Atheists are smarter than Christians?

[Cerealman]

Is there any truth to this, because the way I see it, it goes both ways.

[Boxing Pythagoras]

Is there any truth to this, because the way I see it, it goes both ways.

I think that there are very often people who confuse statistics which say that more educated people are more likely to be atheist for the idea that atheists are smarter than Christians.

There are plenty of stupid atheists, and there are plenty of brilliant Christians. The fact that higher education statistically implies atheism does not mean that atheism implies greater intelligence.

[Darth Executor]

IIRC atheists score about 5% higher on IQ tests on average. But they also have a disproportionate number of the lower end of the IQ curve.

With regards to academia, it's definitely more friendly to atheists than to Christians, though that also depends on what field you're in. Which is the cause and which is the effect depends on who you ask.

[Cerealman]

IIRC atheists score about 5% higher on IQ tests on average. But they also have a disproportionate number of the lower end of the IQ curve.

With regards to academia, it's definitely more friendly to atheists than to Christians, though that also depends on what field you're in. Which is the cause and which is the effect depends on who you ask.

The average IQ in the USA is between 95-100 right? If it is that's nothing to brag about

[Knowing Thomas]

I remember reading something about how the smartest religious group (well smarter than atheists at least, its been a few years) are atheists who became Christians.

Nevertheless, I think the correct path of action if you find someone exposing the intellectual superiority of fundie atheism is...


"Then what is your excuse? "

There are plenty of stupid atheists, and there are plenty of brilliant Christians. The fact that higher education statistically implies atheism does not mean that atheism implies greater intelligence.

I would add in addition to this that more higher education doesn't always correlate to increased intelligence. I've met many people with just high school diplomas who were able to self-teach themselves vital and important skills...

and while I was in the Physical Therapy doctorate program, a lot of my classmates were dumber than rocks.

[jordanriver]

Is there any truth to this, because the way I see it, it goes both ways.

by necessity.

Its easy to look at Paley's watch and assume intelligent design.

You would need above average brainpower to be able to come up with theories about how a watch could come into existance from nature with no intelligent planning involved.

You would have to be like a super slick high-dollar lawyer who gets guilty criminals 'not-guilty' verdicts.

im not smart enough to be an atheist. i am what i am.

[Scrawly]

Here's an interesting study:

Abstract

A meta-analysis of 63 studies showed a significant negative association between intelligence and religiosity. The association was stronger for college students and the general population than for participants younger than college age; it was also stronger for religious beliefs than religious behavior. For college students and the general population, means of weighted and unweighted correlations between intelligence and the strength of religious beliefs ranged from -.20 to -.25 (mean r = -.24). 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.

source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23921675

[Jedidiah]

This has zero application to the intelligence of individual believers or skeptics.

[Darth Executor]

The average IQ in the USA is between 95-100 right? If it is that's nothing to brag about

95-100 is pretty good for a national IQ actually. The highest (South Korea) is still below 110. With regards to atheists being smarter, the difference is too small for them to really have anything to brag about regardless of the average.

[The Unknown Comic]

This reminds me of a story that one of the US Presidents was alarmed when he heard that roughly half the country's populace had below-average intelligence.

Meh, got nothin'. But the story is amusing.

[Juvenal]

The fact that higher education statistically implies atheism does not mean that atheism implies greater intelligence.

And becoming an atheist won't make you smarter.

It does eliminate bad-hair days, though.

[Boxing Pythagoras]

And becoming an atheist won't make you smarter.

It does eliminate bad-hair days, though.

I can certainly agree to that. I'm not any smarter, now, than I was when I was a strongly-believing Evangelical Christian. But, hot damn, does my hair look good, now...

[The Unknown Comic]

Bad hair days are God's megaphone.

(Apologies to C. S. Lewis.)

[Jedidiah]

I do not understand "bad hair day."

[Joseph]

The fact that higher education statistically implies atheism does not mean that atheism implies greater intelligence.

Atheism being the opposite of religiosity, and religiosity negatively correlated with intelligence, then atheism does imply greater probability of increased intelligence, according to the meta-analysis posted by Scrawly. Dogmatic belief and intuitive thinking, characteristic of religiosity, are not associated with intelligence.