Another Study Showing Religious People Are Stupid

Started by stromboli, February 17, 2015, 03:35:34 PM

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stromboli

http://www.humanreligions.info/intelligence.html

QuoteNot only did their religion prevent them from thinking in the correct terms about basic physics, biology and astronomy, and not only did their atheist counterparts continue to search for truth while they did not, but their beliefs gave them a false confidence to actively punish those that disagreed. The whole series of battles between religion and science (which science has always won) shows us empirically and historically that religion suppresses science.

The stubborn stance against science and real-world knowledge in Christianity stems from the very founders of that religion. Take Tertullian, one of the great and powerful Christian speakers of very early Christianity, who in 200CE was defending Christianity against its critics. 'Before he closes his defense, Tertullian renews an assertion which, carried into practice, as it subsequently was, affected the intellectual development of all Europe. He declares that the Holy Scriptures are a treasure from which all the true wisdom in the world has been drawn; that every philosopher and every poet is indebted to them. He labors to show that they are the standard and measure of all truth, and that whatever is inconsistent with them must necessarily be false'2. And what a terrible legacy became of that mode of thought: it is only true if it says so in the Bible. The hallmark of ignorant, dangerous barbarianism and fundamentalism.

Quote2.1. The More Religious the Parents, the Less Intelligent the Children

There is a reason why god-believing adults rarely become scientists, and almost never become top scientists. Not only does theology and dogmatic religious assertions interfere with correct scientific thought, but, children of religious parents have on average, lower intelligence. This common-sense finding is not a one-off statistic, but part of an entire trend. The stricter the religious beliefs of the parent, the less the average intelligence of the child.

“Sociologist Zena Blau of the University of Houston recently conducted a study of more than a thousand children in Chicago. [...] In 1981 Blau reported that IQs were lowest among children whose mothers have overly strict religious beliefs. Children whose mothers were from a non-denominational or non-religious background had the highest average IQs - 110 for whites, 109 for blacks. Children whose mothers belonged to "fundamentalist" religious groups tended to have IQs that were 7 to 10 points lower. According to Blau, these religion-IQ differences hold even when you take into account the mother's social class, current occupational status, and education.”
"Understanding Human Behavior" by James V. McConnel (1986)7
It is easy to see how a cycle may emerge: If some people are prompted to adopt some religious beliefs, their children will have less IQ. They will therefore be more likely to take up religious beliefs more strictly. If they do so, their children will have even less average intelligence, and perhaps adopt even stricter religious behaviours. A cycle. This cycle would be most readily shaken by education imposed from without, on a national scale. Public education is a good defence against communities cycling into la-la land. Also, sometimes such as during the enlightenment, a general changing in culture can break the hold of specific forms of religious inhibition, and break the cycle. In the West, a gradual counter-cycle of individualism ended the dark ages and allowed the West's cultural ascent.

Pat yourselves on the back, you individualistic SOBs you. You glorious, independent, think-for-yourself non herd animals you.

Carve this puppy in stone and plant it on your front lawn, your desk or anywhere the lesser minded theists will encounter it, and laugh hysterically at their protestations and antics. And feel good about yourselves in the process.

:clap:

kilodelta

Yes. I'll post that in my office. I was getting tired of being paid anyway.

Though, I'll keep it in my back pocket in case I get a religious nut job working with us. I'll just secretly drop a print off on their desk. I'll wear gloves of course and steal someone's passkey to go in to work on a weekend without it being able to be traced back to me... I'll also have to steal the video surveillance hard drives. And unfortunately, I'll have to use a garrote to silence the cleaning crew.
Faith: pretending to know things you don't know

emilynghiem

One of my most religious friends is probably the worst at any kind of business management,
and doesn't understand the politics of property and basic knowledge others take for granted.

But her gifts in spiritual healing have saved lives
that no amount of money, or influence from smarter or richer people, could have saved.

So I think it's a tradeoff. We may have gifts in some areas and weaknesses in others.

Some of the smartest most intelligent people in the world
can also make mistakes or commit crimes and abuses
that other people wouldn't THINK to make. I find it comes out even, where good and bad are proportional.
Every strength can become a weakness; every weakness can become a strength.
God is no thing

Aletheia

Quote from: emilynghiem on February 17, 2015, 11:00:56 PM
One of my most religious friends is probably the worst at any kind of business management,
and doesn't understand the politics of property and basic knowledge others take for granted.

But her gifts in spiritual healing have saved lives
that no amount of money, or influence from smarter or richer people, could have saved.

So I think it's a tradeoff. We may have gifts in some areas and weaknesses in others.

Some of the smartest most intelligent people in the world
can also make mistakes or commit crimes and abuses
that other people wouldn't THINK to make. I find it comes out even, where good and bad are proportional.
Every strength can become a weakness; every weakness can become a strength.

Spiritual healing can kill:

Faith Healing Parents Jailed After Second Child's Death
Living on a Praying: Why Does God Kill So Many Children in Idaho?
Faith Healing Deaths
Fallen Followers: Investigators Find 10 More Dead Children of Faith Healers
...the list, sadly, goes on and on.

This is a serious weakness, Emily. Parents are denying their children proven medical care in favor of "spiritual healing." How can the death of people - particularly children- be seen somehow as a strength?

Even if you try to say the numbers of deaths are small... why are there any deaths at all? Tested medical techniques can result in death due to unforeseen complications and limits to current understanding of the human body. Spiritual healing is touted as being superior - and according to some, flawless.

Quote from: emilynghiem on February 17, 2015, 11:00:56 PM
But her gifts in spiritual healing have saved lives that no amount of money, or influence from smarter or richer people, could have saved.

This is quite the insult to all the human endeavors from doctors, researchers, philanthropists, biologists... etc.. who have worked to find cures for diseases and improve medical science in various ways.

Her gifts in spiritual healing are nothing more than positive thinking. It's a placebo effect. The people she "saved" got better due to taking better care of their health (countering the effects of poor diet), had an immune system that finally overcame whatever pathogen they were infected by, and may have a unique anatomy which provided an advantage not normally available to a person (such as an extra set of blood vessels that circumvent the heart).

Your friend could also have caused the deaths of people by giving out poor advice. For instance, using spiritual healing to correct diabetes instead of adjusting their diet, exercising, and taking insulin. If she had recommended spiritual healing for the treatment of cancer, thereby convincing the person not to have a small malignant tumor removed - which eventually metastasizes and rapidly progresses to inoperable stage 4 cancer. Or, encouraging a person to embrace spiritual healing instead of taking their anti-depressants or anti-psychotics, which results in their mental illness remaining unchecked and one day they commit suicide due to overwhelming suicidal ideation.

Are the deaths of people like this - deaths which can be prevented by medical science - a worthy loss for the cause of "spiritual healing?" Is it a pat on your back to say, "at least their souls are cleansed"? People are dying needlessly due to what amounts to bad advice and the placebo effect eventually failing.

Quote from: Jakenessif you believe in the supernatural, you do not understand modern science. Period.

stromboli

Awesome post, Aletheia. And I liked you and also your Avatar.

I think Emily has moved into the troll zone at this point.

Solitary

Quote from: emilynghiem on February 17, 2015, 11:00:56 PM
One of my most religious friends is probably the worst at any kind of business management,
and doesn't understand the politics of property and basic knowledge others take for granted.

But her gifts in spiritual healing have saved lives
that no amount of money, or influence from smarter or richer people, could have saved.

So I think it's a tradeoff. We may have gifts in some areas and weaknesses in others.

Some of the smartest most intelligent people in the world
can also make mistakes or commit crimes and abuses
that other people wouldn't THINK to make. I find it comes out even, where good and bad are proportional.
Every strength can become a weakness; every weakness can become a strength.
Don't let the truth bite you in the ass! Name one smartest person in the world that committed a crime. Being educated doesn't make you intelligent.  Sara Palin is a good example, as well as your hero's. Solitary
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.