“…we should encourage each other to apply skepticism, reason, and critical thinking in response to claims made by others in our own community.”
Sounds good, but … how is that done without getting punched in the face? Almost all atheists I’ve met identify very strongly with those values and pride themselves as committed representatives though they don’t actually practice what they preach. They are easily offended if this is hinted.
The relationship between religiosity and intelligence is the subject of much research and controversy. Although IQ is a clearly operationalized measure, some professionals believe that IQ is given too much attention over other measures of human ability. Also, religiosity studies can be too broadly defined, and must be careful to identify relationships between beliefs, sentiments, and practices. Studies have begun to explore the link between religiosity and issues related to intelligence, such as educational level. Research shows that the poorest countries are consistently the most religious, and experts have proposed that religions may play more functional roles there. Various studies further suggest that intuitive thinking styles (as opposed to reflective, questioning, analytical thinking styles) tend to increase belief in gods, and decrease the likelihood of changing views held in childhood. Intuitive thinking styles may also lead to more convicted beliefs in general. In other words, IQ could correlate with atheism, not simply because of raw cognitive ability, but because higher IQs lead to more critical analysis.
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The Daily Omnivore
Atheist Heresy 