University Study : "Religious" Countries Score Low On Maths And Science aka "Dunggu"

research finds religious countries perform worse in science and maths 

more religion means lower educational performance, Professor Gijsbert Stoet

raise educational, living standards by keeping religion out of schools 

and out of educational policy-making

joint research by Leeds Beckett University and University of Missouri

"strong” negative correlation between religious education and performance

findings published in academic journal 'Intelligence'

ranked 82 countries by “religiosity score” on scale of zero to 10 

looked at databases from last decade to assess academic performance

Czech Republic, Japan, Estonia, Sweden, Norway most secular 

United Kingdom  in 14th place.

Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar most religious countries.

Professor Stoet, Dr David Geary combined data from (PISA) and (TIMSS) 

measured religiosity using World Values Survey, European Social Survey

findings : students in countries with high religiosity score low on science 

incompatibility between evolution and traditional beliefs

• Saudi Arabia ranked 72nd place for religiosity 
• Math score of -1.8 in 2004  : fitting example.
• Saudi devotes hours each week to religious education

time should not be devoted to teaching faith

schools should be secular 

link between religion and education 

beneficial to concentrate on science, maths said Professor Stoet

its known that faith schools lead to segregation of communities

clear now religiosity directly associated with lower performance, Professor Stoet 

advice for policy makers : keep education and religion separate 

take secular approach to education and educational policy

My comments :  Folks, havent I been saying this for years?  Read my book 'Club of Doom'.  The gomen has banned my book in 2016, ten years after I published it. 

I think it is more important to finger all types of religious education - both inside the classroom, outside the classroom, private religious education, afternoon classes (like in Johor), or religious education at home by parents.  

It does not matter where the children learn religion. Religious education has an impact on their belief, faith and ability to absorb scienctific education.  Religious education seems to numb their "scientific" senses.

I am glad that the University of Missouri and Leeds Beckett University have done this scientific survey that presents a very strong correlation between the amount of religious education in school and weak performance in science and mathematics.

The fact that the academic journal 'Intelligence' has published their findings means that this research will be peer reviewed and rated accordingly in their countries. That is the scientific method.

Here is my prediction :  No one in any gomen university in Malaysia will do any similar study. Even if they do I suspect that they will classify the Anti Hysteria Kit as worthy of a Nobel Prize.

Worse they may get Isma, Perkasa or that two coconuts and teropong buluh fellow to deliver a paper to refute the findings of the University of Missouri or Leeds Beckett University.   And everyone will cheer them for it.  

When the gomen was doing that RM25 million Educational Blueprint (which has since been thrown in the bin) they held "town hall" meetings and meetings with "eminent persons" to fool the people that they were serious about reforming education.

I was invited to attend two of those "eminent persons" meetings.  (At that time I was more eminent).

It is an acknowledged fact that Malay (aka Muslim) students overall are extremely weak in Maths and Science.

To address this, I recall in one of the meetings I brought up the conflict between religious education and science education for Malay students. I said that it was potentially confusing them.

On the one hand, we were teaching 16 year olds about Newton's Laws of Motion, phsyics, biology and such. 

Newton uncovered the already existing truth that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. He uncovered that a body has a tendency to stay in motion or remain stationary unless a force is applied to the body. Then we have the equations like v = d/t. F = ma, a = change of v/t etc. These are the very basics that we teach our 15 year olds and 16 year olds.

Then the Malay students are taught in religious class that a human being can actually travel magically through space and time riding on a magical,  very hybrid,  four legged winged animal in defiance of all known laws of physics (and biology - a four legged winged animal??)  

And absolutely no scientific proof is presented for these beliefs other than "you must believe this or you will be punished".   This is the domain of religion.

In wonderful contrast science teaches that exertion of physical force (aka effort) produces certain physical outcomes.  If you apply heat, metals will melt. If you apply impact force, stones can break. Hence you can make cars, rockets and build dams, bridges and build your houses. 

On the other hand religion teaches the kids that prayer can affect the physical outcome of events, not just science. 

Hence, whether they realise it or not (and whether you agree or not dear Muslim reader) subconsciously the Muslim kids are  not gaining full faith and trust in science. Religious class teaches them that other than science can affect physical outcome.  

Hence for them, the trust in science is not as robust as say another (non Muslim) student who has less religious influence and believes more in the logical and "show me your proof"  approach of science. 

I once read about a Pakistani PhD fellow who tried writing a paper to "mathematically" prove the prophet's miraculous night journey to heaven and back. It was a futile attempt to scientifically prove something that was outside the pale of science. 

In Malaysia we DO NOT teach evolution or evolutionary biology in school, which is taught in every advanced country. The Quran does not deny studying anything - so long as you can bring evidence to prove what you say.

Multiplied over years and decades, compounded by the overbearing presence and influence of religious teachers, the Muslim students (as a whole)  lag behind in Maths and Science when compared to the non Muslims who suffer less religious indoctrination.

The scientific study above says that this has now been found to be true (through scientific surveys) in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Islamic countries were religious education plays a big part in childrens education.

These are facts. These are truths.  Here is the soalan cepu mas : will the folks in Malaysia do anything about this?  Or will they just bury their heads in the sand?

You know that your civilisation is coming to an end.
You know that you are becoming extinct.
You know that you are not relevant.