Do you believe those who are religious

[Toobluntt]

have lower intelligence, in general because they believe in a God, than non believers/non religious people?

I ask because I saw a comment as such on another thread in AIBU, and it's something I've heard/read before, that some people (obviously non-believers) question the intelligence of those who believe in God, or follow an organised religion.

I am not saying this is what I believe, I'm just genuinely interested to know if this is a commonly held view, or not, and if so, why you think this way.

I don't think that religious people are less intelligent. However I do think that generally, the more education a person has the less likely they are to be religious.

I don't think they are less intelligent, but I often wonder if many have ever stopped to think about it or just believe and go to their church because that's what they have always done.

I think a lot of people are culturally religious rather than actually believe it.

I'm probably not explaining that very well

NRTFT.

I'm a hardline atheist. I used to think theists were a bit stupid but I grew up and realised they just see the world very differently from me.

No. I don't. One of our closest friends is an eminent professor. Very successful, well known and one of the most intelligent people I know. He's also a devoted Christian and keen church goer.
Also religion can be cultural. For example, my in-laws are Indian and I spend a lot of time in India. There nearly everyone is religious - including the most intelligent people.

But the original question was are people less intelligent BECAUSE they believe in God. Not because they go to church, or grew up in a Jewish community etc.or believe in creationism or worship Jedis. The question, once stripped of sociocultural considerations, becomes 'is faith stupid'. The answer to that is : if you think faith is stupid, then it is! It is possible to maintain that there are many forms of intelligence (instead of equating intelligence per se with a narrow field of a Western, scientific certainties) bur that is an aside since we are talking about faith. The studies showing an inverse link between intelligence and religiosity only prove their own terms of definition.Intelligence, they say is, always and only rational. It is therefore impossible by the terms of the study to be both religious AND intelligent because, even if you demonstrate intelligence by any measure, you are deemed less intelligent by virtue of your faith!

Did you actually read any of the studies to see how they controlled for social factors, or how they arrived at ways of defining or measuring intelligence?

I'd never question someone's intelligence just because someone is 'religious'. Religious can mean lots of different things, not always involving belief. As I mentioned on the other thread, DH and I attend synagogue quite often, follow kosher to at least some degree etc but we don't believe in God. I have met very intelligent people who do believe in God to - it's not religion, it's what you 'do with it' that counts. Yes, some people use their faith to spout nonsense and bigotry - similarly others use a blanket hatred of religion to spout nonsense and bigotry.

And I get why people don't like organised religion - there are many problems with it and it's responsible for an awful lot of suffering and pain. But people often fail to appreciate that religion can fit into other's lives in more ways than they may be aware of.

Not less intelligent but not given to examining their religion in depth. It is my belief, too many religions support patriarchy or a hierarchy of being superior and therefore do not align with all human lives have equal worth. Also in my experience there can be a chasm between 'I am a follower of x religion' and how they live their lives and treat others.

As I've said, I'm not religious and rarely go to a place of worship unless its weddings and funerals. However, to indicate those who believe in God may be in someway lacking intelligence is insults at best

If I was going to ask this question, lacking intelligence would never come into it

I've seen people that often lol at those that were "born again...followers of ?? etc etc" then tragedy hits that person and guess who they often turn to?

It is insulting to suggest what the OP stated. I don't go around reporting threads/posters as I believe in free speech within the law but to suggest what OP suggested is not nice at the least

To question ones "intelligence" just because someone has a faith in God is ludicrous to say the least.

Look up what 'lacking intelligence" means in the dictionary and clear any doubt you have

Thos that follow God, go to worship, the are not stupid, its their choice and they are doing nothing wrong and it is insulting to say as per OP

There are many intelligent women that have fallen for awful men. Many have suffered domestic violence as a consequence.
Intelligent people are lured in by con men and lose their life savings.
Falling victim to religion is no guide to a person’s intelligence.
Many clever people are vulnerable.

Faith and intelligence are two different things.

Who is getting them confused??

Excellent post that slaps down this ludicrous thread.

Quite the opposite.

No, just look online, there are loads of scientists and literary artists that follow a religion or believe in some form of God, there are some that are atheists too.

I would consider a PHD scientist intelligent 😂

There are also religious people in prison, so i can't assume they are all class A wonderful people either.

Yes, I am aware that the studies attempt to nuance the debate and qualify the terminology of the question.But don't you see that whatever the parameters of a study, the very basis for conducting a study looking at the relationship between intelligence and religious faith presupposes that faith is quantitative entity, which it isn't. It is only possible to draw scientific conclusions from a scientific study. That's fine for science, but faith and belief are not binary /in opposition to science. They are different forms of knowledge. You seem determined to point me to studies that I have already read, and miss the point. It's akin to me saying 'go and read the bible and then you will understand faith'. No you won't, because it is not an instruction manual. It is a living, interpretative scripture. I don't believe, but nor do I insult people who do, by doggedly persisting with the line of argument that if only they would understand cognitive studies into religion and intelligence they would see faith was stupid. You refer me to studies, but refuse to expose yourself to the possibility that alternative view points are valid.

2 points:

1. Even if religious people are less intelligent on the whole, it does not hold true for every individual.

2. It's not that a person is less intelligent because they go to church, more like they go to church BECAUSE they are less intelligent.

I myself am an ex-Christian. I spent 40 years fervently believing in Jesus. Until I realised it was probably only because my mother had taught me it from very young.

I see a lot of TikToks from this Orthodox Jewish woman on TikTok (even though I don't follow her). She's a really nice person but it seems to me that she has no room for a life or thoughts of her own because she's too busy having baby after baby (there are restrictions on contraception) and following myriad detailed rules eg planning meals that avoid dairy and meat within 4 hours of each other, going to special ritual washing places, working out ways of turning lights on and off without using electricity on the Sabbath, etc etc etc.

And that's before I get onto issues like women being unclean for 2 weeks of the month and having to cover their hair/dress modestly. Not so much the rules for the men!

Hindus are the most intelligent

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/britains-hindus-are-smart-rich-and-very-well-behaved-report/amp_articleshow/95208741.cms

No

I think they are delusional, yes. Believing in their imaginary friend, praying into an abyss of nothing.

In same way that we all accept that unicorns don't exist because there is no proof they do exist.

'God' is the same - no proof of existence so why do people believe?

It goes against logic, science and common sense.

Religion was used as a belief system for things people didn't understand or feared. There is no need first that anymore in todays society and therefore no need for religion.

There is more to life than we can see. Technological advances are proving this all the time. What does that have to do with being an atheist? Atheists don't believe in a god/spiritual being.

I don't think religious people are less intelligent. I do think they fall into two categories though. One, they've grown up in a religion and been brainwashed/conditioned, or two they lack a support system either in childhood or as a young adult and have replaced a good family/support system with religion.

i find it hard to understand how very educated and sometimes scientific people can believe in impossible stories written in religious books. immaculate conception and every species of animal on the planet on one boat etc I just dont get it.
I know these people are extremely intelligent but i don't understand how or why they believe.