Less education, more religion. A coincidence? Or highly connected?

davesdatahut: Surveys on religion have found that the most religious states - those where the highest percentage of people profess to be religious - also are the least educated, with the lowest rates of college degrees. A coincidence perhaps? Or is there indeed an inverse relationship that says the smarter you are, the less you wilil buy into religion?

Geoff: Or the more religious you are, the less you will buy into secular, evidence based education system.

I think (and this is a personal hypothesis just waiting for me to scurry off and find some evidence for or against), if you looked specifically at science degrees, the disparity would be even greater.

calybonos:
64 percent of all the world's statistics are made up right there on the spot
82.4 percent of people believe 'em whether they're accurate statistics or not

I don't know what you believe,but I do know there's no doubt
I need another double shot of something 90 proof
I got too much to think about.

Geoff: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._States_by_Education_attainment
The statistics on this page came from the United States Census Bureau.

Tweedie (1978)[5] defines the Bible Belt in terms of the audience for religious television. He finds two belts: one more eastern that stretches from central Florida through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and into Virginia; and another that is more western, moving from central Texas to the Dakotas, and concentrated in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and Mississippi.
-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt

This is fairly conclusive evidence for davesdatahut's assertion.

Aura: It's an old saying around here that religion keeps people dumb and taxes keep them poor. Seems to be some truth to it.

Geoff: Oh damn, I resorted to posting evidence in Off Topic.

Gah, that's almost as bad as posting it in Religion.

davesdatahut: It's an enduring truism of humanity that if you scare people with things like the wrath of god and a whole lotta guilt, you can then take their money and their sense of self as well. Whoever invented organized religion was a brilliant - if also devious, twisted and Machiavellian - political strategist.

harlett anathema: religion means too gather logic....then it sounds as if... your trying too mix apples for oranges..!!..???

i so happen,too have the kind of personality that just adores the production floor of manufacturing....too be around the machines of machine shops....matter of fact...even though i lack a specific vocabulary .. i can fix a machine before it breaks down ..which by the way includes harley mc's.... that's how in tune and into i can get with.. there is just something about man made that calls too me...

i then just like making good clean food.....the challenges of a very busy restaurant...was like being at the gym working out all dang day...

i have gone bonkers if i was kept from having a variety of experiences..while confined too a office setting...


sooooooh....i just don't get why this thread tried too imply what it has.....God no matter whose version your referring too... rarely has anything too do with what we choose too do with ourselves....and then, hey....i bet some where along the line you asked for success and help... from the powers that are.... too succeed at what you choose....and in moments too understand what you were trying too learn....eh...!!!...????

Geoff: I think it is more the difference between someone having faith, and someone having faith (or more specifically, a religions' interpretation of what you should do with that faith) rule your life.

It isn't that people with a belief in god are dumb, it is that those who take their religion a little too seriously generally don't have time to study for a degree.

I do suppose this does deserve some further study to see exactly where the cause and effect lies in this statistically significant difference.

**Shout**
"Oi! Sociologists, come here. We've got a job for you!"

harlett anathema: i'm still ......aren't you talking about folks whose family values stick with them...working the farm...flat out just working,& earning ones way....or.....is so in love with high school sweetheart there is no keeping them from living out their lives together....you blaming God for all that.. just merely pointing at finger his/her way??????

not everyone has the inner calling to do Military service...Nursing....etc....

Aura: Who know why, that was the point of calling in the sociologist.
But it just happens to be that the more religious you are, the less likely you are to have higher education, surveys show that.

Geoff: Are you saying that people who have gone off to study at university don't have family values? Or work in a family business. It is interesting to see that there is no similar corollary with lower crime rates in these states.

Also - I was firmly pointing the finger at religion not faith. Belief in god is not the same as buying into the whole power trip of those who have appointed themselves as His divinely inspired mouthpieces.

As I said, the whole subject would be highly worthy of more study.

harlett anathema: ya got too be careful when believing what some else tells you...what they want you too believe....it's called spin mongering...&....it's called progressive libertarianism in our current time & date..whose methods are.."keep spinning the lie & distortion." and of course there is what it is called Islam,Christianity...who does the same damn thing...spins lies & distortion....

harlett anathema: of course not GEOFF.............i am just fking with the thread....

Aura: You do know what a survey is right? It's where you ask a bunch of people questions and they give you answers....it's true that there's sometimes false reporting in surveys but in most cases it is to make one look better. So either people in more religious states think it looks better to say you have no college degree, or you are suggesting that the surveyors made the answers up...
Both cases seem slightly unlikely.

harlett anathema: my problem is the thread suggesting the notion of God in every way, shape, form, in every fashion is too blame.for folks not choosing college... i think ...that there is sinister motive behind having suggested it....

Aura: My problem is, if God really has a problem with people being interested in science and schooling, why did he make us so that every other word out of a 4 years old mouth is "why?"

harlett anathema: The hell the powers that are have a problem with science & schooling... our human counterparts that teach & preach are the ones with the problem.....

Comrade_:
Can be coincidental as there are many religious people who further their education. There's any state to use as a 'control' against the statistics?
I'm not aware of any religious teachings that prevents educational advancement (keeping in mind that a person can advance in other fields not just in Science).
The only issue I can see is if religious people find that pursuing further education might be futile and choose to settle for an average job.

Not into relying on generalization statistics as these, where there can be other factors that contribute to the end result. Would be more convincing if they ran an opinion poll to find out why some choose not to further their education. The reasons may vary...

Edit: I don't get why some can't see that a person can be 'religious' and also contribute in the field of Science/study science or further education. There are faith-based universities (Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholics, etc). Not to mention the men and women in history. Religious/non-religious shouldn't be an issue.

Rainbowsmi: A person can be very stupid in one area and extremely intelligent in another area.

The brain has many parts. It's not so simple as black and white. That's why it's called "grey matter".