Sunday, June 20: Intelligence

There have been many studies done demonstrating that more people of lower intelligence believe in God. One of those was completed by Danish professor Helmuth Nyborg, whose 2008 study showed that atheists scored 1.95 IQ points higher than agnostics, who in turn, scored 3.82 points higher than people with a belief in God, though with a liberal persuasion. Finally, the dogmatic folks who believe in a God along with a literal interpretation of the Bible scored lowest on the IQ test, another 5.89 points down the scale. Here’s a link if you want to read about the study: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence.


A common interpretation of those statistics states that people of a lower intelligence also have lower economic means, due to that intelligence. With increased financial hardships comes the need to have a belief in a time when those challenges will be gone. So in this interpretation, religion gives hope to the hopeless. Truthfully, religion does not give us anything, but relationship does. Without Jesus Christ, all of us are without hope. Does this make you feel stupid? What does God say?


27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
1 Corinthians 1:27


Personally, I know many brilliant people who carry a strong belief in God. Yet the Bible tells us to have the faith of a little child, and most little children are sweetly naïve. In comparison to the intelligence of God, even Albert Einstein would be naïve! God’s existence is a simple fact, and often, adults have a more difficult time seeing simplicity, choosing instead to complicate it all. Have you ever heard the acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid)?


18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:18-23

Simply by seeing the intricacies of the universe, of the human body and of the balance of nature, we can see that there has to be a Creator. The next step is to find out that the Creator desires a relationship with each of His creations! Most atheists and agnostics choose to emphasize their own intelligence, as truthfully, they desire to be the god of their own world. If I want to be an elephant, that doesn’t make me an elephant, though, does it? Additionally, the people who believe in God but don’t acknowledge Him are just as misguided, for if He is powerful enough to have created all that we can see, isn’t He powerful enough to have men write His words in a book? In our youth, we think we know it all, but with age comes awareness of how little we actually know! Then it becomes a comfort that the God who knows all is in charge of our lives.

“ I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it but by it, I see everything else.” C. S. Lewis

What is the Bible’s definition of foolish?


The fool has said in his heart,“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.
Psalm 14:1