NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/alt/atheism/24108

Text File | 1992-12-21 | 3.5 KB | 60 lines

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From: [e-mail] (Robert Huss)
Subject: Re: iq<->religion: connection?
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Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 16:57:04 GMT
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In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Iikka Paavolainen) writes:
|> Am I seeing wrongly, or is there a connection between one's IQ and one's
|> religiousness? Of all people I know, I know only about 8 exceptionally smart
|> people (IQ>125), and all of them happen to be atheists. On the contrary, the
|> dumbest people I've seen (eg. unable to use a remote control) are the most
|> religious. Observing other atheists that I don't know (from this group for
|> example) leads me to make a conclusion that on the average, atheists have a
|> much better sense of logic (and thus usually have a higher IQ) and think much
|> more clearly than religious people. From my own experiences, I can say that
|> freeing oneself from the grasp of religion requires a certain level of logical
|> thinking. Coincidentally, all these 8 people are mathematically gifted.
|> When I speak of atheism here, I mean it to be a lack of belief in any god or
|> superstition.
|> Opinions?
|>
|> BTW, if this offended you, go to a church instead of coming to alt.atheism.
|> --
|>  __/|_  ,  ,--------------------------------------------------------------,
|> /o    \/:--| Iikka Paavolainen / [e-mail], in Espoo, Finland  |
|> \__~__/\:--| "I won't have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent."    |
|>    `    `  `--------------------------------------------------------------'


    It is safe to assume that the more intelligent people will have
thought about their beliefs more, and will probably reject many fundementalist
concepts.  Of my more intelligent friends, I would say they are certainly
more tolerant of other beliefs, and more likely to be liberally religious,
if not atheist.  Clear thinking is great, and we all like to be clear thinking
and have clear thinking friends, but clear thinking doesn't mean you will
become an athiest.  I have intelligent friends who have questioned the faith
that they were brought up in, but have still come to terms with some form
of religion, and are definitely not atheists.  I would say that it is highly
unlikely that you will become an atheist if you were raised in a certain
religion, and are not very intelligent.  Without intelligence it is difficult
to change any views that you were socialized towards.
    I think it is very dangerous to start believing that any group
you belong to is inherently supperior.  This has been believed time and
time again, and has been wrong time and time again.  It is likely that we
atheists tend to have friends who are atheists.  Therefore, the people
we know are both intelligent and atheist.  This is not a very good
reference for statistics.
    IMHO, intelligence will lead you to clear thinking, which may lead
you to atheism, but I think clear thinking will also lead you to tolerance.
Discussions like this are just breeding grounds for missunderstanding and
anger.  Especially comments like your last sentence.

Bob Huss.