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  • Proof: God makes you stupid

    God makes you stupid, researchers claim

    A psychology researcher has controversially claimed that stupidity is causally linked to how likely people are to believe in God.

    University of Ulster professor Richard Lynn will draw the conclusion in new research due to be published in the journal Intelligence, the Times Higher Education Supplement reports.

    Lynn and his two co-authors argue that average IQ is an excellent predictor of what proportion of the population are true believers, across 137 countries. They also cite surveys of the US Academy of Sciences and UK Royal Academy showing single-digit rates of religious belief among academics.

    That professional skeptics don't believe in a creator is perhaps not all that surprising. Lynn argues, however, that it is their intelligence that directly gives rise to the boffinated classes' non-God-bothering tendencies. He said: "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."

    Lynn pointed out that most children do believe in God, but as their intelligence develops they tend to have doubts or reject religion. Similarly, as average IQ in Western societies increased throught the 20th century, so did rates of atheism, he said.

    The researchers' claims of a direct causal link have drawn criticism from others in intelligence research, who argue their conclusions are too simplistic. London Metropolitan University's Dr David Hardman 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 associated with a greater ability - or perhaps willingness - to question and overturn strongly felt intuitions."

    Next week: exclusive Reg research reveals the link between obesity and love of cake.


    Intelligence is a predictor of religious scepticism, a professor has argued. Rebecca Attwood reports
    Co-Founder, Apolyton Civilization Site
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  • #2
    How is this causal again? All I see is a strong correlation.
    John Brown did nothing wrong.

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    • #3
      It's blindingly obvious that thick people are more likely to believe in god - you only have to look at Poly for proof...
      Is it me, or is MOBIUS a horrible person?

      Comment


      • #4
        Considering the last line, I don't think this is meant to be taken seriously.

        There certainly are a lot more factors involved. How religious is the community that the individual was raised in, for starters. Desperate situations (dangerous area to live, financial woes) can cause people to seek faith, as well as people who have done things in their lives that they want absolution from.
        I'm consitently stupid- Japher
        I think that opinion in the United States is decidedly different from the rest of the world because we have a free press -- by free, I mean a virgorously presented right wing point of view on the air and available to all.- Ned

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        • #5
          You atheists are so comsumed with providing "evidence". It could be viewed as funny.
          Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
          "Hating America is something best left to Mobius. He is an expert Yank hater.
          He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ Braindead

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          • #6
            There is no evidence. I've looked for something to cause 'faith'. So far I haven't found it.
            I'm consitently stupid- Japher
            I think that opinion in the United States is decidedly different from the rest of the world because we have a free press -- by free, I mean a virgorously presented right wing point of view on the air and available to all.- Ned

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Theben
              Considering the last line, I don't think this is meant to be taken seriously.
              check the second link for a more serious coverage of the study
              Co-Founder, Apolyton Civilization Site
              Co-Owner/Webmaster, Top40-Charts.com | CTO, Apogee Information Systems
              giannopoulos.info: my non-mobile non-photo news & articles blog

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              • #8
                Originally posted by SlowwHand
                You atheists are so comsumed with providing "evidence". It could be viewed as funny.
                Evidence is everywhere:

                You are a thick Texan who believes in god, and I am an atheist with a godlike intellect...


                CASE CLOSED!
                Is it me, or is MOBIUS a horrible person?

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                • #9
                  Richard Lynn is an idiot if he really believes that. He's even a bigger idiot if he publishes something that says that. I guess he must be a believer.
                  Monkey!!!

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                  • #10
                    Wow ok.

                    So believing that Aliens came to earth and seeded it with life is less stupid then believing in God?

                    I see how that works.
                    Scouse Git (2) La Fayette Adam Smith Solomwi and Loinburger will not be forgotten.
                    "Remember the night we broke the windows in this old house? This is what I wished for..."
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                    • #11
                      Physicists are the scientists least likely to beleive in God, and ~40% as of 2000 did so (another ~40% were atheists with the remainder being agnostics).

                      The percentage of beleivers in science stayed pretty constant throughout the 20th century (same percents based on a study in 1900). It seems like this study is BS, besides the conclusions not following as well.

                      My conclusions based on being an academic and from the statistics that academics are less religious than the general populace is that the ivory tower mindset is less likely to be religious.

                      JM
                      Jon Miller-
                      I AM.CANADIAN
                      GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

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                      • #12
                        I'd also like to chime in to say this article looks pretty silly.

                        But...

                        Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
                        Wow ok.

                        So believing that Aliens came to earth and seeded it with life is less stupid then believing in God?

                        I see how that works.
                        What?
                        Click here if you're having trouble sleeping.
                        "We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones." - François de La Rochefoucauld

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                        • #13
                          Einstein believed in God.
                          Monkey!!!

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                          • #14
                            That's debatable.
                            Click here if you're having trouble sleeping.
                            "We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones." - François de La Rochefoucauld

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Japher
                              Einstein believed in God.
                              Like Spinoza's.

                              However, a lot of physicists believe in God. It isn't a rare thing within physics, just lower than the general populace (once more, about 40%).



                              JM
                              Jon Miller-
                              I AM.CANADIAN
                              GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

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