is there a correlation between intelligence and faith?

According to the Consolation of Philosophy, Intelligence is the highest mode of knowing which is above reason. It perceives the simplicity of the universe and then uses the lower forms of knowledge (reason, imagination, senses) in order to perceive the 'parts' of the divine. Faith is not mentioned at all, and even hope is looked down upon as a dangerous emotion, as Philosophy instructs Boethius to do away with hope and fear, because those are the chains that the tyrants use to control the masses. The last paragraph mentions a "right kind of hope" meaning placing hope in reason rather than in the changing ways of fortune. Faith is not talked about at all since it is a useless word. Modern Christians tend to confuse Faith with Love, but that is just nonsense.

There have been many studies which show that as your inteliigence increases the less likely you are to be religious. That doesn't mean (as someone else said) that all atheists are rocket scientists and all religious people are stupid. Its just a probability which has been documented in many studies.

Also I don't believe it to be coincidental due to the vast number of studies performed and life experience.

Atheist and Scientist

EDIT: To the person below if you read what I said you could be smart and be religious but your just more likely to be smart and an atheist....thats all I have said (and the 30 - 40 studies on my link show).

Also just to be arrogant pnagy....I doubt it!

Also Sashmead, that is a very good point that shouldn't be dismissed but in my opinion intelligent people come from a multitude of social backgrounds and the evidence for intelligence and atheism is reasonably strong although you are indeed correct that other factors may account for this.

Remember that correlation isn't the same as causation. Perhaps that there is a social expectation that intelligent people are scientists and scientists are atheists, or even possibly that those who become higher-level scientists are more arrogant than non-high-level scientists, meaning that there is a lesser belief in God.

Also, intelligence is caused by a mixture of factors. If some of these factors predispose both intelligence and atheism (such as a tendency for richer people to be more inclined to be atheists, for example) then there is a correlation, not a causation.

The more knowledge I have about how the chair was made, what kind of wood, how old, condition and such things the more faith I have that the chair will hold me.

Higher intelligence leads to less faith, but this doesn't mean that all religious people are stupid, and that all atheists are smart.

Intelligence should validate one's faith.

Oh, yeah??? I'll match my IQ with and atheist's any day. Bring it on, buddies. I'm waiting. Boy, am I waiting..............