Intelligent people 'less likely to believe in God'

u need to believe u need faith

Telekinesis,
1. (a) "I'm not sure who you are sponding to since this website doesn't indicate or allow you to respond to an individual, but: 1. I was not quoting from a bible "
(b) I was not replying to you, unfortunately. The reply was attached to someone's message, so I thought it would have notified them specifically. Now, I know. I'm glad you took the time out to reply anyway. It doesn't matter who it was for. I like chatting with you better anyhow. :)

2. (a) "- That's called spiritual atheists "
(b)I think there are spiritual atheists and religious atheists. I think there are still some people that can get caught up in a dogma without believing in a god.

3. (a)"Buddhists are atheist in the sense that they do not believe Buddha to be a God, but even the Buddhist religion have their own beings of higher power that they worship -- they just choose not to call those beings "Gods" in the traditional western sense of the word. I spent the early years of my life a Buddhist, my parents are also still Buddhists. -- There are a lot of Christians who don't believe Jesus was divine, but they still believe in a Christian God."
(b)As for atheistic Christians, I know 'em. No Christian god, no Jesus as god, nothing. Hate to break it to you, but some people find Jesus worth following even if he was just a man. They believe that the bible was tampered with and politics/greed fluffed it up with gods and miracles to unite people on a common belief for some ulterior purpose. In short, Jesus, according to them, was probably closer to being one of us then the religious zealots about now.

4. (a) "I majored in Philosophy, so I wouldn't qualify existentialism as a spiritual or religious belief. We're talking about religions, spiritual systems of belief and God, right? You might as well consider rationalism and empiricism spiritual doctrine/beliefs. It's a branch of philosophy, like epistemology. But if you want to be technical, I guess you can be spiritual about any system of understanding the world, like science."
(b)Religions I don't think require a belief in a deity, it's just a common trait. Just like some spiritual people can believe in a new-aged idea of god, but not be religious. In the end, atheism is still just the lack of belief in a god and doesn't mean that they can't find a religion (organized or not) that they could take part in. There are atheists in attendance at UU churches.-- But yeah, you understood me though. You can be spiritual about any system of understanding of the world, including science. You're absolutely right. That's what people stopped to tell me one day when they wanted to enlighten me. I've been preached at by extremists on both sides. That's what I'm getting at. Even if it isn't an organized religion, atheists still have communities and have a few community leaders that feel the need to spread the new good news. I figure that religion's been around this long and probably isn't going anywhere. The next step in religion just might be whatever the radical atheists push across.

'Where are we going?"

Good branch off the tread.

You, dear reader, are of course on the right track of the one true religion and God, so, don't be offended with my, or anyone else's wild notions.

Our gods, religions and views of ourselves in the universe have all evolved and changed over the years.
I suspect that indigenous peoples religious belief systems evolve and change even when untouched by outside influences.

There's a bunch of 'Jesus's' loose right now, Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda in Miami, the Moonie thing is big, Scientology rolls right along too.

I think we'll see a lot more niche marketed 'religions'.
There's tens of thousands of cults operating quietly in the US alone. It really is amazing the people roped in and how much money they get taken for.

There are also many people quietly by themselves, with teachers and small groups, enlarging their ideas about what spirituality and God with a big 'G' mean to them.

All the 'true religions' and great empires of the past have fallen, most never to recover.
Perhaps Personal Responsibility and Honesty might find a niche group willing to participate.

What should we look for in our new spiritual world. Released from the braces of past religions. Do not misunderstand I believe the ancient books (bible) have much to say about our daily resposibilites as humans.
Where are we going?

reaisan, you are referring to a different table of comparisons. I am in fact referring to Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland in particular. I've lived in Sweden, have spent much time in Norway, and lived most of my life in Switzerland but have traveled and lived in many other countries, including in Asia and in Africa. Japan is not on the list I was referring to. Switzerland's population is by no means homogenous, either - it has four official languages and a profound psychological divide between the Germanic populations and areas and the Latin ones, yet it does figure at the top of the list along with the Scandinavian countries. The Swedish population is also not completely homogenous, there is a vast difference between the Sami and the Vikings.

Switzerland is not the country you seem to depict - the Swiss never pressure people to leave, especially not tourists, considering the vast amount of money the latter contribute to the Swiss economy. I love living here, I came here when I was ten months old and have always come back to it after living several years elsewhere. There is no place like it. I also love Scandinavia, I lived in Sweden for nigh on five years, and speac the language fluently. Neither country is perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but they are by far the least imperfect countries of all the many countries to which I've been and in which I've lived.

Russia is and always was a profoundly religious country - be they Christian Orthodox, Jews, Buddhists, Moslems or Animists, all these religions having large numbers of adherents (except for the Jews) and being part and parcel of the Russian identity by virtue of the vastness of this the largest country in the world.

Just don't let your religion become a religion

I also don't think intelligence has too much to do with believing in God. I think the belief in God is a different kind of intelligence -- Emotional Intelligence. I'm not saying they have less or more of it, but it is a different kind. Most people I know who are deeply religious are very smart people, but their faith is not rooted on intelligence (obviously). You'd be surprised what the smartest person in the world can do and believe in when their hearts are in the wrong or different place.

I'm not sure who you are sponding to since this website doesn't indicate or allow you to respond to an individual, but:

1. I was not quoting from a bible

2. "Not only that, but there are religious atheists."

-- That's called spiritual atheists

3. "There are atheistic Tibetan Buddhists and atheistic Christians (who believe Jesus was just a human and have a literary interpretation of the bible, crossing-out the archaic)."

-- Buddhists are atheist in the sense that they do not believe Buddha to be a God, but even the Buddhist religion have their own beings of higher power that they worship -- they just choose not to call those beings "Gods" in the traditional western sense of the word. I spent the early years of my life a Buddhist, my parents are also still Buddhists.

-- There are a lot of Christians who don't believe Jesus was divine, but they still believe in a Christian God.

4. "There is also a group of atheists that want their beliefs to spread. These beliefs include existentialism and the belief in the most scientifically acceptable life."

-- I majored in Philosophy, so I wouldn't qualify existentialism as a spiritual or religious belief. We're talking about religions, spiritual systems of belief and God, right? You might as well consider rationalism and empiricism spiritual doctrine/beliefs. It's a branch of philosophy, like epistemology. But if you want to be technical, I guess you can be spiritual about any system of understanding the world, like science.

The question at hand, I don't thnk intelligence has much to do with being inducted into a cult. Big or small, legally chartered or the 'Jesus and Mary' con artists I met in Georgia. Same process, same rules, same predictable responses from cult members. Once inside the group even intelligent, good hearted, reasonable people can be made to believe anything.

A lot of 'don't ask, don't tell' opinions.
Maybe as long as we don't know what gods we worship and how we like our sex we can pretend to tolerate one another.

I can understand a religious person trying to convince a friend of the "Way to Salvation", because we are commanded to do this, it is our belief.

But why do atheisists insist on trying to convince us of our, "ignorance".What is in it for them? Just leave us alone in our ignorance. You have no dog in this fight. Just go away and enjoy the life that you have chosen. Time will determine the Truth!

I think its more intelligent to lack a belief than no belief. Einstein was agnostic. He didn't believe in the kind of God from institutionalized religions, but he believed in the possibility of a higher being that some how fits in to the whole universe.

Personally, I've always been agnostic, but I once heard a quote that reminds me why I am:

"Science is God's law"

I forget which author said it. It might've been from one of my philosophy classes, and I don't claim to believe it, but it's an interesting thought.

There are certainly a lot of smart people posting on this subject. Why is it so difficult for "smart people" to admit that they do not know everything?

It is a trap for intellectuals. The Bible says that the "meek" shall inherit the earth, not the "Smart".

wow awesome thread....ive never seen so many responses to a topic. Here's my worthless 2cents....

My imaginary deity that promotes love and peace is mightier than your imaginary deity that promotes love and peace.....so lets fight and kill each other over it!!?!?!?! errrrrr

My imaginary deity is more loving and peaceful than your imaginary deity....lets fight and kill each other over it!?!?!

This concept or paradigm of religions has got to be the most idiotic example of this retawded human fairytale and demonstrates the stupidity of the concept in general.

Hi folks!
Interesting discussion.
I've wondered why a word like 'atheist' even exists. It seems to me it's a natural state of being, until the missionaries arrived. A word to describe someone that doesn't believe the most recent form of whatever religion is being offered.
I noticed too it seems an acceptable thing to NOT question religion, just follow doctrine. I was asked to not come back to Sunday school because I asked too many questions and was upsetting the teachers so that just doesn't work for me. Since then I studied theology among other things.
If you don't look for answers or can't even form the questions in your mind, or are too lazy then the mainstream religions are right for someone.
Everything then becomes gods will or the devil is to blame.

The intentional and accidental mis-translations of original bible text is staggering. Little things like Noah and the flood being separated by over a thousand years yet magically co-existed. 'Cain', gets the mark so no enemy shall harm him? Which enemy was that... it goes on and on and on and on.

If I was to make a religion/cult of course I'd require no 'outside reading'. The 'turn the other cheek' thing is smart too because you can hit them again and again, they'll forgive you.

How terrifying to find out we are responsible for everything, whether good or bad in our estimations.

God has not been absent for a thousand years. Everything that happens, happens for a reason. I cant understand why god allows people to rape and be raped or kill and be killed everyday, but i firmly belive that there is a purpouse for everything that has happened and will ever happen. and frankly sir i belive that you are rather ignorant for being raised in the church and not opening your life to what got was trying to tell you. there is a difference between going to a christian church and being a christian. If you had listened to what god was trying to plant in your life then you would have understood. To tell me what to say and what not to say on a public website is bretty immature and i think its kind of funny that you would put yourself out there for that kind of discrimination is kind of funny. i would be happy to continue this discution on christ our lord and savior with you if you want, but if you want to be immature and sit in youre hole all day thats fine too. just know that jesus loves you and hes still with you now. have a nice day :]

ok for one thing, no dimitri moltov, Atheism is not a religion. it is the exact opposite. religion is a system of beliefs and practices to acknowledge the presence of a living and intelligent god. tell me, what are you're practices in the religion of atheism?

to state that the most intelligent and highly acquitted beings in our society believe that the nature of the world is not run by an omnitient presence is honestly quite embarrassing. of someone would like to take a few minuets to explain the justification for complete moral de-fabrication of this world, then please do.

because frankly i don't get it.

I think we've created a world where it's difficult to be an intellectual and religious person.

Education teaches us to challenge everything, and to constantly question matters.

However, religion is something that shouldn't be questioned, its more so fact and needs to be accepted as truth.

Therefore, making it difficult for the educated person, who's constantly use to questioning whatever is being taught, but if someone is a religious person, they are somewhat expected to surrendering to the truths of religious fact.

As said before, this isn't very surprising. But I don't think that very religious people should say that people who don't believe in a God are moral-less. I think that people with higher I.Q'S are generally smart enough to know that creating conflict and doing things that harm others is no way to live, and that if they want to leave a imprint on peoples minds when they pass away, doing something good will not only help humanity, but put a smile on peoples faces when they remember you after you die. ( I say that because if someone doesn't believe in a after life, I assume they would at least like to be remembered)

It's not a matter of intelligence, it's a matter of knowledge - which can be obtained by anyone.

Question everything, and always remain open-minded - you never know...

It is really obvious. It is easier to get stupid people to believe stuff.

Most people confuse God with the belief system they create to explain God. Such a pitty.

Is God real?
I am certain of it.
I am certain I can't understand it.
I am certain I am the only one who knows my God.
I am certian I can't explain my God to you.

I just can't get people to kill for that philosophy.

Lucky me... lucky you

Well that's propaganda if I've ever heard it.
I can't stand it when people try to use "science" to defend their prejudices. This is just the same old rubbish that European imperialists said about Africans, or Americans have said about certain immigrant groups in the early 1900's, or Nazis have said about "undesirables".

Most people here are arrogant assholes. On both sides of the spectrum.

Check out the Constitution; Freedom of Religion.

Believe what you want, sometimes I like the idea of a greater power, other times I like the ethology of animals. Just do what you feel is right and keep your lame remarks to yourself.

No one on the internet really cares how smart you think you are.

How can people claim to be smart and not believe in God? I love it when Ben Stein gets Richard Dawkins at the end of the movie Expelled!!! Richard said "Well maybe we where seeded from aliens" hahaha.... And the world thinks that we aren't the intelligent ones....

I'M GLAD TO BE STUPID!!!!!! :)

at first I thought reading this made me dumber, but it actually made me wiser to the dumb people who call themselves intelligent

I don't think smarter people don't believe in god.

Being smart has nothing to do with religion in my opinion. I think people can believe yet at the same time not let what the bible says interfere with rational ideas or proven theories. I don't think that all of these "intelligent non-believers" don't believe in a religion (not applying to all because it is possible), I just think that those that do believe are more conservative with their beliefs and that they keep it too them selves without shoving their religion into another persons face.

is belief in god also related to lower income? seems like it in this country but i dont have any proof. if anyone finds some info on it let me know.

There are many different ways of seeing this argument and the way i see it there may be a supreme being that is far beyond our limited understanding of what is. There may also be a logical explaination for the billions of galaxies, universes and realities that exist, anyone care to explain all that. Thought not.

Have faith in a god, or have faith in others or have faith in yourself. Believe what you believe or attempt to understand a place of which you only get a glimpse of a tiny portion of something far beyond anything we could possibly imagine of which we are nothing yet we are everything for we play a part in a way which noone will ever understand.

I have many questions, but i will seek the answers for myself rather than accept that there is or isn't or there never was a being beyond anything we could possibly imagine.

True, logic would say that there is no God. But, I'm not a very logically person.

It is apparent that certain books were, for some reason, not selected for inclusion in the canonical Old Testament - the books of Enoch and Jubilees, for example. A further book (to which attention is specifically drawn in the books of Joshua and Samuel) is the book of Jasher. But despite its apparent importance to the Hebrew writers, it was excluded from final selection. Similarly, the book of Numbers draws our attention to the book of The Wars of Jehovah, and in the book of Isaiah we are directed towards the book of The Lord.

What were these books? Where are these books? They are all mentioned in the Bible, which means that they all pre-date the Old Testament - so why did the editors dismiss them when the selection was made? In pursuing an answer to this question, a fact which becomes increasingly clear is that, in English-language Bibles, the definition Lord is used in a general context - but in earlier texts a positive distinction is drawn between Jehovah and the Lord.

It has often been wondered why the biblical God of the Hebrews led them through trials and tribulations, floods and disaster when, from time to time, he appears to have performed with a quite contrary and merciful personality. The answer is that, although now seemingly embraced as the One God by the Jewish and Christian faiths, there was originally a distinct difference between the figures of Jehovah and the Lord. They were, in fact, quite separate deities. The god referred to as Jehovah was traditionally a storm god - a god of wrath and vengeance - whereas the god referred to as the Lord, was a god of fertility and wisdom.

The name given to the Lord in the early writings was Adon - the prevailing Semitic word for Lord. As for the apparent personal name of Jehovah, this was not used in the early days, and the Vulgate Bible explains that the God of Abraham was called El Shaddai, which relates to a Great One of the Mountain.

The identity of Jehovah (Yahweh) came from the an original Hebrew stem (YHWH) which, according to Exodus, meant 'I am that I am'. This was said to be a statement made by God, to Moses, on Mount Sinai hundreds of years after the time of Abraham. Jehovah was, therefore, not a name at all, and early texts refer simply to El Shaddai, with his opposing counterpart being the Adon. To the Canaanites, these gods were respectively called El Elyon and Baal.

In modern Bibles, the definitions God and Lord are used and intermixed throughout, as if they were one and the same character - but originally they were not. One was a vengeful god (a people suppressor); the other was a social god (a people supporter), and they each had wives, sons and daughters.

God, yes. Religions that propose to tell us what God wants, no. Humans, even those who start out as well-meaning, can't seem to stop themselves from abusing power and leading people toward their own agenda.

I think GOD already predicted this would happen when He said in the Torah and the Bible a long, long time ago:

Psalms 14:1, reads, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

...and that has nothing to do with religion, just predictions, predictions and more predictions way ahead of academics, research and schools.
Ps: Isn't Sigmund Freud, considered one of the Father's of Psychology and Psychoanalysis born from a Jewish Family?

this study has been done a million times. This is not new news. Although very intriguing info.

to each its own, i choose to live, not to believe..

Do we want the children to have imagination or skills? That is what it boils down to. I am not convinced that giving up imagination (belief/faith) is the best answer.

What is the real threat? So long as it is not taught as a required corse, I see no issue. For that matter, bring on the Koran studies group as well.

At one time in history no educated or uneducated citizen would step outside, shake a fist at the sky and say, 'Screw you, Zeus!'
'Up yours Shiva!'
'Piss off Buddha!'
I understand there have been gods worshiped that required human lives to be sacrificed routinely or else they'd get put off. Why did that practice stop?

How many millions of women were burned or tortured to death rooting out 'the devil'? Why isn't that practice still being carried out? It seems 62% of Americans still believe in 'The devil'.

This article does not express whether the idea of god was put forward in the notion of a single individuated omnipotent male character or some infinite cosmic web of intelligent love.

Many cultures worship the largest predator in their area as god, some worship the local food source. Island nations had sea gods. Live near a volcano... volcano god.
The tree of life concept was not possible for wandering herding tribes, we had to have agriculture before the analogies were possible to conceive.
The herd animals were worshiped before that, goats got the worst P.R.
Before we managed herds, the animals that were hunted were worshiped.

Intelligent people are able to believe some outlandish things.
There is also a psychological process humans go through when faced with information, even absolute facts, that allow us to deny and ignore the conflict between what we believe, what we want to believe, and what we know.

Belief, even absolute belief does not rely on truth.
Belief, or 'faith', does not require that you understand it.
While there are certainly things we may not understand due to lack of experience or knowledge, you can not understand something that is not true.
Try as you might.
You can certainly believe something that is not true, and yet, you can not understand a thing that is un-true.

Now, there are some pretty sharp minds rattling the 'god' idea around. Unable to understand it some cults have claimed god to be beyond understanding.
Convenient for them.
The Christian mythos has been so corrupted as to be nearly worthless.
In Aramaic, Yeshua's father Joseph was identified as 'a master of the craft' - the craft has always been alchemy, not carpentry. Ask your average good Christian and they believe, even say they KNOW, he was a carpenter.
Anyone just now thinking maybe invading Iraq was a bad idea knows we are not too hard to fool.

Perhaps this discussion would be better served with a definition of god involved.

Of course then there would be this finite approximation of something expressly undefinable by definition,

Dear Lord, save us from Your followers.

There are a lot of books being written by intelligent people; who in their books are revealing many things previously hidden from the common man. These books are being written by PHDs who have dedicated their whole lives to studying subjects of Theology and Philosophy and Quantum Physics and Astronomy. They are coming to the conclusion that there is intelligence in the fabric of the universe that perhaps quarks are alive and dark matter particles reacts to human thoughts.

Some intelligent scientists and researchers are even suggesting that water is alive and reacts to human thoughts.

Why do we think? Why do we have imaginations? Why can we dream? Why can we imagine a supreme being? Why do we have the capacity for great love and noble deeds? Are these the products of biomechanical coincidences in a matrix of eternal possibilities? I think not.

The odds of this complex universe occurring without intelligence at some level is not possible. The fact that feeble minded humans attempted to define God in terms of their own image and likeness does not negate the mystery of life itself, and the possibility that an intelligence was behind its emanation from the Big Bang. What preceded the Big Bang? Have you ever considered that?

I hearth this explanation once and I thought it was kinda poetic.

"Emptiness was dreaming and wished it could experience real beauty so it exploded in a giant cosmic orgasm and spread its seed throughout the eternal expanding space." One second before the Big Bang

This is a debate that will go on forever. For as long as man can. But, I ask you about evil, I am not talking about bad people; I am talking about acts that are way beyond even being sick. Where does that come from? I've seen it. So, I ask, if there is this evil, then how can something like miracles occur..unexplained happenings. I've seen these too. Science intelligence can't explain these. So we have two ends of a spectrum. I can't understand the whole point of the debate. Is it for Pride? I don't know. I'm just an observer of this world.

It is true idiocy to not believe in God. Actually, "intelligent people who don't believe in God" is an oxymoronic statement. It takes a real arrogantly obtuse, idiotic human being to look at all of the wonders that almighty God has created and still refuse to believe that God exists. God exists, make no mistake about it, one day you'll meet him for a short time, and then your decision not to believe in Him or the deity and holiness of His son Jesus Christ will send you to Hell. Yes, that's what I said, "your decision not to believe will send you to Hell" not God; He gave us free will, and He holds us accountable for the actions we commit and decisions we make based on that free will He gave us. Without faith, there is no pleasing God.

Coincidence? I think not.

to plusaf and all others...

I admire your conjecture, for I know you are intelligent. However, I never said that god is the guy who waves the majic wand and whatever is the wish that is what materializes before us. Rather, I believe that god isn't all the universes upon universes, but merely the concept of the beings that exist within the vast continuum that serves as the infinity of which we are so unfamiliar, including all of space and time.

To me, nature takes its own course in the development of and the continuation of the lifeforms and inanimate objects that make up and exist within our universes. God does not interfer with the natural workings or the order of the universes and he does not indescriminately create things, much less, all things. That would be confusing the concept of nature and science with that of god. The practice of doing just that, is what has confused the good citizens of this world's society and the blind faithful, since those advanced purveyors of logic and reason departed our company so many milleniums ago.

There are numerous clay tablets and ancient scripts that point to exactly this sort of proof that these individuals did exist here and probably left us for some reason, more likely than not, due to our propensity to be very hostile toward one another, as they are completely non-hostile themselves. The term God usually refers to the leader or father figure within the concept of god. But, I believe that the true concept is organized around the structure of a devine council, with members from both sexes and all races present. The presiding member may be a man, I don't know.

So, my use of the metaphor of the sands of time was really meant to refer to the intelligence and the metaphysical ability of god and not the physical infinity of that concept. In other words, the most intelligent human, whether they believe in god or not doesn't come close to the intelligence, the logic, the reason, or the purpose of god.

I'm one of the lucky ones...I've seen God. So, I, fortunately, don't need to deny or feel a need to prove the existence of god...and I know I'm not perfect in my existence or my explanation of the concept... I'm just here, trying to perceive the utmost of the logic and reason eminating from the conduit of universal knowledge...just like all the rest of you...I only pray that the words I chose are worthy of the expressions that I relate...

From the Apostle Paul to the young man Timothy. First Timothy 6: 20 " O Timothy, keep that wich is commited to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:"

Whatever makes people talk these days, usefully a simple controversy as this one it is ok. They are for the Glory of Ratings and not for Teaching anything more substantial. No else, it is interesting to me that more groups of people are eager to disprove GOD's existence than the other way around. Their thinking is: "If they can kill the notion of GOD, than they can raise to a podium and acclaim to be the creators of everything." They are staving to be GOD themselves! It is all lack of self-confidence and vanity! They want to be adore and worship as GOD is. Watch out because jealousy might end up to kill you one day!

Isn't "David Getta" that explores people's vanity with the song "The World is Mine!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13EsiCjsssY

I am a proud Agnostic.
This is much different than Atheism but never discussed much.
I don't know and it does not bother me that I don't know.
I believe in Scientific explanations for most things but know there may be totally different reasons for us being here that we have not even thought of yet.
Who knows maybe we are all part of a giant Sims Game..that someone put George Bush into our lives to bring us all together on Current.or maybe the concept of God is real..who knows? I think if there is a real forgiving God he has created me, the doubter, so he will love me and forgive me.

I actually laugh of this post in the beginning. However I well know that only controversies is that attract people's attention this days so I did refrained myself from say anything until now. Every human being that born, being that disable or not have some intelligence. Therefore we are all intelligent. To have more capacity for answering tests does not make you an intelligent person, it just means you have an ability to do certain things others find it boring or not interesting for their taste. I remember in college some people exceeding mathematics and I would exceed in geometry ahead of them. We were both using our intelligence in different ways. Besides all that you cannot really define intelligence that way.

If labels must be used...either everything is God or nothing is...Golden Ruler.....Johnnie Hargrave.....

I think someone just stereotyped the word "intelligent."

Stereotype= English Dictionary:

Part of a series of articles on Discrimination
General forms of Racism · Sexism · Ageism
Religious intolerance · Xenophobia

You cannot define or associate the Word "Intelligent" with the disbelief towards any of the Earth Cultures as Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Muslimism-Islamism and so forth.

Ps: Nice try baby, but you just made a big literary mistake! Therefore, You are the One that is not showing Intelligence after all!
...and of course I am referring to the original UK post and not to "Ccolec's" post.

I love the responses this kinda issue brings up. As a atheist i do have to admit that atheism it's self has no basis in empirical evidence the same way any theistic ideals are lacking. For many the question of god is silly because the definition is so vague. So why not just be happy that you have you belief weather with or with out a god. Your not going to convince anyone about anything because most of humanity has their own heads up their own asses.

no surprise there.
No disrespect to any religious folks here who might not be idiots, but the religious right doesn't help you guys reps.

That was a very interesting take on how the world continues to evolve. Does religion define ourselves, age or the prospects we bring to the table? As scientists further in speculation of why or because things have or will occur, what conclusion will we come to next I wonder.

Intelligent people are less inclined to believe in fairy tale's. Thats all the bible is, a bunch of fairy tale's.

You would think we were building the tower of Babylonia all over again. If any of you know your Bible, you're aware what happened soon after that. if I didn't know any better, I'd be utterly amazed at the display of arrogance towards God as of late. A generation of "finite" beings, questioning what is infinite. That in itself is a joke. Whatever concept, or lack thereof you have of God, you would be wise to exercise a sizable degree of caution. A world absent of supernatural forces, leaves man free to throw caution to the wind, but hopefully we know better than that. Creation, in fact your very ability to experience creation through your senses, give rise to the existence of a Creator. The very nature of your precarious daily life forces you to admit to these realities, and why you are allowed to live, and to what end.

I've seen Albert Einstein's concept of God taken out of context on these boards. Any educated man, would know enough that Einstein became "deeply" religious in his pursuit of truth through science. He is a popular reference point in Christian circles, not unlike C.S. Lewis, J.R. Tolkien, and a host of other brilliant men over centuries of time, some who were once atheists themselves.

I have the deepest respect for Archaeologists, and scientists as a profession, because such vocations have a certain degree of exclusive access to artifacts and knowledge that can change the world. But as in life , if any flaws exist, you can likely credit human nature and it's capacity for corruption and unethical behaviors that we've all seen many times before. You'll find that many archaeologists who recently began their careers, had their impetus after viewing Raiders of the Lost Ark, which had "religious" implications as its central theme. This vocation relies upon science more than most, and as these workers trace their way back through time finding the missing pieces to the puzzle that tell the story of our humanity... most all will tell you we have our beginnings in God, and these workers feel privileged to be part of the process of discovery in helping humanity find its answers.

But the empirical evidence they've found dating back thousands of years using carbon dating, and knowledge they've acquired using scientific techniques taught at some of the best universities known to man is for the less intelligent right?

if there was no God, what would that relieve you of? How about the accountability of a conscience. When you get right down to it, that's all most everyone wants, the freedom to do whatever they please, a world without laws. Truth is, nobody is stopping you, and God certainly isn't twisting your arm to do anything you don't want to do. But we all know ignorance is bliss right? Too bad you won't be counted among that crowd on Judgement Day since there's a learning curve of sorts, and you guys are at at the top of the class. The economy of God is quite the opposite of this world, as the stage will be set for quite a few drastic role reversals (the meek shall inherit the earth, riches are but dross, etc). Keep in mind, your life down here is just a dress rehearsal.

What's most frustrating about all of this, is that there are some of you out there who know better than this, and are just looking for reasons to justify what you do, and you're willing to teach others the same thing.

1 Corinthians 1:19

For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Apples and oranges.

Obviously scientifically inclined people don't believe in God. That just seems like circular reasoning. Science takes as much faith as Christianity does. It's just based on our five senses, whereas religion (or, more accurately, spirituality) has little to do with experience and more to do with trust and speaks for what cannot be touched, felt, seen, smelled, or heard.

It all depends on what you base your reality on. Priorities and motivation skew everything.

This Just In... Smug people more likely to be sanctimonious.

This makes me so happy.

Intelligence is too objective to rate by any 1 system. An abundance of intellegence or it's lacking is measured & determined by cultural, environmantal or other circumstances.

Neghie,

"..Blessed are those who believe but do not see.."

doubt is all that differentiates men from sheep.

Would it be considered more intelligent to measure knowledge with your heart or with your brain. If you can feel God in your heart, then faith will tell your brain that it's real. If you can't feel it, then are you really that intelligent?

I believe most people deny God, not because they don't believe in God, but because they've been taught incomplete misconceptions about God, that through logic and reason don't add up to the whole truth.

God is simple...Just think of yourself to the tenth power....Scientists also know that we only use a small fraction of our brain. What is the rest of it for..? As we evolve and learn to more fully use our brains, we will more fully realize the truth and reality of other dimensions of time and of space. We will also learn about the knowledge of and the ability to use telepathy.

You can change the concept of God. You can also believe or disbelieve in God. But, you can't change God. Otherwise, you're just playing mind games...

Consider that God isn't a man or a woman, or black or white or any one color, or any one religion, but all of the above. I am but one grain of sand...God embodies all the sands of time...

Intuition is God, the energy of love is God. God is good. God giveth God never taketh away that was your ego that gave it away! Your ego is an idea of who you think you are. But who you are is truly more than just your physical body as your ego believes. Thoughts are "real" but intangible arent they? Thoughts have an affect on the physical world dont they? So who is the creator?

Ok what is the difference between life and death? Here is where spirit comes in, what makes the body and all living things "alive". It is intangible but "real" isnt it? Metaphysicians will even say that all particles at a sub atomic level will come out of "no where" to "now here".You see even scientist believe in a mysterious field of "intention" or "creation" or " universal mind" to hold all matter in perfect order in space. You are god we are all gods, god is everywhere. Religion is putting god in a "box" . I feel god, good, every time I go into nature and feel at peace with myself inside. "The kindom of heaven is within" some wise guy said that.

by any standard , the most "intelligent" humans are the ones whom know how to live in "harmony" with their environment and not , essentially , commit suicide by pursuing technological "advances" which kill the world around them , and themselves in the process.
the smartest humans actually walk around mostly naked , and don't read blogs.

I have to say that this is a bunch of BS. I personally qualify to join mensa and I believe in God and so do most people who really think! DARWIN AND FROID BOTH RECANTED ON THIER DEATHBEDS!!

Read Power vs. Force great book by David Hawkins. Hope it will enlighten some of you as it did me.

logic has nothing to do with belief, the search for an answer that has no absolute truth yet is a human condition to give a meaning to its existence.
most things "happening" in this world have a pretty good explanation, but, those that are not yet explained MUST have an answer in order to be accepted by a lot of people that need to find one.
Religion is the root of all evil since it condones the mare existence of difference in human beens (gay, etc).
The fact that a "higher being" would let an inferior being like a human, direct his legacy is ridiculous, humans are flawed, hence, i would never follow another human being into anything. The free interpretation of the different religious books by humans is just ridiculous.
I do not live my life following rules of conduct that do not apply in a modern society in order to justify my existence and following death.
Life is one in my view and should be lived as one chooses, under no ruling other than free will and common sense.
Follow your pack into the slaughterhouse, i will be watching from afar....

It's funny, though, that the existance of a 'higher being' is probably the most logical explanation for many of the happenings in our world.

Non-surprisingly this makes a certain sense. In my experience, people of high intellect - self proclaimed, presumed, or otherwise - tend to (over) analyze, deconstruct and reinterpret "what it is they're observing"; converting it, then, to make sense to them of the highest degree. Maybe; I don't know entirely how this works but WHY I think "this is"....boils down to ego, a heightened degree of skepticism and attitudes of grandeur (the implication being that an innumerable "preponderance" view the Bible as an archaic collection of spiritual and moral conundrums, remedies, and reaffirmations that don't always apply to the "modern context"). Idk. I'm just observing.

its easily believable. smarter you get, the more you depend on logic and reason. religions based on faith deny you those things so they cannot be reasoned hence they cannot be legitimate. maybe i'm breaking the mold but i routinely score between 140 and 155 on IQ tests (not bragging, its just what i score, which is to my knowledge pretty good)and i believe in god. maybe i'm an exception...

Listen to me, let me be plan, firstly there is no God. God and by extention religion is fake, their not real. They were just a tool to keep people at bay and in line long ago. If you really look at history there are many wars which came out of religion. Religion is just trouble. I'm a person who believes in evolution.

Indeed, spirituality and religion are two completely different things.

I fell into the cult of Christianity in high school.
When I started reading up on history in college (seriously studying it), I got over it, thank God.
It doesn't take much digging around, provided you don't think you already know all the answers, and look at things objectively.

I find it incredibly foolish to place my belief in a belief system; the lowliest history novice can tell you that all religion has been used, even created to control the minds of the masses, for better or for worse.

If one asks questions, (as inquisitive people often do), and is not afraid of unbiased answers, religion does not hold up.

It's sheepish behavior, and intellectually lazy to boot.
In my opinion.
Ever notice how extremely religious folk seem to abhor intellectualism? As if THINKING is a bad thing?
I rest my case.
I mean, Jesus.

People will always be "happier" when they're doped up on tranquilizers, but the whole world will pass them by while they're zoning out in their windowless apartment.

That said,
I also think that automatically assuming you know everything there is to know about the universe (atheism falls into this category) is almost as ridiculous, even if it is the most logical explanation.
It's definitely conceited, if you don't mind me saying.
With all the knowledge we have accumulated through science (best fucking invention EVER), there is waaay more we don't know, and the list gets longer every day.

I don't think this should be titled "less likely to believe in God" so much as "less likely to follow a dogmatic religion."
Intelligent people have done all sorts of wacky, crazy, fucked up shit, and TONS of intelligent people are religious; to assume the opposite is ignorant intellectual elitism.
The more intelligent one is, the more powerful their brain is, the more capable they are of getting themselves completely and 100% lost in their own fantasy world (see quite a few famous serial killers).

I think people who QUESTION are more likely to be knowledgeable and/or less likely to adhere to a ridiculous system of beliefs governed by 2000-year-old fables.
Intelligence does not = gene of all-seeing omnipotence.

"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."
~ Socrates

"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is."
~ Mohandas Gandhi

...sorry, I'm tired.

I am intelligent and am an atheist. Score one for the eggheads who did this study.

I can believe the article. I think the more education someone as (as opposed to just using IQ score) the more uncomfortable they are with something that has not yet been "scientifically" proven.

I am in a highly technical science field and I have not found many people that believe in God.

Also we need to be careful. Athiests do not believe in God or that there is some type of diety out there. Agnostics think there may be something out there but aren't really sure and aren't willing to call it one thing or another. I think that a lot of people who label themselves athiests really haven't stopped to think about what's out there and how this is all possibe and may actually be agnostic.

We are in an age where everything is acceptable and if you accept one thing over another you are being close-minded. I say - please stand by something and have an opinion - and that's perfectly fine.

hmm i would hazard a guess that really it would depend on when you asked them in their life.
i know for me when i learned of the demagoguery and deceit of organized religion it turned me off to the whole thing too. but in the end life is just alot easier with something to have faith in. and that something is personal and sacred to every thinking being. but it does not always go by the same name or hold the same philosophy etc. so to say belief in "god" seems a bit vague to me.. by which definition of god would we be applying? all? or just judeo-christian etc.?

I heard a scientist comment recently that science studies the natural realm, and that he assumed that the Almighty was not in the natural realm. So then, there seems not to be a reason for conflict if looked at from his perspective does there? I suppose that intelligence has not fully been measured, and is in the flux of constant investigation right?

It's the single minded one's that are being asked to give us there input on there belief's, You know the people who can't see that there pretty Much...Outta touch with the last few generation's and Who Probably don't know the Difference's Between...Joesph McCarthy...And John McCarthy...Welp...You gotta look at thing in a retrospective to get a full picture on any Idea..Real or Not..

We as humans will always be able to perceive what we don't understand but we will never understand what we can't perceive....

The problem with these self proclaimed ''intelligent'' people is that they're trying to understand ''God'' as an idea or a concept, but ''God'' isn't something that we can ever understand pragmatically, because ''God'' is an anomalous, fluctuating ever evolving and expanding entity, the mind cannot process nor comprehend such a colossal ''being'' ''God'' ''reality'' ''entity'' whatever your preferred term, instead we can only perceive such an incontrovertible ''concept'' because it is to massive and vast to capture mentally, you can;t understand an ''idea'' that fluctuates progressively at a speed beyond comprehension. Perception is the key to knowing the ''Truth''. and we as humans will always be able to perceive what we don't understand but we will never understand what we can't perceive....

As long as having faith has a positive effect on the person, there is no argument on whether it is 'smart' or not.

Things like mission trips and The Salvation Army are done because what people believe in, religion, brings people together to do good things.

Either way, it is the person themselves that should decide if it's good for THEMSELVES or not. It is a belief, after all.

In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.

The so-called Christian nations are the most enlightened and progressive...but in spite of their religion, not because of it. The Church has opposed every innovation and discovery from the day of Galileo down to our own time, when the use of anesthetic in childbirth was regarded as a sin because it avoided the biblical curse pronounced against Eve. And every step in astronomy and geology ever taken has been opposed by bigotry and superstition. The Greeks surpassed us in artistic culture and in architecture five hundred years before Christian religion was born.

The best minds will tell you that when a man has begotten a child he is morally bound to tenderly care for it, protect it from hurt, shield it from disease, clothe it, feed it, bear with its waywardness, lay no hand upon it save in kindness and for its own good, and never in any case inflict upon it a wanton cruelty. God's treatment of his earthly children, every day and every night, is the exact opposite of all that, yet those best minds warmly justify these crimes, condone them, excuse them, and indignantly refuse to regard them as crimes at all, when he commits them. Your country and mine is an interesting one, but there is nothing there that is half so interesting as the human mind.

Mark Twain

"Faith is the determination to remain ignorant in the face of all evidence that you are ignorant."
-Shaun Mason

"Is [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?" - Epicurus 341 BCE

I agree with ccolec that the study is to simplistic and even though they might not believe in god it is possible that they hold their own idea of what "god" is.

Its not hard to realize that religions is a social construct. Once you look at it in that regard, the whole thing just loses its mysticism. But I envy those who can believe in something so strongly.

fear and ignorance are cancers. left unchecked they will eat away at your soul. people grasp for anything to believe in anything to give life meaning. true meaning is science. without intelligence science still exists , without intelligence religion does not exist.

I thought that was common sense? It was when the majority of the population was outrageously stupid when religions arose. Now people are smart enough to let that happen.. well a small percentage of the population outgrew superstition.