Are Atheists Smarter Than Christians?

Some high-profile Atheists such as Richard (The God Delusion) Dawkins assert that Atheists are smarter than Christians.  They start from the assumption that only unintelligent people would believe in a supernatural being. This assumption is rebutted by evidence such as the Christians who have won the Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry, led the Human Genome Project, etc., but it sounds plausible and is rarely challenged by journalists who interview Dawkins, et al.

In the latest Tru-ID podcast by Adam Coleman, Adam speaks with fellow Apologist Joel Furches. Starting at the 24:00 mark, Joel explains the importance of having Apologetics in the Churches.  Among other things, he addresses studies purportedly linking intelligence in academics to Atheism.

Joel has a background in Psychology and Education.  He describes how the education system is set up to reward those who are analytical and to discount those with other learning styles. Joel notes that people don’t think in just one way, so education should target all the ways people think. The people getting left in the dust are the intuiters. Joel notes that the average religious person tends to be more intuitive, while that average Atheist tends to be more analytical.

Joel noted that the higher one goes in education, the more one encounters hostility to religion. Joel asserts that the academy essentially manufactures Atheists.

Apologetics in the church gives the analytical thinkers (Christians and Atheists) something to chew on.

This is one of the most content-rich podcasts I’ve heard since I started paying attention to Apologetics.  Joel also addresses the Problem of Evil, about which I will have more to say in my next post.

The podcast is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhSNeqs3yg0

© 2018 Michael S. Oswald