African atheism and intelligence

A study conducted by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life says that Africans are among the most religious people on Earth.[1]

Individuals advocating irreligion in Africa have been dated to go back several millennia.[2] During the 1950s and 1960s, irreligion in Africa became more prevalent as the educated classes became influenced by communism, socialism and anti-colonial movements gained influence on the continent (see also: Atheism and communism).

Atheists, however, remain a very small minority in Africa (see also: Atheist population and Global atheism). A study conducted by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life says that Africans are among the most religious people on Earth.[1] See also: Black atheism and Western atheism and race

## Contents

* 1 African atheist IQ scores
* 2 Africa and atheist art/atheist music/atheist architecture
* 3 Improving African IQ scores and Christianity
* 3.1 Rapid growth of Christianity in Africa in recent times
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## African atheist IQ scores[edit]

African IQ scores are a matter of controversy among social scientists.[3][4]

African IQ scores are expected to rise due to improving living conditions.[4]

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.[3][4][5] 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.[6]

Given their small proportion of the African population and the antipathy of many Africans have against atheists, social scientists have shown little interest in terms of studying and determining the IQs/intelligence of African atheists. This is not entirely surprising. In the United States (another religious region), Dr. Melanie Brewster gave a talk entitled Why is Psychology Silent When it Comes to Atheism? and she indicated there is a general reluctance of psychologists to study the atheist population.[7] See also: Views on atheists

The World Economic Forum reported:

“  |  In 2010 the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) described the potential and progress of African economies as “lions on the move”. Today, despite the collapse of global commodity prices and political shocks that have slowed growth in North Africa, Africa’s economic lions are still moving forward.

Overall, the continent achieved average real annual GDP growth of 5.4% between 2000 and 2010, adding $78 billion annually to GDP (in 2015 prices).[8]

|  ”

|
|

## Africa and atheist art/atheist music/atheist architecture[edit]

See also: Atheist art and Atheist music and Atheism and architecture

Watoto Children's Choir from Kampala, Uganda.

The atheist population does not have a tradition of children's choirs singing atheist songs.

Howard Gardner at Harvard University has identified various distinct intelligences: interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, musical–rhythmic, bodily–kinesthetic, and naturalistic.[9]

Despite atheism existing for thousands of years and predating Christianity, there is a small proportion of atheist art compared to religious art. For example, Wikipedia, which was founded by an atheist and agnostic, has no article on "Atheist art", but Wikipedia does have an article on Christian art. Similarly, there is a small proportion of atheist music compared to religious music.

An atheist posted to atheist Sam Harris' discussion board: "This idea started when I googled “atheist art”. You see I was expecting to find art. Instead, what you get is a whole bunch of knockoffs of famous religious art that has been disfigured and mutilated. This made me slightly ashamed."[10]

As noted above, individuals advocating irreligion in Africa have been dated to go back several millennia.[2] Although there are artistic and musical achievements when it comes to African Christian art and African Christian music (for example African art museums displaying African Christian art), there has been a lack of significant African achievements when it comes to African atheist art and African atheist music.

Africa has many beautiful church buildings. Wikipedia, which again is a online encyclopedia found by an atheist and agnostic, has a church architecture article which features an entire section on Ethiopian church architecture.[11] However, there is not a single notable example of African atheist architecture (see also: Atheism and architecture).

## Improving African IQ scores and Christianity[edit]

See also: Protestant cultural legacies and Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and Atheism and sloth

The atheist and Harvard University historian Niall Ferguson declared: "Through a mixture of hard work and thrift the Protestant societies of the North and West Atlantic achieved the most rapid economic growth in history."[12]

As noted above, African IQ scores are expected to rise due to improving living conditions.[4]

In the 20th century Christianity grew very rapidly in Africa and it continues to grow rapidly today.[13][14] See: Christianity in Africa and Religion and Africa

Historically, the growth of Protestant Christianity in an area causes improved economic and social conditions (see: Protestant cultural legacies and Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism).

The atheist and Harvard University historian Niall Ferguson declared: "Through a mixture of hard work and thrift the Protestant societies of the North and West Atlantic achieved the most rapid economic growth in history."[12]

The article "The Surprising Discovery About Those Colonialist, Proselytizing Missionaries" published in Christianity Today notes:

“  |  In his fifth year of graduate school, Woodberry created a statistical model that could test the connection between missionary work and the health of nations. He and a few research assistants spent two years coding data and refining their methods. They hoped to compute the lasting effect of missionaries, on average, worldwide...

One morning, in a windowless, dusty computer lab lit by fluorescent bulbs, Woodberry ran the first big test. After he finished prepping the statistical program on his computer, he clicked "Enter" and then leaned forward to read the results.

"I was shocked," says Woodberry. "It was like an atomic bomb. The impact of missions on global democracy was huge. I kept adding variables to the model—factors that people had been studying and writing about for the past 40 years—and they all got wiped out. It was amazing. I knew, then, I was on to something really important."

Woodberry already had historical proof that missionaries had educated women and the poor, promoted widespread printing, led nationalist movements that empowered ordinary citizens, and fueled other key elements of democracy. Now the statistics were backing it up: Missionaries weren't just part of the picture. They were central to it...

Areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy, higher educational attainment (especially for women), and more robust membership in nongovernmental associations.

In short: Want a blossoming democracy today? The solution is simple—if you have a time machine: Send a 19th-century missionary."

...at a conference presentation in 2002, Woodberry got a break. In the room sat Charles Harper Jr., then a vice president at the John Templeton Foundation, which was actively funding research on religion and social change. (Its grant recipients have included Christianity Today.) Three years later, Woodberry received half a million dollars from the foundation's Spiritual Capital Project, hired almost 50 research assistants, and set up a huge database project at the University of Texas, where he had taken a position in the sociology department. The team spent years amassing more statistical data and doing more historical analyses, further confirming his theory.

...Woodberry's historical and statistical work has finally captured glowing attention. A summation of his 14 years of research—published in 2012 in the American Political Science Review, the discipline's top journal—has won four major awards, including the prestigious Luebbert Article Award for best article in comparative politics. Its startling title: "The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy."

...over a dozen studies have confirmed Woodberry's findings. The growing body of research is beginning to change the way scholars, aid workers, and economists think about democracy and development.[15]

|  ”

|
|

### Rapid growth of Christianity in Africa in recent times[edit]

African Christians clapping at an open air meeting.

In recent years, Christianity has seen a rapid growth in Africa.[16] See: Global Christianity

See also: Historical examples of the exponential growth of Christianity

Updated figures for 2021 show that there are now nearly 685 million Christians in Africa, already vastly surpassing projected figures for 2025.[17] It shows Christianity continues to grow among every Continent and Tribe, just as was prophesied in the Scriptures long ago by the Prophet Daniel and Saint John the Apostle. The Prophet Daniel saw Christ at the right hand of the Father receive worship from people of every tribe and tongue and St. John the Apostle, in the Book of Revelation, prophetically foretells a vast multitude that no man could number, adoring and praising God and Christ. The updated projection for 2025, from Gordon Conwell, is now an amazing 760 Million!

New data from the Gordon Theological Seminary shows that, for the first time ever, more number of Christians live in Africa than on any other single continent.[18]

"The results show Africa on top with 631 million Christian residents, Latin America in 2nd place with 601 million Christians, and Europe in 3rd place with 571 million Christians."[19]

The statistics from the World Christian Encyclopedia (David Barrett) illustrate the emerging trend of dramatic Christian growth on the continent and supposes, that in 2025 there will be 633 million Christians in Africa.[20]

For more information, please see: Study traces exponential growth of Christianity in Africa

## See also[edit]

* Atheism and intelligence

* Asian atheism and intelligence

* European atheism and intelligence

* American atheism and intelligence

* Irreligious Australia and intelligence

* Latino atheism and intelligence

* Atheism and diversity

* Atheism and communism

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Why so many Africans are religious: Leo Igwe
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 M.B. Mat'e, The History of Freethinking in Ancient Egypt (1956), no. 3.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Book Review: IQ and the Wealth of Nations, Nature
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Controversial study of African IQ levels is 'deeply flawed', Science Daily, January 21, 2010
5. ↑ WORLD RANKING OF COUNTRIES BY THEIR AVERAGE
6. ↑ Charles Murray Still Convinced That Whites Are Smarter Than Blacks by Kevin Drum, Mother Jonees, 2017
7. ↑ Why is Psychology Silent When it Comes to Atheism? - Dr. Melanie Brewster - Skepticon 7
8. ↑ 3 reasons things are looking up for African economies
9. ↑ Multiple Ingelligence
10. ↑ Atheist post at Sam Harris' discussion board
11. ↑ Wikipedia - Church architecture
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Protestant Work Ethic: Alive & Well…In China By Hugh Whelchel on September 24, 2012
13. ↑ The African apostles: How Christianity exploded in 20th-century Africa
14. ↑ Study: Christianity grows exponentially in Africa , USA Today, 2011
15. ↑ Christianity Today, "The surprising discovery about those colonialist, proselytizing missionaries", January 8, 2014
16. ↑ The African apostles: How Christianity exploded in 20th-century Africa
17. ↑ https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/12/Status-of-Global-Christianity-2021.pdf
18. ↑ Johnson, Todd M.; Zurlo, Gina A.; Hickman, Albert W.; Crossing, Peter F. (November 2017). "Christianity 2018: More African Christians and Counting Martyrs". International Bulletin of Mission Research 42 (1): 20–28. doi:10.1177/2396939317739833.
19. ↑ Africa overtakes Latin America for the highest Christian population (en) (24 July 2018).
20. ↑ World Council of Churches Report, August 2004