Is faith linked to intelligence?

[dropbomb]

Professor Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, said many more members of the "intellectual elite" considered themselves atheists than the national average.

A decline in religious observance over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence, he claimed.

But the conclusions - in a paper for the academic journal Intelligence - have been branded "simplistic" by critics.

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Professor Lynn, who has provoked controversy in the past with research linking intelligence to race and sex, said university academics were less likely to believe in God than almost anyone else.

A survey of Royal Society fellows found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God - at a time when 68.5 per cent of the general UK population described themselves as believers.

A separate poll in the 90s found only seven per cent of members of the American National Academy of Sciences believed in God.

Professor Lynn said most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many started to have doubts.

He told Times Higher Education magazine: "Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population. Several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God."

He said religious belief had declined across 137 developed nations in the 20th century at the same time as people became more intelligent.

But Professor Gordon Lynch, director of the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society at Birkbeck College, London, said it failed to take account of a complex range of social, economic and historical factors.

"Linking religious belief and intelligence in this way could reflect a dangerous trend, developing a simplistic characterisation of religion as primitive, which - while we are trying to deal with very complex issues of religious and cultural pluralism - is perhaps not the most helpful response," he said.

Dr Alistair McFadyen, senior lecturer in Christian theology at Leeds University, said the conclusion had "a slight tinge of Western cultural imperialism as well as an anti-religious sentiment".

Dr David Hardman, principal lecturer in learning development at London Metropolitan University, said: "It is very difficult to conduct true experiments that would explicate a causal relationship between IQ and religious belief. Nonetheless, there is evidence from other domains that higher levels of intelligence are a**ociated with a greater ability - or perhaps willingness - to question and overturn strongly felt institutions."

gooooooooood read ma ppls have ur say
am mad curiaz about the thots of ma AG ppls seing that we got
intalektz up in this
how true is this ?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

sorted pyro

ur thots

[The Angry Hand of God]

If you translate that last bit into English I might be able to comment.

[mphossiblepunkstah]

a lot of stuff put as facts in science actually prove that what religion or rather what the bible says is not entirely tru e.g how human kind evolved and sumthings connot be x-plained by science that the bible makes sense

[rob_one]

Don't get me started.

Two words: Richard Dawkins. God Delusion doesn't even describe it.

Science. Pwning religion since 1800.

[mphossiblepunkstah]

  in simple terms?

[J-oNE/Pat-B-Rick]

oh my GOD that is WAY too much writting . you should have warnings for me so i dont get on threads and relive my english exam... that shit was bad for my health

[dropbomb]

oh my GOD that is WAY too much writting . you should have warnings for me so i dont get on threads and relive my english exam... that shit was bad for my health

welcum back to scul D

nowur thots

Rob rock it D am mad interested

[the brand®]

Professor Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, said many more members of the "intellectual elite" considered themselves atheists than the national average.

A decline in religious observance over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence, he claimed.

But the conclusions - in a paper for the academic journal Intelligence - have been branded "simplistic" by critics.

Article continuesadvertisement
Professor Lynn, who has provoked controversy in the past with research linking intelligence to race and sex, said university academics were less likely to believe in God than almost anyone else.

A survey of Royal Society fellows found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God - at a time when 68.5 per cent of the general UK population described themselves as believers.

A separate poll in the 90s found only seven per cent of members of the American National Academy of Sciences believed in God.

Professor Lynn said most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many started to have doubts.

He told Times Higher Education magazine: "Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population. Several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God."

He said religious belief had declined across 137 developed nations in the 20th century at the same time as people became more intelligent.

But Professor Gordon Lynch, director of the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society at Birkbeck College, London, said it failed to take account of a complex range of social, economic and historical factors.

"Linking religious belief and intelligence in this way could reflect a dangerous trend, developing a simplistic characterisation of religion as primitive, which - while we are trying to deal with very complex issues of religious and cultural pluralism - is perhaps not the most helpful response," he said.

Dr Alistair McFadyen, senior lecturer in Christian theology at Leeds University, said the conclusion had "a slight tinge of Western cultural imperialism as well as an anti-religious sentiment".

Dr David Hardman, principal lecturer in learning development at London Metropolitan University, said: "It is very difficult to conduct true experiments that would explicate a causal relationship between IQ and religious belief. Nonetheless, there is evidence from other domains that higher levels of intelligence are a**ociated with a greater ability - or perhaps willingness - to question and overturn strongly felt institutions."

gooooooooood read ma ppls have ur say
am mad curiaz about the thots of ma AG ppls seing that we got
intalektz up in this
how true is this ?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

sorted pyro

ur thots

[A pimp named Sarkozy]

Wow! Child! Can photoshop too.Good Boy

[motho]

Two words: Richard Dawkins. God Delusion doesn't even describe it.

reli need to get this book, 5th time I hear bout it...and bn reading reviews n shit on it too

back to the point the more I read, the less I believe in religion and start questioning things and the fact that my preacher cant ansa me makes me think twice about calling maself a Christian

[rob_one]

Dawkins just basically articulates why it is completely deluded and crazy to believe in a god. His case isn't watertight (he tends to veer off into dealing with his critics a lot of the time, as opposed to focussing on arguments) but it is very, very strong.

Great book. It should be in libraries and schools, right next to the Bible and the Koran.

[motho]

I also think it is not necesarily related to IQ, it's just that intellectuals have more access to info than the average job so they tend to be more informed.....

also it doesnt mean if "research" was conducted that it is the absolute gospel (excuse the pun ), I have a friend who did research for his thesis by asking less than 10 ppl their opinion and put that into % it seemed more, often research is not a true reflection i stand corrected

[OG Beezak]

Intelligence questions and Faith doesn't

Intelligence feeds from questions and Faith feeds from hope

[motho]

it also depends on who u deem to b ur "intellectual elite" not all ppl with fancy titles are intellectuals

[OG Beezak]

it also depends on who u deem to b ur "intellectual elite" not all ppl with fancy titles are intellectuals

Yebo baba. Cosign that one