Of 43 studies carried out since 1927 on the relationship between religious belief and one's intelligence or educational level, all but four found an inverse connection. That is, the higher one's intelligence or education level, the less one is likely to be religious . . ."
The four exceptions didn't show the opposite, of course. They merely failed to show statistical significance in either direction. I haven't seen the original 42 studies on which the meta-analysis is based, so I don't know how reliable it is. I would like to see more studies along these lines. Incidentally, many of the brightest atheists in the country are, of course, lapsed Jews.
In 1998, Larson and Witham polled the cream of American scientists, those who have been honoured by election to the elite National Academy of Sciences . Among this select group, belief in a personal God dropped to a shattering 7%. About 20% call themselves agnostic, and the rest are atheists. Similar figures obtain for belief in personal immortality. Among biological scientists elected to the National Academy, only 5.5% believe in a god. I have not seen corresponding figures for elite scholars in other fields such as history or philosophy, but it would be surprising if they were very different.
We have reached a truly remarkable situation, then: a grotesque mismatch between the American intelligentsia and the American electorate. A philosophical opinion about the nature of the universe, which is held by the great majority of America's top scientists and probably by the elite intelligentsia generally, is so abhorrent to the American electorate that no candidate for popular election dare affirm it in public. If I am right, this means that high office in the greatest country in the world is barred to the very people best qualified to hold it, unless they are prepared to lie about their beliefs: American political opportunities are loaded against those who are simultaneously intelligent and honest.
How it is, folks.
An ultimate hope: Time will favor those who think rather than those liking to be told stories and declining to accept that death ends all aspects life, which is a hard truth:
http://www.openlysecular.org/
As a Post Script, Sean Nienow has finally formally filed for bankruptcy, leaving the federal government holding an uncollected debt. If he had gotten a student loan instead of an SBA bonanza, he'd be blocked from doing that. A theocrat-politician gets a favor and skates. Young folks wanting to learn things get screwed into the ground. How's that for priorities?
UPDATE: Earlier coverage, here. While reported as listing few exempt assets, Nienow does have Jesus to be close to. Bless the man's heart, and tiny brain.
And bless the tiny brains of those who put this individual into a public office position of responsibility after he campaigned as a "fiscal conservative," whatever he meant by that - as well as touting his faith as an asset for holding office. I believe he suggested "fiscal conservatism" entailed responsible self-reliance and cautious good judgment as guiding lights. All of it resonated in his district.
FURTHER UPDATE: Oh, look. Atop the sidebar. Two of the nation's best and brightest.