The smartest, wealthiest, most influential, most powerful, most famous people were all believers in God

The majority of the smartest people who ever lived do or have believed in God(s)

If you've ever attended a school or university, thank God for the Catholic Church

It's a common misconception amongst secularist/atheist types that all deists/theists are ignorant buffoons clinging to superstitious nonsense.  But the fact of the matter is, judging by IQ, the top 5 highest IQ's of people who have passed along with the 5 people alive with the highest IQ all have one thing in common - a belief in a God or gods.  This is not to say atheists are all stupid, rather this is to debunk the absurd claim that only an ignoramus could believe in God or religion.

1. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) - widely regarded as one of the most brilliant minds of all time, Goethe is estimated to have had an IQ anywhere from 180 all the way up to 225.  Goethe was no atheist - he was born into a Lutheran Protestant Christian family, and never fully fell away from his faith.  By the end of his life, he believed Christianity the ultimate religion and passed from this earth with a very nuanced Judeo-Protestant theology. 

2. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - Einstein has become synonymous with intelligence, and with an IQ estimated to be between 160 - 205, it's no wonder.  Both Christians and atheists have unfairly used him to bolster their beliefs, for Einstein was neither an atheist nor a Christian.  Albert Einstein was raised in a culturally Jewish environment and attended a Catholic school in Munich.   Einstein had a great love for the person of Jesus, but never worshipped him or claimed to be religious.  Einstein didn't like to label himself, but I believe a fair label for him would be an "agnostic deist with Judeo-Christian sympathies".   Certainly no atheist - he emphatically denied he was an atheist and actually showed somewhat of a disdain for atheists.

3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - the great polymath with an estimated IQ of 180 - 220, and in my opinion the most brilliant mind to ever walk this earth (besides Jesus of Nazareth), was born and raised a devout Roman Catholic Christian.  He made sure to receive the Last Sacraments before dying.  In my opinion, he's a saint.  Saint Leonardo da Vinci, thou perspicacious sage, pray for us!

4. Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) - Sir Newton is a well known genius.  He was also a devout Anglican Christian - although towards the end of his life, he fell into some heterodox beliefs, yet still clung fast to the Almighty.  An atheist he was not!   Sir Isaac had an estimated IQ of 190 - 200.

5. James Clark Maxwell (1831-1879) - James Clark was no idiot.  He was a genius with an IQ estimated between 190 - 205.  James Clark also was a devout Christian, though he switched between the Church of Scotland, a Protestant Presbyterian church and the Scottish Episcopal Protestant Christian church, he never doubted God or the faith.

6. Although I've already listed 5, I'll throw in a 6th in the smartest men from the past who believed God.  Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943) was yet another polymath and super genius.  His IQ has been estimated from 200 at least all the way to the highest possible IQ of 300.   He was born and raised in the Serbian Orthodox Catholic Christian Church by his Serbian Orthodox father, and he never renounced the faith.  He died still believing in God, if not actively practicing his faith. 

So now that we've covered these men with high IQ's from the past who believed in God, and because time would not permit me to write about men like Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888, IQ of 190-205, the son of a Protestant Christian pastor and likely believer himself), Leonhard Euler (1707-1783, IQ of 180-200, who was a devout Christian with a firm belief in the inspiration of Scripture).

We also have all the ancient geniuses like Hypatia who lived from 360-415 and had an IQ between 170-210 (estimated of course) and certainly believed in gods, Socrates, Galileo, Copernicus, etc.  These ALL believed in God.  Not a single one of them was an atheist.  You'd be hard pressed to find a genius who was also an atheist before the "Enlightenment"  - but even after that, you see plenty of vastly intelligent men and women who believe in Deities.

Now onto the living, the living, yes the living.

1. Garry Kimovich Kasparov (1963 -) Kasparov is well known as a  Chess grandmaster.  He's also got an IQ of about 190 and is a "self appointed Christian".   No atheist here.

2. Christopher Michael Langan (1952-) Langan has a verified IQ of at least 195.  He is a well known theist and believes in God and an afterlife.

3. Andrew Magdy Kamal (1996 -) apart from being not even 21 years old yet, he may possibly have the highest verified IQ of all time - 231.  He belongs a Coptic Orthodox Christian Church group and is very much a devout believer in Jesus Christ.  He's also got "savant syndrome" - he "suffers" from Aspergers, ODD, and ADHD.  May God bless him!

4. Abdessellam Jelloul (currently alive, unsure DOB) Jelloul has apparently scored the highest IQ ever on an "advanced IQ test"  - 198.   This test included 13 dimensions of intelligence (analytical, spatial, logical, memory, musical, linguistic, philosophical,  moral, spiritual, interpersonal, intra personal, bodily, and naturalists.)  He is by no means an atheist.  He firmly believes in a God, the "Architect of the Universe."

5. Mislav Predavec -a genius with an IQ of 192 who is also a Christian.

There are many other highly intelligent people walking this earth - or who have walked this earth -  with firm beliefs in God - such as each and every one of our 45 Presidents of the United States (42 Protestant Christians - mostly Episcopal or Presbyterian - including our incumbent President, 2 pseudo Christian Deists - Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln,  and 1 Catholic Christian - JFK). 

This next one goes without saying, but is worth mentioning since they have almost all been either incredibly shrewd and possibly genius - all 266 Roman Pontiff - our current holy Father Pope Francis and emeritus holy Father Pope Benedict XVI can speak nearly 30 languages between the two of them.

Let's not forget as well, that to become a Bishop in the Catholic Church one must have at least a Masters level degree and many have Doctorates.

So the next time someone tells you Christians or theists are stupid, remind them that the most powerful man on earth - the President of the United States - believes in God. 

Remind them that the man who heads the most populous and ancient institution on Earth - the Pope - believes in God. 

Remind them that the wealthiest people who have ever lived:  King Solomon estimated at possibly $1,000,000,000,000.00, Mansa Musa estimated at $400,000,000,000.00, and John D. Rockefeller at $340,000,000,000.00 were all devotees of the Most High God - King Solomon worshipped the God of Abraham, Mansa Musa worshiped the One God, and John Rockefeller worshipped God as a devout Protestant Christian.

 
Also, not just the wealthiest men of old believed in God.   The top three richest people on earth today are by no means atheist.  Bill Gates, worth $83,900,000,000.00 is a Roman Catholic Christian who sends his kids to Catholic schools.   Warren Buffet who is worth about $77,200,000,000.00 is no atheist - he is an agnostic who is not hostile towards God whatsoever.  Jeff Bezos worth about 73,100,000,000.00 and is a Christian and let's throw in for good measure Carlos Slim, a devout Maronite Catholic Christian worth over $50,000,000,000.00.

So we've covered the worlds most intelligent men were all theists of some sort, the worlds most powerful men were all theists of some sort, and the worlds richest men are all theists of sort.

Let's not forget fame.  The #1 most famous person of all time is none other than Jesus of Nazareth himself.  Coming in #2 is Napoleon, who was a Catholic Christian (though he did not quite live up to his Masters teachings...) and #3 would be Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

Father Georges Lemaitre, father of the Big Bang Theory

St. Albertus Magnus, pray for us!

Let's also not forget all the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist scientists who bequeathed to us everything from mathematics to philosophy, charity to genetics, pasteurization to astrophysics, archaeology to paleontology, charities, universities and pharmacies ad infinitum!  Even the big bang was formulated by Catholic Priest Fr. George Lemaitre.  Charles Darwin, formulator of the scientific theory of evolution was a Christian who struggled with his faith due to his scientific discoveries and the incorrect scriptural exegetical methods which he believed, but he never totally lost faith or became an atheist.

So the next time an atheist claims religious people are stupid or have never contributed to the world, point him to this blog post illustrating that the smartest men, the richest men, the most powerful men, the most famous men, the men who laid the foundations for modern society - remind them they were nearly all religious, and God bless them!