Stupid People Being Suckered in by Religion: Negative Correlation With Intelligence

[Amp]

There is a negative correlation between religiousity and intelligence. There is a positive correlation between atheism/ agnosticism and intelligence.

As intelligence goes up, religiousity goes down.
As intelligence goes down, religiousity goes up.

At the average IQ of 98 for America, over 90% of people are religious.

All Americans considered, 90% of Americans are religious and 10% are atheist.

At the higher intelligence range of IQs 140+, the roles are reversed 10% of Americans are religious and 90% are atheist/ agnostic.

I found a really good quotation on that site that summarizes my thoughts perfectly:

"Religion is a set of logical and factual claims, and those with the most logic and facts at their disposal are rejecting it largely on those grounds."

Mentally disadvantaged people have a hard time realizing that and viewing religion that way. I'm not saying all religious people are stupid because they obviously aren't (though most are) and many are more intelligent than me. However, they're looking at religion the same way that a retarded person would look at other things in life. It's a psychological phenomenon called compartmentalization. Compartmentalization is when even though you may be intelligent, you choose not to apply that intelligence to certain problems.

The way this makes sense to me is the same way it should make sense to anyone in that there is probably a negative correlation between intelligence and people who believe Alice in Wonderland to be real truth. Or a negative correlation between intelligence and people who believe in the tooth fairy. Etc.

http://kspark.kaist.ac.kr/Jesus/Inte...20religion.htm

The above link is a large, conclusive compilation of 43 different independent scientific studies that all prove the same correlation of low IQ and religious belief.

[gangrelchilde]

A) you confuse "average intelligence" with "mentally disadvantaged".
B) the most recent study was 27 years old
C) I find it amusing that the recent polls were relating to just hard scientists. how about folks in the social sciences and humanities?

[HappyOldGuy]

The correlation is there, but it is nowhere near as clear cut as you are making it out. First of all it is not linear. Also, it is much better correlated with the subject of study and the amount of school, which are in turn correlated with intelligence. I.e., smarter students are more likely to be in the sciences or to receive graduate degrees, which are both independently correlated with a lack of religious belief. Class and background play a big part in it also.

[gangrelchilde]

I disagree that "smarter students" are more likely to be in the sciences. They're just as likely to be in the humanities and receive grad degrees.

[variance]

In my experience through Univ (I'm a Biology major by the way. and yes I'm minimally/moderately religious)

There are just as many arrogant, morally superior, stupid athiests as there are religious individuals.

Stupidity isn't limited to any one race, class, or way of thinking.
Your OP proves my point.
I think all of AMP's posts should be considered trolls
now that we know he's pretty much a joke/fraud.
and someone remove BJJ from his background
he has no real BJJ training. put GAY TKD in big bold letters.

[gangrelchilde]

calling him a "gay tkd"er is an insult to gay tkd stylists everywhere.

[krazy kaju]

Actually, I think Richard Dawkins describes this correlation in his book, The God Delusion.

[variance]

Actually, I think Richard Dawkins describes this correlation in his book, The God Delusion.

and once again for the mentally impaired.

correlation does not equal causation.

[krazy kaju]

and once again for the mentally impaired.

correlation does not equal causation.

'

I never claimed that "stupid" people (I don't know how the OP could call so many average and above average IQ persons "stupid") believe in religion because they're stupid.

I merely mentioned that Dawkins discusses the odd occurence of less intelligent people believing in religion more.

There are probably many factors besides intelligence - the way you were raised, what your cultural background is, etc.

However, the truth is that strong correlations do indicate something about the cause.

[variance]

'

I never claimed that "stupid" people (I don't know how the OP could call so many average and above average IQ persons "stupid") believe in religion because they're stupid.

I merely mentioned that Dawkins discusses the odd occurence of less intelligent people believing in religion more.

There are probably many factors besides intelligence - the way you were raised, what your cultural background is, etc.

However, the truth is that strong correlations do indicate something about the cause.

Something not being the same thing as being the source of the cause.
meaning as desparately and as tenuous as you(and that morally/intelligently superior hack dawkins) try to link religion and lack of intelligence.

it won't work.

You can put syrup on ****
that don't make them pancakes.

Now religous people might have a high number in a sample population of low IQ individuals but that could easily be explained by the fact that the majority of the population in the world is religious in some way or another.

If the majority of the population was athiest. that would ruin your statistical correlation.
trending it the opposite way.

I wish athiests woud stop circle jerking their athiest uber-super intelligent nuts off to stupid **** like this.

Athiests are like the Vegans of religion.
Fundamentalist nuts.
If you are a truly hardcore reasonable pure evidence based scientific method guy.
You will at best be agnostic.