No surprise here..

It sounds very similar to what scientist have developed about political leanings. It's called the dunning-kruger effect. It's basically, you only want to know things that support your present belief and your mind is closed to the fact that you could be wrong about everything.

I worry about this "smart/intelligent" conversation we're having at the moment. It is true that non-believers and "liberals" are better read, and it can be said that they're more open to education, but are they "smarter"? And when I say that I'm not just talking about IQ. Are they balanced, open, compassionate... in other words, what's their "emotion IQ."

There's a movement afoot among non-theists to disavow all emotion and focus only on reason. The problem is, emotions are built into us, and they are what motivates us. To try and subdue them, even in the name of reason only makes us more unreasonable. We have emotions for a reason. They tell us what's going on. Fear tells us that our lives may be in peril. Anger tells us that our values or boundaries have been violated. Guilt tells us that we have violated our own values. Hate tells us that someone or something seeks to do harm and we must forever put space between that.

These are generalities, I know, but it's a place to start. The ability to see from another's point of view, to recognize why they might be reacting as they do... all those things make us gentler, kinder people, and that also makes our actual knowledge even more needed. It was Jonas Salk's compassion that drove him to find a cure for Polio, and the world has been changed for the better.

Emotional IQ is also the ability to look inward, and to assess our behavior, and determine if our actions are hurting others and whether or not we are presenting ourselves to others as we think we are to ourselves. I think that's got to be the greatest gift we give to ourselves... the willingness to look inward.

Is that what you really want to believe?

I have known some people who are religious but not like the evangelicals and they do seem smart in a very different way to the evangelical mind set! One thing that I have noticed is, evangelicals seem more interested in making money, than working at a career that is rewarding personally.

I think the moderate religious are no more or less intelligent. The fundalmentalist and very strict adherants simply close their minds to advanced thinking. Math and higher learning in the middle east thrived until the fundalmentalist Islam Mullahs took over.

I don't have statistics but from observation of people I know, I tend to believe that there is a whole lot of religious people that look down on education and many want a good paying job without putting effort forward to attain it. They will physically work but lack motivation for learning. People that get educations and actually read are going to at least appear to be more intelligent and will probably score higher on a test.

IQ tests are pseudoscience. Your study proves nothing.Cant build a skyscrapper with mud and you can't prove anything with a faulty instrument.

One thing about religious belief... it frees the mind to devote time to pleasing the Master, to tending the fields, to focus on providing a great life for the plantation owner. No need to fuss about science, the future, or technical ability. It provides clear moral obligation to fight unions, job safety, and dignity n the workplace.