Religion and IQ

I came across this rather interesting post from a member of the Blogpower collective Deeply Blasphemous, who in turn got it from some other blogs... you get the drift. It contains a graph which maps the relative IQ of Christian denominations by how "biblical based" they are, and makes interesting viewing.

Although a Christian, I am not a fan of biblical fundamentalists and have probably less time for IQ tests, the latter because I am not sure what they actually measure. However, from a Christian and biblical perspective, the most relevant verse on this subject is probably Matthew 11:25, which says (NIV):

..."I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

Perhaps then the Christian view is not that stupid people literally believe in the Bible, but God has chosen the humble to inherit his Kingdom.

It is this philosophy which makes me suspicious of humanist atheists, who tend to be middle-class and live relatively comfortable lives (like the Jewish establishment at the time of Jesus?). If there is any justice in the world (and there is not if evolution is the be all and end all), it would be the meek and poor, rather than those who are "wise in their own eyes" (Proverbs 3:7) who should prosper in the end. This is a central theme of true Christianity, although many strands of the religion have moved closer to the attitude of the religious establishment Jesus so reviled.