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What Does the Study Show?

The researchers combined results from 63 studies examining the relationship between intelligence and religiosity. They found a negative association, particularly among college students and adults. The relationship was also stronger for religious beliefs than for religious behavior.

But we're talking about an average statistical relationship, not a rule that applies to every person. Among college students and adults, the correlation between intelligence and the strength of religious belief was around -0.24 on average in the analyses highlighted by the authors. That's a noticeable relationship, but it's nowhere near strong enough to judge someone's intelligence from whether they're religious.

And a correlation doesn't tell us why the relationship exists. The researchers discussed several possible explanations, but they didn't prove that religion makes people less intelligent or that being intelligent automatically leads someone to abandon religion.

Why Might Intelligence and Religiosity Be Related?

One possible explanation is that people who question established ideas may be less willing to accept religious teachings just because they've been passed down for generations. If you're used to asking for evidence, you're probably going to have a few questions when someone tells you that a supernatural being created the universe or that miracles really happened.

Another possibility has to do with analytical thinking. A study published in 2012 suggested a connection between a more analytical way of thinking and religious disbelief. That doesn't mean everyone who believes in God is incapable of logical thought. It does suggest that the way people approach a claim may influence whether they're willing to accept it.

The third explanation discussed by the authors is that religion can provide things such as comfort, a feeling of control and social support. Some people may find those things elsewhere and therefore feel less need for religious beliefs. Again, that's a possible explanation, not a reason to assume you know what is going on in another person's head.

My Views on the Matter

Now, I don't want to pretend that I find religious beliefs particularly convincing. I don't. In fact, I think quite a few religious claims are outright nonsense.

We're expected to accept stories about miracles, divine interventions and supernatural beings, often without the kind of evidence we'd demand for much more ordinary claims. If somebody told you that a person could walk on water today, you'd probably want some pretty convincing proof. But put the same claim into a religious text that's been handed down for centuries and suddenly questioning it is sometimes treated as a lack of faith.

That kind of double standard makes no sense to me. Believing something because you were taught it as a child, because millions of other people believe it or because it makes you feel better doesn't automatically make it true. If a claim is supposed to describe reality, it should be open to criticism and questions.

And that brings me to what I find most frustrating about religion. In some families and communities, children grow up being told not only what to believe, but also that doubting those beliefs is wrong. When someone has heard the same stories since childhood and is surrounded by people who accept them, questioning everything can be incredibly difficult. That's a form of indoctrination, and I think it's a serious problem.

Still, it would be pretty stupid of me to use one study to declare every religious person unintelligent. Intelligent people can believe irrational things, and people with little formal education can be excellent at questioning what they're told. Being smart also doesn't protect anyone from prejudice, wishful thinking or being fooled.

So my criticism is mainly about the beliefs themselves and the habit of accepting extraordinary claims without good evidence. I don't have to think every religious person is stupid to think that many religious ideas are.

Closing Words

The study suggests that intelligence and religiosity are related on average, but it certainly doesn't prove that religious people are stupid. There are plenty of cultural, social and personal reasons why someone believes what they believe.

That doesn't mean religious claims should get a free pass, though. A claim doesn't become more believable just because it's old, popular or comforting. And when people are encouraged to believe things without evidence and discouraged from questioning them, I think that's something we should criticize much more openly.