From: darice@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Fred Rice)
Subject: Re: I.Q. & Brains
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 05:17:51 GMT

In <2934730199.1.p00168@psilink.com> "James F. Tims" <p00168@psilink.com> writes:

>Paraphrased from The Effect of Intelligence on Religious Faith, Burnham 
>P. Beckwith, _Free Inquiry_, Spring 1986:

[...studies purporting to show inverse relationship between intelligence
and religiosity deleted...]

>	Conclusions
>	In this essay I ahve reviewed: (1)sixteen studies of the 
>	correlation between individual measures of student intelligence and 
>	religiosity, all but three of which reported an inverse 
>	correlation. (2) five studies reporting that student bodies with high
>	average IQ and/or SAT scores are much less religious than inferior
>	student bodies;(3)three studies reporting that geniuses (IQ 150+)
>	are much less religious than the general public (Average IQ, 100),
>	and one dubious study,(4)seven studies reporting that highly 
>	successful persons are much less religious in belief than are others;
>	and (5) eight old and four new Gallup polls revealing that 
>	college alumni (average IQ about 115) are much less religious in 
>	belief than are grade-school pollees.

>	I have also noted that many studies have shown that students 
>	become less religious as they proceed through college, probably in
>	part because average IQ rises.

>	All but four of the forty-three polls I have reviewed support 
>	the conclusion that native intelligence varies inversely with 
>	degree of religious faith; i.e., that, other factors being equal,
>	the more intelligent a person is, the less religious he is.  It 
>	is easy to find fault with the studies I have reviewed, for all 
>	were imperfect.  But the fact that all but four of them 
>	supported the general conclusion provides overwhelming evidence 
>	that, among American students and adults, the amount of religious
                    ^^^^^^^^ 
>	faith tends to vary inversely and appreciably with intelligence.

These studies were done of Americans, so presumably most of the
religious people tested (where religion is not stated) were Christian.
However, these results may be culture-specific and cannot be used to
come to any conclusions about intelligence-religiosity correlations in
non-American Christian societies or, of course, in non-Christian
societies.  As I explain more fully in my reply to your posting in the
"iq<->religion: connection?" thread, these results could also be
explained by the more intelligent people in society being more willing
to oppose the viewpoint against the majority (which, in the American
studies, would be Christianity).  If this were the explanation, then in
a predominantly atheist society, one would find a positive correlation
between religiosity and intelligence.

[...stuff deleted...]

>Are there highly intelligent Xians?  Most certainly, but they do not 
>apply their reasoning to religion.  Perhaps the best hypotheses to 
>explain the phenomenon of the intelligent professing deep religiosity are
                                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

By "deep religiosity" are you specifically referring to Christianity
here, or religiosity in general?  I think you are definitely casting
your net too wide if you mean *all* religiosity (as the set of all
religions is a very, very large set).

>1) Ignorance.  Intelligence does not imply correct information.
>2) Compartmented personality.  The scientist and the prayer-maker never meet.
>3) Knavery.  The statement of belief is a sham to serve another purpose.
>4) Fear of censure by friends and family.
>5) Delusions or insanity.

While you may consider these possible reasons, there are plenty of
further possible reasons.

You forget about the possibility of a religious experience or
mystic experience specific to the person who experiences it.  Such an
experience may give a specific individual the rational reasons to be
religious.  However, such a person's reasons, while rational to him/her,
cannot be sensibly challenged by others as they have not had the same
experience as s/he did.

 Fred Rice
 darice@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au