Are Atheists Smarter or Simply More Self-Reliant and Self-Indulgent?

After attending Southern California universities for nine
years, I was a committed atheist. Was my atheism the result of my intellectual
prowess and education, or something else? A recent controversial
study seems to imply a direct correlation between intelligence and atheism.
A review of 63 studies of intelligence and religion from 1928 to 2012 allegedly
reveals the following: non-believers, on average, score higher than religious
people on intelligence tests. I think there may, in fact, be some truth in this
discovery, but non-religious people should hesitate before they start
celebrating. I think folks with higher IQ’s may be more inclined to reject God,
not because they’re better able to assess the evidence and draw reasonable
inferences, but because they
are far more likely to reject any authority other than themselves.

When I was a young boy, my teacher encouraged my mother to
have my IQ tested. I was only six years old, but I can still remember the room
where they administered the test. When it was all said and done, I found myself
in “gifted” classes for the rest of my public education. As the years passed, I
never forgot my IQ score and I came to think of myself as someone who was too
smart to believe in imaginary beings. The more I thought I knew, the more
self-reliant I became and the less I was willing to listen to what others had
to say, especially about matters related to God. I was comfortable as my own
judge and jury; my own authority about any number of things. My self-perception
as a “smart guy” resulted in an arrogant, self-reliant and self-indulgent
attitude toward life.

I don’t think I’m the only smart person who has experienced
this. Studies repeatedly show the practical difference between non-believers
and religious people when it comes to wise decision making. Religious people
consistently demonstrate wisdom unmatched by their non-believing peers:

Believers make wiser choices in their relationships

Studies
repeatedly reveal believers are more inclined to enter committed relationships,
more likely to make wise marriage choices, enjoy better marital stability and
remain satisfied in their marriages. When both spouses are actively engaged in
their religious communities, they are more than two
times less likely to divorce than unbelieving couples.

Believers make wiser choices in their parenting

Believing mothers and fathers make wiser choices as parents. They are more
involved in the lives
of their children, more involved in their children’s educational
experience, are more likely to invest in the
lives of their kids, and report stronger
and better relationships with their children.

Believers make wiser choices related to early sexual activity

The more committed a believer is to his or her religious practice, the lower
the level of teenage sexual activity. As a result, committed believers are 2
to 3 times less likely to
have a child out of wedlock.

Believers make wiser choices in their use of alcohol and drugs

Many studies confirm the relationship between religious belief and reduced likelihood of alcohol
abuse, and researchers have also established a similar relationship between
religious commitment and drug use.
Religious people are far less likely to become alcoholics or drug addicts.

Believers make wiser choices in the way they live their lives

Committed religious believers are much more likely to make wise choices in
their personal lives. Believers, for example, are less likely to commit
acts of violence against their partners. The more committed they are to
their religious belief, the less likely they are to behave violently. In
addition, believers report they are happier,
more satisfied with their lives, and have greater morale.

Believers make wiser choices related to education

Religious people have higher academic expectations, attend school more
regularly, achieve higher levels of education and generally perform better
in their academic environment. Studies demonstrate academic performance is positively
affected by religious practice.

Believers make wiser choices related to compassion and charity

Studies also reveal religious believers are more likely to report
compassionate, empathetic feelings toward disadvantaged people than their
non-believing counterparts. This heightened compassion motivates religious
people to be much more charitable; believers
give far more to charitable organizations than do non-religious people.

Believers make wiser choices related to criminal activity

There is also a direct relationship between committed religious belief and criminal
activity. Committed believers are far less likely to use weapons, engage in
violent activity or commit other felonious crimes.

If believers are so much less intelligent than their
non-believing counterparts, why do they repeatedly make wiser choices? As a
boy, I can remember an incident that seems to explain this phenomenon. I was
not yet a teenager, but I certainly thought I was smarter than most adults, and
on this particular day, that included my mother. I can remember arguing with
her at a local retail store and repeatedly challenging her (I can’t remember
the subject of our argument). For every point she offered, I countered with a
stubborn opposing view. We went back and forth for a while as we walked through
the store. I stubbornly refused to comply with whatever it was she wanted me to
do, offering five or six reasons for rejecting her request. By the time we got
to the checkout register, she was exhausted. We continued to argue as we stood there
in line, and at one point an older man standing behind us turned to his wife
and said, “That boy is too smart for his own good.”

There is often a relationship between intelligence and the willful
rejection of authority. Being smart doesn’t guarantee you’ll make smart
decisions. For this reason, the connection between IQ and religious belief is
unsurprising and unflattering. There are lots of incredibly
smart believers; these folks have simply learned to submit their
self-reliance and self-indulgence before investigating the case for God’s
existence.

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