Scientific studies: Religious people are less intelligent than atheists

@neologist,

neologist wrote:

JimmyJ wrote:
On average, would you say that atheists and christians are of the same intelligence (remember, we're talking the mean here).

Newton was a believer because you could be beheaded for NOT being a believer in his time.
But Newton did not hold to the fashionable beliefs.
A few words from Wikipedia:
". . . In Newton's eyes, worshipping Christ as God was idolatry, to him the fundamental sin'. As well as being antitrinitarian, Newton allegedly rejected the orthodox doctrines of the immortal soul,. . . . "

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_religious_views

In other words, he actually read the Bible.

And I would say the average Christian (with capital C) to be equally as intelligent as the average atheist.

My guess is that you are correct there, Neo. I see no reason whatever to suppose the average atheist is more intelligent than the average Christian.

Quote:

The main difference being Christians I know are more teachable.

In my opinion, both are hard to teach. Both are way too wrapped up in their own guesses.

I will mention this, though: Many (not all) atheists are "believers" just like theists are "believers." They just "believe" in opposite things.

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@Setanta,

Sorry Set Ill try to be less cute next time. Please dont think I was ignoring you If Im honest sometimes I find myself less motivated to answer when I have an expectation that you are not so interested in the answer as what you intend to do with my answer regardless of merit.

I will however respond to your questions, But I will be honest with you, off the top of the head, I haven't a grip on the subject at all, I make no claim to be a historian, I have studied it in the past, so I am currently trying to dig up notes from 10 years ago. Then Ill see about addressing it.

On the impossible boat remark, could you broaden the statement so I understand your angle? I may do some study on that too

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@Smileyrius,

due to commitments it is likely to be tomorrow

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@neologist,

Newton also didn't have access to the knowledge that we now have.

Quote:

And I would say the average Christian (with capital C) to be equally as intelligent as the average atheist. The main difference being Christians I know are more teachable.

I think you're blatantly lying to yourself here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence
Read.

And Christians are more teachable? You must be joking. An atheist will likely accept anything that has evidence in support of it. I am an atheist, and if you showed me evidence that god exists I would become a theist. I do not care one way or the other, as long as I'm following the evidence. A theist will literally reject evidence if it goes against their religion.

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@Frank Apisa,

Again, studies show the exact opposite of what you're saying. The intellect of the person and how religious they happen to be are directly related to one another in a negative way.

Atheism is the lack of belief. You wouldn't say that being bald is a type of hair color, would you? Atheists DON'T guess. That's the point. We don't KNOW what happened. Nobody does (though many theists like to think they do). Like I said earlier, if evidence were ever presented that God existed we would all flock to theism. No such evidence exists, hence the word "atheist".

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@Smileyrius,

Smileyrius wrote:

On the impossible boat remark, could you broaden the statement so I understand your angle? I may do some study on that too

Just a hint: He didn't have much to say about my asseveration that any God powerful enough to create the world would certainly have the ability to keep the boat afloat regardless of Noah's ability. That was a few years back. Might be different now

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@neologist,

Quote:

Just a hint: He didn't have much to say about my asseveration that any God powerful enough to create the world would certainly have the ability to keep the boat afloat regardless of Noah's ability. That was a few years back. Might be different now

So you think that the story of the ark actually happened? I thought most of the old testament was "metaphorical"? Amazing how Christians can go through and pick out the sections of the Bible to deem "metaphorical".

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case study in Christian intelligence:

Harold Camping, the self-taught minister with a worldwide audience for the christian radio network he founded and led, has died at 92.

He studied his bible assiduously and proved to his satisfaction, and the satisfaction of thousands of his followers, that the world was going to end in 1994, 2010, and 2011. As we know, he was right every time. Thousands of his believers sold everything they had and used the money to buy billboards announcing the end of the world. As far as I know, he never predicted when the end of his own world would be. RII, Harold

(Rest In Infamy).
http://news.msn.com/obits/us-doomsday-minister-harold-camping-dies

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@JimmyJ,

I don't consider all who call themselves christian to be Christian. I have reasons for believing the flood account, not the least of which is Jesus' citation of it.

There are many Bible accounts and passages that may seem to contradict each other or to defy reason. I have had to take them one by one into consideration. Some I coninue to work on. But long ago I concluded I was on the right road and have stayed there since.

I have to sign off for a while. Stomach calling

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@MontereyJack,

Straw man. Hitler was christian. So was Pacelli. So was Torquemada.

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@neologist,

It's easy to say "christians are as intelligent as atheists" when you get to hand-pick whom you consider to be christian and eliminate the vast majority of idiots that comprise that faith. Why do you do this on so many issues (just like the Bible stories thing)? You don't get to hand-pick everything and everyone that you accept into your belief system.

Certainly scientific evidence isn't one of the reasons you believe in the Noah story, lol.

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@neologist,

Why on Earth did you use Hitler as an example of intelligent christians? I mean, yes he was very intelligent. He was also a mad man. That does not in any way validate your argument.

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@JimmyJ,

Jack cited christians in general. I gave general examples of christians in general to highlight his post as a straw man. BTW, Pacelli and Torquemada were beasts, as well.

The indiscretions and/or stupidity of those calling themselves christian is not the fault of God.

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@JimmyJ,

The vast majority of theists and atheists are dumber than dirt.

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@neologist,

His example wasn't so much making fun of the pastor as it was making fun of the large constituency of followers that he had and how easily they were manipulated.

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@neologist,

Research tends to disagree with you. According to the link I posted above about the study between level of religiousness and IQ, the IQ level goes progressively up as the "% atheist" increases.

I also remember reading a study on pewforums about religion and education.

In short, as their education increases, the belief in god decreases. A simple google search for you will show you that numerous studies show this same relationship. I think understanding of science has a lot to do with that. From being a Bio student myself at a university, I can tell you most of my colleagues and students here in the same department (and even most of the faculty) do not believe in the Abrahamic god.

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@JimmyJ,

Like I said

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@JimmyJ,

JimmyJ wrote:

Newton also didn't have access to the knowledge that we now have.

Quote:
And I would say the average Christian (with capital C) to be equally as intelligent as the average atheist. The main difference being Christians I know are more teachable.

I think you're blatantly lying to yourself here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence
Read.

And Christians are more teachable? You must be joking. An atheist will likely accept anything that has evidence in support of it. I am an atheist, and if you showed me evidence that god exists I would become a theist. I do not care one way or the other, as long as I'm following the evidence. A theist will literally reject evidence if it goes against their religion.

You also asserted that it is more likely that there is no god than that there is one...yet you have no evidence to validate that assertion.

No reasonable scientist would do that.

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@JimmyJ,

JimmyJ wrote:

Again, studies show the exact opposite of what you're saying. The intellect of the person and how religious they happen to be are directly related to one another in a negative way.

Atheism is the lack of belief.

Some atheism is just a lack of belief...I acknowledged that in my remarks.

But some atheism is a belief...and that is what I said.

Are you prepared to assert that no atheists operate on the belief that there are no gods?

Quote:

You wouldn't say that being bald is a type of hair color, would you?

You ought really to save those hackneyed atheistic rejoiners for back in school, Jimmy. They do not work here.

Answer my question up above.

Quote:

Atheists DON'T guess.

Horsefeathers! Many atheists guess. And you are a guessing atheist.

Quote:

That's the point. We don't KNOW what happened. Nobody does (though many theists like to think they do). Like I said earlier, if evidence were ever presented that God existed we would all flock to theism. No such evidence exists, hence the word "atheist".

The word atheist comes to us from the French (who derived it from the Greek)...and means without a god (or without gods). The only way one can assert they are without gods...is if there are no gods.

Classically, atheism has been about the denial of the existence of gods. But now we have "weak" atheists...because most atheists realize that the classical take was absurd.

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@JimmyJ,

JimmyJ wrote:

In short, as their education increases, the belief in god decreases.

You seem to be saying that education increases intelligence.

Let's see, where may we find a large assembly of highly educated people that we may bask in their genius?

How about congress?

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Scientific studies: Religious people are less intelligent than atheists

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