Scientists have explored the relationship between and , as well as between level attained and religiosity for many decades (see the following article that summarizes some of the relevant research). Unfortunately, for religious folks, the news is not good. IQ and religiosity are negatively correlated, at both the individual as well as national levels. Religiosity and educational attainment are also negatively correlated. Amongst the educated classes, professors are the least likely to be religious, and finally within the academe, the more eminent the professor is, the less he/she is likely to be religious. The evidence could not be any clearer. Please bear in mind that providing an instance wherein your uncle Joe is a physicist who is also a devout Christian does not falsify the latter evidence (see my previous post on using singular exemplars to attempt to falsify phenomena that hold true at the population level).

Religion requires that one suspend rational thought and instead take the proverbial leap of faith. Hence, that which is considered a hallmark of intelligence namely the ability to arrive at veridical conclusions based on the presented evidence is denigrated as irrelevant when it comes to swallowing whole religious narratives. It would seem that God is one hell of a trickster as he has apparently endowed us with the most complex computational system known to mankind (our brain) and then has asked that we refrain from using it, as per His edict to believe in Him. The bottom line is that God is striking the following deal with us: "If you truly believe in me, I command you to refrain from using the brain that I have given you. Accept me by rejecting your brain."

God, I have prayed to you repeatedly to land me in the Promised Land (Southern California). Why have you not answered my prayers? I suppose that God is able to distinguish between those who truly believe and the atheists masquerading as believers. He is omnipotent after all.

Source for Image:

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/0593055489.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V3719527...