, I’d throw is a mix of atheism, feminism, homosexuals pride and all sorts of “isms.” Not that I’m opposed to these ideals, but all these “isms” are used as a weapon against stable society.
“Protocols of the elders of Zion”, even if it is fake, would definitely work in melding a society how you would want it. As soon as you understand Zionist magic tricks, the sooner you realize that God is an important political tool. Atheism to me, rejects the notion that our society is not driven by politics or religious people cults.
I really admire Charles Dawkins for coming out and saying, “The U.S. foreign policy is completely controlled by the Israeli lobby.” If Atheists could organize as well as Jews do, I would be an Atheist. Sorry there is just nothing to hold Atheism together, like the Jews hold together. You can’t even say the word “Jew” without the ADL coming after you. People must realize the importance of Jews and Jewish subgroups to understand history. And who benefits by making the world all “Atheists.”
Faith is rare amongst the intelligent. Happiness even rarer still…
Well…how intelligent is it, really, to believe in an impotent omnipotence or a limited unlimited? These ideas don’t even make any sense!
J.R., please remember to take your medication.
Jill, I agree. The study sounds a bit off, and even if the conclusion makes sense when considered, how silly would it be to accept sub-par proof for such a conclusion?
On the other hand while not enough to say anything really conclusive, it does make for an intriguing and perhaps promising line of inquiry.
Well, as Bertrand Russell remarked, there is nothing in the Gospel in praise of intelligence. I think that the real issue is the fact that religion can readily reduce intelligent, well-meaning individuals to blabbering idiots believing in creation, virgin births and eternal life. This is the real dumbing down effect of religion.
Check this baby out:
http://www.wikihow.com/Persuade-an-Atheist-to-Become-Christian
Penguin lovers in the audience may be amused by the structural similarity to a Linux HOW-TO –although I suppose this is by now the default format for web tutorials.
When I was a child I prayed to God to help me follow the truth wherever it led me. It led to atheism.
Ever considered that belief in nothing is still a belief?
Sue Ann,
In many ways I think you’re right. I certainly don’t know. I may someday meet a goddess or god and I’m open to that. I would have to say I’m a “don’t care”. I use the term atheist because I don’t know the term for “don’t care”. I am not being flippant. It would be exciting to meet goddess and gods. They might turn out to be technically/ethically advanced beings. That would be amazing and interesting.
Jill
But then atheism is not a “belief in nothing.” It is simply an honest reckoning of the evidence. Or lack of it.
parsec,
That’s a good point.
Jill
Sue Ann Edwards:
“Ever considered that belief in nothing is still a belief?”
*********************
Never in a lucid moment! Why do people think it profound to assert that a negative is truly a positive. That is to say have I ever considered that -3 is really +3? No, never. Have I ever considered that hate is really love, or that down is truly up? Nope. Such sophistry requires contorting definitions beyond their snapping points just to sound interesting. Metaphysical gobbledygook all, and a hindrance to clear thinking when that is precisely what is required.
Thanks, Mespo, for once again setting the record straight. Atheism is simply a LACK of belief in deities, regarding the endless efforts of religionists to claim otherwise.
Science without religion is lame
Albert Einstein
So much for statistics, ay?
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”
Albert Einstein
As for Atheism, athesim is not only a system of belief, that is, the belief that there is no god, but it is unscientific in its very nature, as it makes assumptions on its perceived absence of data.
Science however, makes conclusions only in the presence of data, and evidence. The rest is all hypothesis and speculation, which of course, atheism is nothing more than.
ATHEISM:
The doctrine that there is no deity – Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
The doctrine or belief that there is no God – Princeton University Wordnet
The doctrine or belief that there is no God – Dictionary.com
But I always do enjoy hearing the different atheist “sects” (for want of a better word) discuss the varying opinions they share of their own belief system.
Particularly when they try and claim its not a belief system, but instead some sort of “higher conciousness”,…which admittedly sounds more like a cult than a belief system, but nonetheless proceed to paint themselves as the erudite “chosen” ones and the theists, the dull and uninformed.
I suppose you could could it pious hypocrisy, without the pious.
The truth is, there is a third group out there, a so far unheralded group, that takes a back seat to the Theists and the Atheists.
We’re called the “Don’tknowists”.
And we want tax exemption too.
ATHEISM
Atheism is a doctrine that states that nothing exists but natural phenomena (matter), that thought is a property or function of matter, and that death irreversibly and totally terminates individual organic units. This definition means that there are no forces, phenomena, or entities which exist outside of or apart from physical nature, or which transcend nature, or are “super” natural, nor can there be.
http://www.ATHEIST.org
What a rich, interesting and diverse belief system you folks have there.
As a scientist, as I am, you should be agnostic, as there is no proof of God (I would like to write a book entitled: ‘miraculous deaths’ of which there are as many as ‘miraculous cures’). Atheism is as much of a belief as Theism. However, I do agree that most religions (especially as practised in North America)are nasty exclusive, self-boosting, tribalist nonsense.
Guys,
There are many degrees of Atheism.
1) Science – Panspermia in all it’s forms.
2) Historians – Pagan religion researchers who come to the conclussion that all Pagan religions follow the core elements by vary in the “fairytale”. For example. The 25th December is a virgin birth of Gods “son” in almost every Pagan religion from christianity, jewdism and Islam to ancient egypt.
Three Kings, 12 disciples, crucifixion and reincarnation. Same story different themes over and over again.
Isis, Jesus and Horus are all far too similar to just be a fluke.
How many times has the christian bible been “modernised”?