Atheists= intelligent?

[Giff]

The members of MENSA ,the global organisation for people with high IQ, are nearly all atheists, except two. There is around 100 000 members[/u]

Another fact that is quite intresting is that 98% of all scientists and doctors are atheists too.

Charles Darwin had a speech at the TED where prestented this facts. When I find the video clip I will post it here.

Does this mean that atheists are smarter then people who are religious?

[Darwinian]

The members of MENSA ,the global organisation for people with high IQ, are nearly all atheists, except two. There is around 100 000 members[/u]

Another fact that is quite interesting is that 98% of all scientists and doctors are atheists too.

Charles Darwin had a speech at the TED where prestented this facts. When I find the video clip I will post it here.

Does this mean that atheists are smarter then people who are religious?

Yes.

Although education also has a lot to do with it. When I joined Mensa in my early twenties I didn't meet a single Christian, not that religion was often discussed.

Also, being a Mensa member only really means you are good at taking I.Q. tests

[Tiberius]

Thanks for reminding me. I need to book my mensa test. I passed the home test with flying colours, but it was pitifully easy.

[Giff]

Sounds like you both are pretty smart. When I did a IQ test when I was 16 I had 109 in IQ.

[lukec]

I'd really like to try one of the professionally administered tests, because when I take the internet ones and get ranges from 130-162 I start to think something is fishy. The real ones are pretty expensive though, apparently, and time consuming.

[Edwardo Piet]

On AVERAGE i'd say atheists are more intelligent than theists based on both my own experience and the surveys like the one you mention.

I believe however God cannot be DISPROVED there is merely (if you think it's merely!) piles and piles of evidence against God making his likely hood as likely as 'Russel's Teapot' or pink unicorns.

I used to be an atheist that believed 100% that there is no God because of personal choice rather than evidence...I prefered the idea of evolution and the big 'bang' to God because I thought it was more believable and I hated the God of the old testament.

I didn't know anything about the evidence for or against God though so my claim that God 100% does not exist IMHO was actually a kind of atheistic faith...because my atheism was not based on evidence - therefore it was faith.

And because it was a faith and not supported by evidence that faith eventually converted to faith in a God of some kind.

After I recovered from that I read the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (and the like) and now I have evidence against God and FOR evolution other than intuitive guess, which is not true scientific evidence (although it can lead to such evidence).

Now I know WHY I believe what I believe...it is based on evidence...not preference or 'intuitive observation of transparent psuedo-evidence' or whatever.

Finally, I think if you believe in an ultimate 100% proof or disproof of something, then that's faith not evidence. The idea of ultimate proof or disproof may contain some evidence....but to believe 100% either way; it must contain some faith, atleast to fill the gap of evidence. So if atheism is based on - or its gap in evidence is filled up with - faith then I suspect that stance is less intelligent on average than atheism entirely based on evidence; atleast for the time, because intelligence and consciousness can certainly be raised as I believe mine has atleast somewhat.

[Meatball]

I don't doubt there is a strong correlation between intelligence and atheism. I like to think I'm pretty intelligent, but I can't say I've taken an IQ test or Mensa exam. I don't see the point.

[Alan]

I wouldn't say atheists are more intelligent, but I would say intelligent people are more likely to be atheists (as studies show). In fact, reversing that statement without proof would be a logical fallacy.

I think it has to do with being sceptical. Having a high intelligence means you analyse your assumptions more, whereas having a low intelligence means you're more likely to simply insist that your assumptions are right. Religion is based on a highly unlikely assumption so it's evident that intelligent people will consider that assumption false (sometimes even at a very early age, which probably makes the de-conversion process much easier).

Notice that intelligent people who ARE religious are often much harder to de-convert than relatively "dumb" people, exactly BECAUSE they are intelligent. They actually DID analyse their assumptions but instead of discarding them further rationalised them. I guess that would be the difference between being stubborn (a deeply human condition, regardless of intelligence, I might add) and being open-minded (which is more often found in intelligent people, I guess).

Saying that dumber people are more easily attracted to simple truths (which religion is chock-full of) is a truism. It doesn't mean all religious people are stupid, though. Being an atheist doesn't make you smarter -- being smarter MAY make you an atheist, though.

[josef rosenkranz]

The afirmation that atheists are more intelligent than religious persons derives from personal experience of most of us.
However there are a lot of high educated people ,professors ,scientists ,
even Nobel Prize winners who believe in God whether as theists or creationists or are even religion practicants.
I never understood how you can be a scientist and in the same time visit religiouos cult institutions.
The problem is that the our mind is a complicated machine which is
operating physical processes often not fully understandable through reasonable causal thinking.
The contradiction in the mind of the religious scientist might have a simple psychological or social or economical explanation but might be also not understandable to the person himself.
My conclusion is tough beware of arrogance of the style :we are the brights they are the stupid.
The afirmation of such a kind does not prove of excess of brightness

[Edwardo Piet]

Funnily enough, believe it or not, I think the stronger an Atheist I've become (without being a 'Strong 100% disbelief Atheist, which I don't actually see as strong in the sense of correct), the more intelligent I've become. Or rather the more of my potential intelligence I have unlocked.
Because; I believe intelligence can be increased. In the sense that potential intelligence can be unlocked - but it can also be neglected - or you can become more delusioned/less intelligent.