Atheists are more intelligent than Religious people

Awesome ringo, you composed more than a one liner...Good on ya, maybe you are getting more intelligence and listening to the Lord.

You should try it some time. Instead of just blathering the same nonsense in every post, try to actually respond ntelligently.

Unless some of these correlates are not actually measuring what they're purported to be. If your religiosity measure is not actually a genuine correlate of religious belief, but is measuring something else negatively correlated with intelligence for a different reason; then it's not an independent support for the correlation. It's spuriously making the correlation look stronger than it really it. I'm not suggesting we throw anything away - I'm suggesting we proceed with caution. This means considering alternative explanations for the results. I already suggested the one that I consider most likely (that people with higher IQ are more likely to differ from convention - whatever convention happens to be). Given that the metastudy is dominated by studies of Americans; this idea is not tested.Another explanation for the correlation (the one favoured by the authors of a review on the literature on this topic which I found whilst searching for the original metastudy) is that it is simply explained by education; mediated by the fact the religious fundamentalists are likely to receive less formal education than the general population. The metastudy does try to test this idea and their findings are not supportive. However, it's no longer an impressive metastudy, since only 6 of the included studies* have the necessary data.*4, really, but they count separate data sets within the same study as independent studiesABE: What I am trying to say is not that this study is nonsense. Rather, I'm saying that jumping from this to "Atheists are more intelligent than Religious people" is doing the same as news editors do when they tell us that grapes cause and/or cure cancer due to a suggestive study that establishes no such thing.Edited by caffeine, : No reason given.

84% of the studies found that intelligence is negatively correlated with religiosity. As for why some didn't, I can't tell you because I haven't read them all. But it would be a rare outcome in the social sciences if every outcome was the same - methods differ, analysis differ. The intelligence tests in the studies are a mixture

quote:

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Studies included in the present meta-analysis used a variety of intelligence and religiosity measures. Most of the intelligence tests are widely used (e.g., Wechsler tests, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, etc.). A subgroup of studies used university entrance exams (UEEs; e.g., SAT, GRE), which are highly correlated with standard IQ measures (correlations in the .60-.80 range are typical for college students). Indeed, these tests are often viewed as measures of general intelli- gence (Frey & Detterman, 2004; Koenig, Frey, & Detterman, 2008). We also included studies that administered tests of cognitive abilities (e.g., synonym tests, working memory tests) that could reasonably serve as proxies for IQ measures.

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These tests are used across the Western world to obtain entry into higher education and jobs, you can throw them away as useless if you wish, but they appear to have value in practice.

Well of course, it's a correlation - it doesn't measure cause. They tested for third variables of gender, age and education but concluded that there was no evidence to support them. They also did a time gap study by measuring intelligence prior to children acquiring religious knowledge. This was more restricted but they comment "...it is remarkable that intelligence can predict religiosity scores that are obtained years later." Sure, and the researchers point that out themselves. They provided several references indicating that intelligent people are more likely to also be 'non-conformers'. Intelligence leads to becoming more critical of argument and claims, which would make intelligent people less likely to be succeptable to 'the prevailing dogma'. You have to admit that it's an pretty impressive piece of work that uses all the knowledge we've collected over time and the conclusion is quite robust - intelligence and religiosity are are negatively correlated.Other variables that might be causal have been discussed and some tested for but they found no support for them and, in the case of education and conformity, they may be indirect measures of intelligence anyway.

That's what I said. I'm not throwing anything away. I have acknowledged their usefulness. You quoted me . What I'm saying is that their usefulness has limits. The fact that a shovel is useful for digging holes doesn't mean you can stand on it to touch the sky.

Well of course. But to make any reasonable point out of that generalisation you have to show why in these studies the use of intelligence tests is inappropriate or misleading.

On the contrary, the onus is on you to show that the generalization IS appropriate.

IQ tests and their equivalents have been used successfully for around 100 years as an effective tool for measuring relative intelligence. They have some known biases caused by cultural differences. You seem to be making the claim that the studies are fatally flawed because of this.You therefore have to show why any such bias would affect the result of each test.Or are you saying that religiosity is disproportionately culturally distributed or what?At the moment you're just waving around a vague generalisation.

Atheism aka evolutionism... is just a rejection of God and His laws, and hence is just a religion..just like evolution.The belief in nothing as is the doctrine of atheism, is just as brainless as the doctrine of evolution which teaches luck and chance created everything and made everything viable.These sister religions can not improve anyones mind or intelligence, but makes them weak by their very lack of principles and focus. Why, because they have to deny anything that goers against their religion, and their very closed minded minds, can not grasp the connections in science and the design patterns of life, history, or fats HEREON EARTH or eslewhere. They limit themselves because of their lack of intelligence which makes them even less intelligence.Real scientists look for principles rather than luck and chance. real scientists look for cause and effect, rather than theory on theory on theory.Real scientists do not deny an unseen world of reality, just because they in their limited vision and mionds can not see one because they refuse to see one.FamousChristianScientistsAtheists and evolutionists help them together to become dumber and dumber......

IQ tests and their equivalents have been used successfully for around 100 years as an effective tool for measuring the ability to take IQ tests and their equivalents. No. I'm asking you to show that it's reasonable to extrapolate beyond the ability to take the tests.If applicant A scores 10 points higher on an IQ test than applicant B, does that mean applicant A will be a better employee? Maybe, if the job involves taking IQ test but otherwise, why would it?

Measuring an intelligence quotient is usually job specific. A mechanic is not going to be asked to take a test on Illamas. If he takes a test relating to automobiles, engines, and the tools of a mechanic, he should do fine if qualified.I'll grant that trying to determine a candidate's perfect fit for a job can be difficult to measure through IQ tests alone.As for religiously inclined people, it is well known---even told in the Bible---that Religiously (belief minded) people are not as enamored of evidence and critical thought as are practical verifiable evidential people. That being said, I would agree that an IQ test cannot determine much more than a persons character traits.

If you want to start a topic on IQ tests and employment go ahead - here it's irrelevant. Here you job is to show why IQ is not negatively related to religiosity - if that is your claim.

Atheists and evolutionists are soul mates or should I say non soul mates as they join together in ignorance whether intentional or unintentional to deny their souls, of the inspiration of KNOWING truths. They lack wisdom and UNDERstanding simply because they deny deny deny the maker of WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING.They hate that anything or anyone knows more than them as it destroys their bravado and attempts to say that they are 'intelligent'. They pretend to be scientists but are not, they pretend to be intelligent but are not. They pretend to be persecuted but lack of wisdom and intelligence and morality always eventually brings them down to despair, and attempts at censoring their opposition.Its very sad, but thsats the lives and lack of intelligence they have chosen.

Yet another totally false and obviously demonstrably false assertion from you. Since Christians have stood in opposition to Creationism and in support of both the fact of evolution and the Theory of Evolution you are simply once again and still posting falsehoods, lies. And you continue to lie since so far not a single person who acknowledges the fact of evolution has made any claim of being persecuted.