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Correlation between intelligence and religious belief


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Following on from another thread, I was curious what research would say about links between intelligence and religion and found a few articles online along these lines:

 

Why Are Religious People (Generally) Less Intelligent? | Psychology Today

 

Now this suggests that there is a correlation with more religious people being less intelligent. Now I think the key thing here is that it is a correlation, not causation. I wonder whether the correlation exists because intelligent people seek to analyse and understand which will make them more likely to challenge a religious belief that is based on faith and not proven fact. I like the way this linked article suggests that intelligence fulfils the same needs as faith does in how it can provide meaning in life. What do you LSers think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: I personally do not like to say People X are more intelligent than People Y. Life is way too complicated for something as black and white as that. And as the article states, there are intelligent religious people and there are dim non-religious people.

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Well at the very least, it was an entertaining read! The third explanation contradicting the first two... The singular focus on IQ as the measure of intelligence... the great leap of assumption that the "hungry minds" of Openness To Experience people tend to gravitate toward science/facts rather than religious dogma... The hits just keep on coming.

 

I did find one of the reader comments particularly interesting:

 

I am an atheist and I tend to find my brethren to be less accepting of the possibility that what others think could be true, even if we are so sure that it is not. And I find this to be the case not just in the area of god v. no god, but in many areas of intellectual inquiry. It is possible, though I don’t believe it to be the case in the area of religion, that we are wrong in the matter. You can’t be truly intelligent if you can’t admit that you may not know it all, no?

 

Is a more open mind one that must believe it has found the truth and know it has reached a finite conclusion or one that is open to the faith that there may be more? Is not having to know what the answer is really a sign of less intelligence? And is having understanding of other’s beliefs a sign of less intelligence as well?

 

In my experience, it is my religious friends that I find to be more reasonable. They are consistently more open to hearing and considering my opinions and other possibilities in general than my fellow hard line atheist on varying issues. So they are dumber for it?

 

I am actually embarrassed often at how self-absorbed, self-righteous, all knowing and closed minded my atheist friends can be. I am even more bothered by how anti-religious they are. It borders on hate. Are hate and lack of understanding characteristics akin to being more intelligent? Why does religion bother them so, if they are so smart? Why are they so antagonistic towards religion and disrespectful of my religious friends? The answer I receive is usually somewhere along the lines of the fact that religious people are stupid. My religious friends don't express such disdain for non-believers.

 

How ironic it is that it is supposed via "scientific" study that open mindedness and intelligence are no more determinable than just by the results of a simplistic and much over valued measurement of smarts.

 

Amen brother (or sister)!!

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This is an excellent example of confirmation bias.

 

Actually, it would be interesting to read a study on strong opinions regarding religion and emotional intelligence. Because I have observed that people who have extremely...erm...strong opinions about religion in either direction tend to be LESS emotionally intelligent.

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This is an excellent example of confirmation bias.

 

Both religious and non-religious are guilty of that. Human nature at work.

 

Actually, it would be interesting to read a study on strong opinions regarding religion and emotional intelligence. Because I have observed that people who have extremely...erm...strong opinions about religion in either direction tend to be LESS emotionally intelligent.

 

I agree, that would be very interesting to know more about. Both extremes can be "closed" to understanding differing opinions and being able to respectfully respond to that.

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Both religious and non-religious are guilty of that. Human nature at work.

 

 

 

I agree, that would be very interesting to know more about. Both extremes can be "closed" to understanding differing opinions and being able to respectfully respond to that.

 

Very true. I am of the opinion that almost no one is able to be completely objective. Except maybe a sociopath who has NO emotion? But then there are other issues...like maybe a head in the freezer haha. Just kidding.

 

I think there are certain "strains" of religion that tend to attract less intelligent people. Not to disrespect my own region, but there are various offshoots of protestant churches in the more rural areas of my warmer region of the country that are mostly made up of people who (and I'm not being condescending here, just factual) not very intelligent. For instance, Iv'e never met a PhD who handles snakes or is "agin" a "preacher man" going to seminary cause all that studying will squelch the Holy Ghost. ;)

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Well at the very least, it was an entertaining read! The third explanation contradicting the first two... The singular focus on IQ as the measure of intelligence... the great leap of assumption that the "hungry minds" of Openness To Experience people tend to gravitate toward science/facts rather than religious dogma... The hits just keep on coming.

 

I did find one of the reader comments particularly interesting:

 

 

 

Amen brother (or sister)!!

 

i actually think IQ is not a particularly good measure of intelligence. It has a limited perspective in my opinion and as Autumn says, more on emotional intelligence would be interesting to see.

 

As for your quote - again it is the extreme believers/non-believers that I think give the rest of us a bad name. There is generally more understanding and tolerance than there is bigotry thankfully.

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I identified with the premise that personality is a major factor and that change throughout life is customary.

 

IME, across a wide range of cultural and socio-economic and religious sectors, I've personally not observed any positive or repeatable correlation regarding measurable intelligence and quantity or forcefulness of religious belief and/or expression. I say that as someone who was socialized in a strict religion and chose to go my own way.

 

That said, I do believe intelligent people, if they're so inclined, have more tools at their disposal to effectively promulgate their religious beliefs, or lack thereof, in social or political interactions, consistent with the toolbox customarily possessed by intelligent people as a function of their intelligence. For the most part, in my life and social circle, religion tends to remain a personal and private aspect of life and people are respectful of religious differences, much as they are respectful of personal differences.

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I wonder whether the correlation exists because intelligent people seek to analyse and understand which will make them more likely to challenge a religious belief that is based on faith and not proven fact.

 

 

I believe it works both ways, for believers in God and non-believers. Most are going to look for answers to affirm their beliefs. In my personal journey, skeptics are usually not open to God; it's a fixed belief, and it can be that way for people on the opposite end as well.

 

 

So, I didn't buy in to the whole "openness" explanation.

 

 

I also think that disbelief stems from emotional reasons most of the time. People winge about how unfair life is, and deduce that God can't exist because their life isn't the way they'd like it to be.

 

 

I like the way this linked article suggests that intelligence fulfils the same needs as faith does in how it can provide meaning in life. What do you LSers think?

 

 

I totally agree. Skeptics, imo, have an obsession with trying to disprove God/religious belief. If God didn't exist, what would the skeptic do? lol

 

 

What would they have to rebel against (as the article suggests)?

 

 

Here's an interesting video relating to the personality portion of the article:

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMmmah8DXYQ

 

 

From the article:

 

 

Another way of putting it is that people with a high IQ are more likely to have faith in science

 

 

Found this passage so wonderful!!

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I totally agree. Skeptics, imo, have an obsession with trying to disprove God/religious belief. If God didn't exist, what would the skeptic do? lol

 

Now this I personally do not understand. As an atheist, I do not feel any need to disprove there is a God because that would imply that I think there is the possibility of a God to start with. My view would be more along the lines of saying to a believer "prove to me that there is a God"

 

How can someone have an obsession over proving something they do not believe exists doesn't exist??? Seems a bit circular somehow.

 

 

Edit: the faith in science thing? You only have to start listening to some discussion on quantum physics to realise that yes, sometimes science is based on beliefs that have yet to (and may never) be proved. :laugh:

Edited by anne1707
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Now this I personally do not understand. As an atheist, I do not feel any need to disprove there is a God because that would imply that I think there is the possibility of a God to start with. My view would be more along the lines of saying to a believer "prove to me that there is a God"

 

 

I've read much atheist material to the contrary. There are whole books that Ph.D's, in many disciplines, have devoting to trying to disprove God.

 

 

 

 

Edit: the faith in science thing? You only have to start listening to some discussion on quantum physics to realise that yes, sometimes science is based on beliefs that have yet to (and may never) be proved. :laugh:

 

 

Agreed.

 

 

I found faith based assumptions in other theories I explored outside of QM, though.

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i actually think IQ is not a particularly good measure of intelligence. It has a limited perspective in my opinion and as Autumn says, more on emotional intelligence would be interesting to see.

 

As for your quote - again it is the extreme believers/non-believers that I think give the rest of us a bad name. There is generally more understanding and tolerance than there is bigotry thankfully.

 

What's your definition of extreme though. If extreme is considered Jim Jones or that snake person then I would say that is not of God. I used examples in the US as we seem to house more of the crazies.

 

Now one might consider the Prophets of the O/T to be extreme also.

 

On your end what do you consider extreme, meaning non believers?

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I've read much atheist material to the contrary. There are whole books that Ph.D's, in many disciplines, have devoting to trying to disprove God.

.

 

On your end what do you consider extreme, meaning non believers?

 

Maybe Endless has answered your question Pure.

 

As someone who does not believe however, I feel no need to find evidence to prove something I don't believe in does not exist. Strange logic there and to be honest I do not think that is at all typical of the majority of atheists.

 

But this is not the topic of the thread so if we can get back to topic on the correlation between religious belief and intelligence, that would be appreciated.

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evanescentworld

I would like to think that I'm a relatively intelligent person, however, in reality, that is not an assessment I would want to make. I leave any certainty of that - either way - to others.

 

However, I guess I fall into a weird camp, don't I?

 

I'm Religious, (Buddhism has been classified as one of the 6 major/main religions of the World) but I don't believe in God.

 

A bumper-sticker I read once, went "Buddhism is for the Intelligentsia."

 

It struck me as funny, yet on pondering, and discussing it with other Buddhists (AND Non-Buddhists alike) many agreed.

 

I wouldn't like to give opinion here one way or the other, but I thought I'd present it as further matter to chew on.....

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I don't know that I'm more or less intelligent than the average person. I've gone farther with formal education than the average person, but I feel that I'm just more inclined to question things. Even from a young age, my parents said I was very inquisitive. I was always pushing and wanting to know WHY we did something a certain way. I always wanted to explore different ways to do things. I guess you could call that a personality trait, but I have always questioned the very existence of God. I still constantly question it even though I am a Christian.

 

I've read a lot of scholarship, liberal and conservative, in my quest to understand Christianity. I've yet to read anything that convinced me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, either way. I am a Christian because is feels right to me, not based on empirical evidence. I wish that weren't the case, but I think it's better for me to be honest with myself. I think that in the end, we are going to be swayed by our emotions and what feels right to us, regardless of intelligence.

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Thank you BC. As an atheist, I have a lot more respect for someone who questions and still believes rather than someone who just blindly accepts.

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Thank you BC. As an atheist, I have a lot more respect for someone who questions and still believes rather than someone who just blindly accepts.

 

I have friends at church who blindly accept, and I've never understood that. I think it's just who they are. It doesn't even occur to them to question that the creation story is an allegory. They would be completely dumbfounded by that assessment. I don't think any less of them at all. I don't think they are less intelligent than me, but I find it interesting that they are generally very deeply emotional people. We can have very deep discussions about how they see God working in their lives, and they have rich stories. They are not one dimensional.

 

Then, I have friends at church who are like me, constantly questioning and worrying if they are right. Friends who have fallen out of the faith at different times. Friends who are open to any type of religious scholarship. I think I question things across the board, though. I'm like doubting Thomas. I always have to see to believe, and it's just in my nature. I sometimes wish I were like my friends who can simply accept.

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The bottom line is that, if you look at the cases of extremes (meaning the most intelligent and the most stupid), some of them are religious and some of them are non-religious.

 

Even it were the case that high intelligence is correlated to atheism, this still doesn't tell us anything about what this means. For example, the Bible says that God does not reveal himself to the arrogant and self-proclaimed wise people. So instead of the causal direction being from high intelligence to atheism, it could be from high intelligence to God not revealing himself. But, of course, since secular reasoning never considers anything but material world, this option is off the table for them and therefore they will forever entertain their position.

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Now this suggests that there is a correlation with more religious people being less intelligent. Now I think the key thing here is that it is a correlation, not causation. I wonder whether the correlation exists because intelligent people seek to analyse and understand which will make them more likely to challenge a religious belief that is based on faith and not proven fact. I like the way this linked article suggests that intelligence fulfils the same needs as faith does in how it can provide meaning in life. What do you LSers think?

 

 

Note: I personally do not like to say People X are more intelligent than People Y. Life is way too complicated for something as black and white as that. And as the article states, there are intelligent religious people and there are dim non-religious people.

 

Very un-PC, to be sure, but this is my observation as well. As you say, it isn't necessarily so black and white, but I do agree that there is a general correlation. Also IMO it mainly only applies to people who are 'hardcore' religious and take religion almost literally.

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Very un-PC, to be sure, but this is my observation as well. As you say, it isn't necessarily so black and white, but I do agree that there is a general correlation. Also IMO it mainly only applies to people who are 'hardcore' religious and take religion almost literally.

 

Again, even this generality fails. I will quote Isaac Newton for the umpteenth time:

 

 

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition."

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Again, even this generality fails. I will quote Isaac Newton for the umpteenth time:

 

 

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition."

 

I don't see how one person can possibly disprove a general correlation - obviously outliers exist. And at any rate, Newton's views on Christianity are not exactly the same as that of mainstream Christians. As a matter of fact, the church considers him a heretic: Isaac Newton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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I don't see how one person can possibly disprove a general correlation - obviously outliers exist. And at any rate, Newton's views on Christianity are not exactly the same as that of mainstream Christians. As a matter of fact, the church considers him a heretic: Isaac Newton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

He's not an outlier. I'm sure you can find plenty of more examples of geniuses who are/were religious--especially if you broaden your criteria from Christianity to general theism.

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He's not an outlier. I'm sure you can find plenty of more examples of geniuses who are/were religious--especially if you broaden your criteria from Christianity to general theism.

 

Did you actually read the paper linked in the OP's article, at least the abstract?

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Did you actually read the paper linked in the OP's article, at least the abstract?

 

Yes. It's the same old thing you always hear: religious people blindly follow things without any empiracism.

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Yes. It's the same old thing you always hear: religious people blindly follow things without any empiracism.

 

But that wasn't what the paper said at all.

 

Three possible interpretations were discussed. First, intelligent people are less likely to conform and, thus, are more likely to resist religious dogma. Second, intelligent people tend to adopt an analytic (as opposed to intuitive) thinking style, which has been shown to undermine religious beliefs. Third, several functions of religiosity, including compensatory control, self-regulation, self-enhancement, and secure attachment, are also conferred by intelligence. Intelligent people may therefore have less need for religious beliefs and practices.

 

I hate to say this, but you're not really doing your side of the debate any favours. :o

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He's not an outlier. I'm sure you can find plenty of more examples of geniuses who are/were religious--especially if you broaden your criteria from Christianity to general theism.

 

The article quite clearly did not say that ALL religious people are less intelligent than ALL non-religious people and I also stated that in my OP.

 

Also just as BC has questioned religion and still believes, I can assure you that to state that secular reasoning NEVER considers anything but the material world is incorrect and unfair.

 

Again, the topic is about why there may be a correlation, not extremes.

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