Posted by
Jack Fisher on Monday, January 19, 2009 12:36:11 PM
Anybody who would make the claim that the less intelligent people are the more religious they are will draw condemnation and ire from religious people everywhere. They will point out that some of the smartest men in history were devoutly religious such as Netwon and Keppler. While it's true there are some very smart men in history that were religious, that alone doesn't disprove the notion that the less educated and intelligent someone is the more religeous they tend to be.
In 2008 a study was conducted by Helmuth Nyborg at the University of Aarhus in Denmark to identify possible correlations between religious devotion and intelligence. While not definitive, the study did yield some interesting results. The following is an excerpt of the abstract:
The present study examined whether IQ relates systematically to denomination and income within the framework of the g
nexus, using representative data from the National Longitudinal Study
of Youth (NLSY97). Atheists score 1.95 IQ points higher than Agnostics,
3.82 points higher than Liberal persuasions, and 5.89 IQ points higher
than Dogmatic persuasions. Denominations differ significantly in IQ and
income. Religiosity declines between ages 12 to 17. It is suggested
that IQ makes an individual likely to gravitate toward a denomination
and level of achievement that best fit his or hers particular level of
cognitive complexity. Ontogenetically speaking this means that
contemporary denominations are rank ordered by largely hereditary
variations in brain efficiency (i.e. IQ). In terms of evolution, modern
Atheists are reacting rationally to cognitive and emotional challenges,
whereas Liberals and, in particular Dogmatics, still rely on ancient,
pre-rational, supernatural and wishful thinking.
In order to view the full article you can check it out at the following link:
The intelligence–religiosity nexus: A representative study of white adolescent Americans
Believers can make of this what they will. There will surely be those who condemn and assail anyone who even hints at the notion that atheists may be smarter than believers just as surely there are athesits who would condemn any notion that believers are more moral. But science does offer some valuable insight into the nature of human psychology and social dynamics. It does make sense that someone who strongly adheres to irrational or supernatural beliefs that they would be less likely to think and understand issues in a more reasonable context. This does not mean the value of religious people are any less or more than that of non-believers. But it is a telling notion that irrational beliefs can affect the psychology of a society.