Correlation and Causation
A friend of mine shared with me a research paper (also available here) which discussed the correlation between religious belief and measured intelligence (IQ). I wonder which way the causation goes, or whether there is a third variable that directly influences intelligence and religious belief. Is it that smart people are more skeptical of unproven (and in all scientific senses, unjustifiable) superstitions (intelligence => skepticism), or is it that the resignation of the inquiring scientific mode of thinking due to satisfaction derived from non-scientific sources causes believers to think less deeply about abstract things (unscientific belief => less inquisitive mind)? Or is it that by "religious belief" the real meaning is "Catholicism" (popularity of Catholicism => religious belief and lack of scientific curiosity)? (Since it's the most popular religion in the world) Or maybe, those with lower IQ tend to be more impoverished and are in need of "hope" (Need => religious belief)?
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A few things: 1. You can't
A few things:
1. You can't say that by being religious, you are any less intelligent. Do remember those like Einstein, Newton, Galileo et al also had their own faith.
2. I agree with what you say when you say that faith is a byproduct of hope. Couldn't really tell you why, because I've never found myself in that situation, but part of the reason could be that they are hoping by believing in God now, they benefit later on by going to heaven and getting a better overall life.
3. People don't understand science. To understand photosynthesis is much more difficult than say: Believe in God ---> Do Good Works (ie, church, community service) ---> go to heaven. Alternatively, some people choose to accept the fact that Photosynthesis exists, and accept all the underlying concepts, and on top of that, say that God is the one who helps all the processes occur.
I think in the end, all of your points are valid, however, there are definitely more reasons that people choose to bring faith into their life. Listen to someone's faith story, and sometimes, whether they are intelligent or not has hardly anything to do with it. People who are atheist can be quite stupid too, you know, just as religious people may seem like they are crazy in the head.
The answer is very simple.
The answer is very simple. Atheists usually have something to prove, thus they will try to become/seem more intelligent, and in the process, become better at IQ tests, because they worry about the trivial, earthly things in life, like science, and IQ, instead of putting their faith in the LORD. Verily, verily I say unto you, this is a very bad thing. For it is written:
"My soul finds rest in GOD alone: My salvation comes from Him."
- Psalms 62:1
The faithful will be rewarded, while you atheists will lose you "IQ" in hell. Repent, for the hour of HIS coming is at hand.
how was the data sampled?
how was the data sampled?