Pew Forum Religious Knowledge Survey: Atheists, Agnostics Score Highest


Washington, D.C. — Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge. They outperformed evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

These are among the key findings of the “U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey,” a nationwide poll conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life from May 19 through June 6, 2010, among 3,412 adults.

On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers. Jews and Mormons do about as well, averaging 20.5 and 20.3 correct answers, respectively. Protestants as a whole average 16 correct answers; Catholics as a whole, 14.7. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons perform better than other groups on the survey even after controlling for different levels of education.

On questions about Christianity (including the Bible), Mormons and white evangelical Protestants show the highest levels of knowledge. Jews, atheists and agnostics stand out for their knowledge of world religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Jews, atheists and agnostics also do particularly well on questions about the role of religion in public life, including what the U.S. Constitution says about religion.

While previous surveys by the Pew Research Center have shown that America is among the most religious of the world’s developed nations, this survey shows that large numbers of Americans are not well informed about the tenets, practices, history and leading figures of major faith traditions — including their own. Many people also think that the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are stricter than they really are.

Additional findings include:

1. More than four-in-ten Catholics (45%) do not know that their church teaches that the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize, but actually become, the body and blood of Christ

2. About half of Protestants (53%) cannot correctly identify Martin Luther as the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation, which made their religion a separate branch of Christianity

3. Roughly four-in-ten Jews (43%) do not recognize that Maimonides, one of the most venerated rabbis in history, was Jewish

4. Fewer than half of Americans (47%) know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist; fewer than four-in-ten (38%) correctly identify Vishnu and Shiva with Hinduism; and only about a quarter of all Americans (27%) know that most people in Indonesia are Muslims.

5. There is widespread confusion over the line between teaching and preaching in public schools. Nine-in-ten Americans (89%) know that U.S. Supreme Court rulings do not allow teachers to lead public school classes in prayer. However two-thirds of people surveyed incorrectly say that Supreme Court rulings prevent public school teachers from reading from the Bible as an example of literature, and only 36% know that comparative religion classes may be taught in public schools.

6. Most Americans are able to correctly answer at least half of the survey’s questions about the Bible. Roughly seven-in-ten (71%) know that, according to the Bible, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. More than six-in-ten (63%) can correctly name Genesis as the first book of the Bible.

Data from the survey indicate that educational attainment — how much schooling an individual has completed — is the single best predictor of religious knowledge. On average, college graduates answered nearly eight more questions correctly than those with a high school education or less. Religious knowledge is also higher among those who have taken a religion course in college. Other factors linked with religious knowledge include reading Scripture at least once a week and talking about religion with friends and family.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/pew-forum-religious-knowledge-survey_n_741349.html

Akintom,
Brother...so........what's the point?
Everyone knows that America is becoming more secular....with all of the distractions that exist.
Are you moving to America?

MZLady39:
Akintom,
Brother...so........what's the point?
Everyone knows that America is becoming more secular....with all of the distractions that exist.
Are you moving to America?

I haven't caught you, been a member of folks that derail thread.

I won't doubt this survey, because from my discussion with friends and people I realized that some people don't know a lot about the facts of the Bible they defend with so much passion.

I was shocked when a friend of mine, who is a leader in her church, argued that Jacob didn't have children from four women in the bible.

MZLady39:
Akintom,
Brother...so........what's the point?
Everyone knows that America is becoming more secular....with all of the distractions that exist.
Are you moving to America?

The point is that atheists and agnostics on average know more about the Bible than Christians do, and criticise it as well. A lot of Christians use the bullshit excuse about atheists knowing nothing about the Bible to shut down criticism of it's unscientific, revolting and draconic nature, but this statistic implies that it is actually many Christians who don't know the Bible all that well.

Well, Christianity is a life style.

I also love how Jews are about the same % as atheists lol. Jewish americans read a lot of religious stuff gahahaha

CyrusTheGreat:


The point is that atheists and agnostics on average know more about the Bible than Christians do, and criticise it as well. A lot of Christians use the bullshit excuse about atheists knowing nothing about the Bible to shut down criticism of it's unscientific, revolting and draconic nature, but this statistic implies that it is actually many Christians who don't know the Bible all that well.

King Cyrus......
Interesting name.....
Well, I for one, understand that most atheists spring from Christianity....so they are well familiar with the Bible.
They (many Christians) may not know the Bible that well, but they are trying at least to honor the God who inspired it.
God will enlighten those who sincerely study to understand.

akintom:

I haven't caught you, been a member of folks that derail thread.

Wow brother,
Well there's a first time for everything...or perhaps second in my case.
Never cease to amaze me....a master of deflection.
All jokes aside though.
"Derailing a thread" you say?
How so?
You put up a famous American survey....from a popular American news outlet.....
You're speaking about my country & my religion...so I decided to ask a question.
May I have the privilege of doing so?

Many christians do not read their bible.

Logicbwoy:
Many christians do not read their bible.

they would no longer be Christians if they did

MZLady39:



Wow brother,
Well there's a first time for everything...or perhaps second in my case.
Never cease to amaze me....a master of deflection.
All jokes aside though.
"Derailing a thread" you say?
How so?
You put up a famous American survey....from a popular American news outlet.....
You're speaking about my country & my religion...so I decided to ask a question.
May I have the privilege of doing so?

my sister,
That's a side step. May i have your question again pls?

onyenze123:
Well, Christianity is a life style.

Yeah... Lifestyle of mental laziness and arrogant ignorance.

Have them all retested and remarked by Catholic Bishops.

orunto27:
Have them all retested and remarked by Catholic Bishops.

the Pope with be preferable!

akintom:
my sister,
That's a side step. May i have your question again pls?

Lol...I know what "derailing" means.
I asked two....(just scroll back up to read).
But you don't have to answer.
It's okay brother.
You guys carry on.....

MZLady39:


Lol...I know what "derailing" means. I asked two....(just scroll back up to read). But you don't have to answer. It's okay brother. You guys carry on.....

Bless you sister.