European atheism and intelligence

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In 2014, the Pew Research Forum indicated that Europe will go from 11% of the world's population to 7% of the world's population by 2050.[1]

From a global perspective, Europe is more secular/atheistic than the rest of the world although it does have a considerable amount of religious immigrants who have higher birth rates (see: Secular Europe and Atheist population and Global atheism).

The current atheist population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia among whites.[2] See: Asian atheism and Western atheism and race

According to a poll measuring religious identification in the European Union in 2012 by Eurobarometer, 16% identify as non-religious/agnostic and 7% of EU citizens identify as atheists.[3][4]

The 2010 eurobarometer poll found that on total average, of the EU27 population, 51% "believe in a God", 26% believe in "some sort of spirit or life force" and 20% had neither of these forms of belief.[5]

As briefly mentioned above, Europe is presently experiencing desecularization forces through: religious immigrants who have higher fertility rates than moderately religious and the sub-replacement level of fertility of the irreligious in many European countries. This trend is expected to continue and the secular population is projected to plateau by 2050, or as early as 2021 (see also: European desecularization in the 21st century and Growth of global desecularization).[6]

IQ scores reported for various Irreligious European countries

Socioeconomic factors can cause differences in regional intelligence levels (for example, wealth which can affect the quality of education, health care and nutrition). Although social scientists have disputes about the accuracy of IQ scores in a given region, regions do vary in terms of their IQ scores.[7][8][9] Ethnic groups facing discrimination as immigrants and their IQs temporarily dropping and then later rebounding when the discrimination is over, strongly suggests that IQ is significantly affected by one's environment and not due to any inherent and permanent genetic differences between races.[10]

Although social scientists have disputes about the accuracy of IQ scores in a given region, regions do vary in terms of their IQ scores.[7][8][9]

Unless otherwise indicated, the national IQ scores given in this article for European countries comes from the work carried out from 2002 to 2006 by Richard Lynn, a British Professor of Psychology, and Tatu Vanhanen, a Finnish Professor of Political Science, who performed IQ studies in more than 80 countries.[7]

  • UK: National IQ is 100.[7]

IQ scores of the more religious countries of Italy and Switzerland

Italy and Switzerland are among the top three countries in national IQ scores and they are more religious than the irreligious countries cited above. The national IQ scores of Italy and Switzerland were reported to be 102 and 101 respectively.[7]

The Christian Post reported in 2007 concerning Switzerland:

“ But proponents of creationism contend that most Swiss want creationism taught alongside evolution in biology class.

A survey commissioned by the Christian organization Pro Genesis earlier this year found 80 percent of Swiss want creationism taught in schools, according to swissinfo. Meanwhile, an international survey last year found 30 percent of Swiss reject evolution – one of the highest rates in Europe.[11]

”

Higher intelligence in some East Asia coutnries compared to secular Europe

See: Asian atheism and intelligence

Degree of irreligion for some of the most irreligious countries of Europe

Sweden is one of the most atheistic countries in the world.[12] Sweden's national IQ is 99.[7]

Sweden is one of the most atheistic countries in the world and in secular Europe. The website adherents.com reported that in 2005 46 - 85% of Swedes were agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.[12] Sweden also has the 3rd highest rate of belief in evolution as far as Western World nations.[13]

Denmark has the highest rate of belief in evolution in the Western World.[13] In addition, in 2005 Denmark was ranked the third most atheistic country in the world and the website adherents.com reported that in 2005 43 - 80% of Danes are agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.[12]

Estonia is one of the least religious areas in the world. Merely 14% of the population declared religion an important part of their daily lives.[14]

From a historical perspective, the Czechs have been characterised as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion".[15] According to the 2011 census, 34.2% of the Czech population declared they had no religion, 10.3% was Roman Catholic and 10.2% followed other forms of religion both denominational and nondenominational. Furthermore, 45.2% of the population did not answer the question about religion.[16] From 1991 to 2001 and further to 2011 the adherence to Roman Catholicism decreased from 39.0% to 26.8% and then subsequently to 10.3%.[17]

A Eurobarometer poll in 2010 reported that 37% of UK citizens "believed there is a God", 33% believe there is "some sort of spirit or life force" and 25% answered "I don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".[18] See also: British atheism

France was ranked the 8th most atheistic country in the world in 2005.[12] France has the 4th highest rate of belief in evolution in the Western World.[13]

Germany is one of the most atheistic countries in the world and the website adherents.com reports that 41-49% of Germans are agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.[12]

Finland was ranked the 7th most atheistic country in the world in 2005.[12] Finland has the 17th highest rate of belief in evolution in the Western World.[12]

In 2005, the Netherlands was ranked the 13th most atheistic country in the world and the website adherents.com reports that in 2005 39 - 44%% of the Dutch were agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.[12] The Netherlands also has the 11th highest rate of belief in evolution as far as Western World nations.[13]

Recent intelligence trends in secular Europe/Australia and the religious United States

Sweden is one of the most atheistic countries in the world.[12] In Sweden, phenotypic intelligence is now declining.[19]

See also: Intelligence trends in religious countries and secular countries

To a certain extent intelligence is heritable and the link between higher IQ individuals having fewer kids is known as dysgenic fertility.[20]

Michael Blume, a researcher at the University of Jena in Germany, wrote about the sub-replacement level of fertility among atheistic populations: "Most societies or communities that have espoused atheistic beliefs have not survived more than a century."[21] Blume also indicated concerning concerning his research on this matter: "What I found was the complete lack of a single case of a secular population, community or movement that would just manage to retain replacement level."[21] See also: Atheism and fertility rates and Atheism and sexuality

Professor Eric Kaufmann's academic work and his book Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth? argue using a wealth of demographic data that due to the higher birth rates of religious conservatives (and the below replacement level of the irreligious) and religious immigration to the Western World, atheism/secularism will decline in the Western World as early as 2021 or by 2050.[22][23][24][25]

In his paper, The Rise and Fall of the World's IQ, Thomas Hally wrote:

“ In many areas phenotypic intelligence has been increasing (the Flynn Effect) while genotypic intelligence is decreasing due to the negative association between intelligence and that which is known as ³dysgenic fertility´. Gains of as much as 7.5 IQ points in phenotypic intelligence are much greater than the 0.43 IQ points per generation in the world-wide genotypic IQ that had been estimated for the period 1950-2000. The situation in the industrially developed world appears to follow the lead of the United States and a handful of other developed nations in so far as the phenotypic IQ has been increasing at a greater rate as a result of environmental improvements.

In Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain and Australia phenotypic intelligence has stabilized and is now declining.[19]

”

The Daily Mail reported in 2014, "Evidence suggests that the IQs of people in the UK, Denmark and Australia have declined in the last decade."[26]

In godless Denmark, phenotypic intelligence is now declining.[19]

In 2012, it was reported that Norway was the eighth most godless country on earth.[27]

Sweden is one of the most atheistic countries in the world and the website adherents.com reported that in 2005 46 - 85% of Swedes were agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.[12] In 2012, it was reported to be the 4rth most godless place on earth.[27] Sweden also has the 3rd highest rate of belief in evolution as far as Western World nations.[13] See also: Sexual immorality and Sweden

Denmark has the highest rate of belief in evolution in the Western World.[13] In addition, in 2005 Denmark was ranked the third most atheistic country in the world and the website adherents.com reported that in 2005 43 - 80% of Danes are agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.[12]

According to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and an article on Belief.net, Britain (which was the fountainhead of Darwinism) has become one of the most godless places on earth.[28] In 2012, Great Britain was reported to be the sixth most godless country on earth.[29]

Post World War II, Australia has become a highly secularized country.[30]

Secular Europe, culture and intelligence

See also: Atheism and culture

In atheistic Sweden, 81 percent of women said they had been harassed at some point after the age of 15 - compared to the EU average of 55 percent.[31] See: Irreligion and domestic violence

Children in dysfunctional homes/communities and/or homes/communities with financial problems often perform lower on intelligence tests as a result.[32][33]

Secular Europe and various matters of societal dysfunction:

Europe is an economically developed region with growing long term economic problems as can be see by the articles below:

Atheism, theism and culture

As far as a comparison between atheistic/theistic homes/individuals, see:

For more information, including how economic/societal deterioration is lowering intelligence scores in some secular countries, please see: Intelligence trends in religious countries and secular countries

Secular Europe, alcoholism and loss of brain functionality

See also: Secular Europe and alcoholism and Secular Europe and obesity and Secular Europe

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe, "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.[34]

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe:

“ The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.

A country’s total per capita alcohol consumption is closely related to its prevalence of alcohol-related harm and alcohol dependence. This high level of harm hides enormous alcohol-related health inequalities between eastern and western Europe, particularly for injury deaths.

Both the volume of lifetime alcohol use and a combination of frequency of drinking and amount drunk per occasion increase the risk of health and social harm, largely in a dose-dependent manner.

The risk of death from a chronic alcohol-related condition is found to increase linearly from zero consumption in a dose–response manner with the volume of alcohol consumed.

At a societal level, the European Union is the heaviest-drinking region in the world, with over one fifth of the European population aged 15 years and above reporting heavy episodic drinking (five or more drinks on an occasion, or 60g alcohol) at least once a week. Heavy episodic drinking is widespread across all ages and all of Europe, and not only among young people or those from northern Europe.[34]

”

Atheism, alcoholism, binge drinking and brain damage

See also: Atheism and the brain and Atheism and intelligence

Alcoholism causes cognitive impairment.[35]

A 2012 study suggests that a habit of binge drink risks serious brain damage including increasing memory loss later in adulthood.[36][37]

Currently, there is a downward trend in intelligence scores in secular countries (see: Intelligence trends in religious countries and secular countries).

See also

British atheists ducking debates:

Notes

  1. ↑ 10 projections for the global population in 2050 By Rakesh Kochhar, Pew Research Forum, February 3, 2014
  2. ↑ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live, By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post, May 23, 2013
  3. ↑ Cultur de Europa
  4. ↑ Discrimination in the EU in 2012" (PDF), Special Eurobarometer, 383 (European Union: European Commission), p. 233, 2012, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-02, retrieved 14 August 2013 The question asked was "Do you consider yourself to be...?" With a card showing: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and Non-believer/Agnostic. Space was given for Other (SPONTANEOUS) and DK. Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu did not reach the 1% threshold.
  5. ↑ "Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, page 204" (PDF). Fieldwork: Jan-Feb 2010.
  6. ↑ Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 WORLD RANKING OF COUNTRIES BY THEIR AVERAGE
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Book Review: IQ and the Wealth of Nations, Nature
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Controversial study of African IQ levels is 'deeply flawed', Science Daily, January 21, 2010
  10. ↑ Charles Murray Still Convinced That Whites Are Smarter Than Blacks by Kevin Drum, Mother Jonees, 2017
  11. ↑ Swiss Evangelicals Heat Up Creationism Debate, Christian Post, 2007
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics(Zuckerman, 2005)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Photo: Evolution Less Accepted in U.S. Than Other Western Countries, Study Finds
  14. ↑ Estonians least religious in the world. EU Observer (11 February 2009). Retrieved on 9 January 2014.
  15. ↑ Richard Felix Staar, Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, Issue 269, p. 90
  16. ↑ Richard Felix Staar, Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, Issue 269, p. 90
  17. ↑ Population by denomination and sex: as measured by 1921, 1930, 1950, 1991 and 2001 censuses (Czech and English). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved on 2010-03-09.
  18. ↑ Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, p. 204". Fieldwork: Jan-Feb 2010.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 The Rise and Fall of the World's IQ by Thomas Hally
  20. ↑ How the world's IQ is in decline July 31, 2010
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Atheist: A dying breed as nature favours faithful
  22. ↑ Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann, Belfer Center, Harvard University/Birkbeck College, University of London
  23. ↑ Eric Kaufmann: Shall The Religious Inherit The Earth?
  24. ↑ Eric Kaufmann's Atheist Demographic series
  25. ↑ Eric Kaufmann: Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  26. ↑ Are we becoming more STUPID? IQ scores are decreasing - and some experts argue it's because humans have reached their intellectual peak, Daily Mail, 2014
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 What’s the Most Godless Place on Earth? by Hemant Mehta, May 14, 2012
  28. ↑ HAS GODLESSNESS TRULY ‘DOOMED’ GREAT BRITAIN? by Hallowell”Billy Hallowell
  29. ↑ What’s the Most Godless Place on Earth? by Hemant Mehta, May 14, 2012
  30. ↑ Buttrose, Larry. Buttrose, Larry. Sport, grog and godliness, The Australian. Retrieved on 11 September 2009
  31. ↑ Sweden stands out in domestic violence study Published: 05 Mar 2014 08:3
  32. ↑ Studies Link Childhood Abuse to Adult Social Dysfunction : Research: Neglect is tied to lower IQs and misuse of drugs, alcohol. Results also dispel notions related to temperament and prostitution. February 17, 1991|THOMAS H. MAUGH II | TIMES SCIENCE WRITER
  33. ↑ Received wisdom: Average IQ is falling in Britain and beyond, explains Philip Hunter by Philip Hunt, March 21, 2012, Published in April 2012 issue of Prospect Magazine
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe- Alcohol usage of Europe
  35. ↑ Cognitive impairment in alcoholism by Ilia Theotoka, Annals of General Psychiatry
  36. ↑ http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/binge/a/aa000818a.htm
  37. ↑ http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20121022/koob.html
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