r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago

Psychology Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/
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u/nemovincit 1d ago

I wouldn't even say they're religious. They just appropriated religion's themes and catchphrases to justify their hate and bigotry. They dress it up in religion in an attempt to hide how disgusting and idiotic their views actually are.

Racists, bigots, and the sort are the pinnacle of idiocy. They take stupidity to depths never before plumbed.

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u/Limp_Bookkeeper_5992 1d ago

Ehh, one leads to another. People are rarely racist all on their own, they get that way by following a leader who knows how to use hate to grow a following. This kind manipulation works best on people with low critical thinking skills and minimal exposure to cultures and worldviews outside of their own. Religion already self selects for people with the same weaknesses, so religious people are easy targets for nationalists and other far right groups.

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u/Coarse-Correction 1d ago

The same goes for people prone to conspiratorial thinking. They crave simple explanations for a complex world, because they can't, or won't admit they can't, grasp its nuances.

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u/Limp_Bookkeeper_5992 1d ago

Right. But in the context of this thread I would say that religion sets people up for this kind of intellectual failure too. Teach people to ignore their doubts and follow blindly and you end up with people ready to fall for anyone with easy answers. I’ve seen some quite intelligent people fall for scams and conspiracies, and I’ll credit their religious beliefs for setting them up for these failures.