Basic Religion Test Stumps Many Americans

This is an old video and survey(2010) that I found quite interesting. It is about a Pew survey conducted on American religious knowledge. Considering how religious American's are as a whole. You would think we would do quite well on such a survey, but evidently that wasn't necessarily the case... (I didn't use the video title, because I felt it was unnecessarily condescending)


An article by the New York Times states...

On average, people who took the survey answered half the questions incorrectly, and many flubbed even questions about their own faith. Those who scored the highest were atheists and agnostics, as well as two religious minorities: Jews and Mormons. The results were the same even after the researchers controlled for factors like age and racial differences.

“I have heard many times that atheists know more about religion than religious people,” Mr. Silverman said. “Atheism is an effect of that knowledge, not a lack of knowledge. I gave a Bible to my daughter. That’s how you make atheists.”

Article

According to Pew...

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

On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. 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 differing levels of education.

Pew Survey




Personally, when I was a Christian, I was quite well informed, but then, as one who served in a somewhat official capacity at times, I needed to be. Admittedly though, many congregation members are not. ATS seems to attract those who are usually above average in knowledge of their chosen field(s) of study. I would say our religious members are no exception to that.

Survey link

a reply to: Klassified

The title of the video is incredibly offensive.

I'm wondering what the questions were. The bible can be quite convoluted with dates and lineage, battles etc.

a reply to: JDmOKI
Indeed. Which is why I didn't use it for the title of the thread. Click the Pew link about half way down the page for the questions.

It is an interesting survey however I don't think it is all that telling. For some we need to rationalize things through knowledge and deeper understanding. For others it may be experiential . If someone is a believer they don't have to constantly seek out answers or understanding. There are many fine Christians who don't know every event, verse, or person pertaining to their religion but their actions show a deeper understanding of the overall message.

The fact that atheist/agnostics score high is not a surprise either. Many delve into that knowledge in attempts to debunk or defame. No different than say someone who is against the idea of man made global warming may have a larger understanding of such things than say someone who just blindly agrees with the concept. They have no further need for proof and their mind is already made up.

a reply to: NihilistSanta

I agree, many atheists like to refute the historical evidence, passage of time, science of the religion. I know I never payed attention in church as a kid....

Anyone can go to church not everyone goes to college

I don't understand.

If I score high on the test then "god" gives me a gold star? Is that the goal?

a reply to: highfromphoenix

Are you high and from Phoenix? read the thread and click the links

originally posted by: JDmOKI
a reply to: highfromphoenix

Are you high and from Phoenix? read the thread and click the links

I did read the thread I'm just trying to figure out the point.

Edit - sorry it wasn't your thread.

a reply to: NihilistSanta

The fact that atheist/agnostics score high is not a surprise either. Many delve into that knowledge in attempts to debunk or defame. No different than say someone who is against the idea of man made global warming may have a larger understanding of such things than say someone who just blindly agrees with the concept. They have no further need for proof and their mind is already made up.

Many also delved into it before they were atheists/agnostics. Either as a Christian, like myself, or just trying to decide what they believed, if anything. Though I don't discount the debunking part of your statement, either. I personally learned what I know because I was a devout Christian for decades.

a reply to: Klassified

This is probably because many Atheists and Agnostics were religious at one point and it is through investigating their religion and its inconsistencies that they lost their faith. I know that is what happened to me.

I think most religious people count on a preacher to teach, more than the book. There isn't the problem. They don't seek out the truth. As far as global warming. 90% of experts say it is true. Cars make heat, your cloths dryer, lighting everywhere, heat in homes, fires from natural and man made sources, and yes pollution create a gaseous layer to hold heat down. Read it helps.a reply to: NihilistSanta

a reply to: Klassified

I'm not surprised by this study at all nor do i expect the data to change if done by a different group. The question is does this study correlate to other countries like Europe.

originally posted by: JDmOKI
a reply to: Klassified

I'm not surprised by this study at all nor do i expect the data to change if done by a different group. The question is does this study correlate to other countries like Europe.

Does it matter?

If you believe or don't believe is a silly test important?

a reply to: NihilistSanta

Basically, I liken it to the average gaming group sitting around the RPG table.

Some people actually play the game while others delve into the rules seeking to work every angle. We call them rules lawyers and they make the game most unpleasant for everyone else because they're the ones who will stop the game and spend 20 minutes of the session thumbing through every obscure bit of errata they can looking for that one bonus that they think will give them an advantage.

a reply to: highfromphoenix

Yes, because its interesting to see how many people actually understand the concepts of the religion they practice. I'm sure I could trick lots of people by arguing that Muhammad and Jesus were brothers that didn't like each other and that's why ISIS hates us.

Do i think that religious people are generally more uneducated then others with differing opinions, of course not. Thats a very shallow narrow way of thinking

I am guessing that I may have scored higher a few years back to some of the standard questions but because I am constantly finding new truths and better understandings I would probably answer wrong to what Pew would consider to be the correct answer .I mean if you factor in the different denominations and creeds you will probably not agree on a correct answer to a particular question .

Take baptism and the hows and whys to the many questions that can arise from such a subject .I am not a fan of studies like these of for other ...I used to try and answer surveys but finally decided a few years back to not participate because of some of the contrived polls to get you to answer questions with a yes or no when my personal answer would be neither .

a reply to: the2ofusr1

I agree with this. Without actually seeing the question and how they were constructed, it's hard to say anything about the survey. But there are so many differing interpretations of scripture.

Based on the scoring, the question must be designed mostly to test legalistic/literal knowledge rather than anything that can be interpreted from it or anything mystical related to it.

a reply to: Klassified

That wasn't meant to belittle those who have rationalized their non-belief due to their own experiences and knowledge just merely stating how some have come to that knowledge. For myself when I became an atheist at a young age I was heavily involved in all of the ideas regarding why belief was irrational. I familiarized myself with the ideas many used to defame or debunk the bible. It wasn't until later in life when I became a believer again that I re-examined those ideas and turned to a deeper understanding of the bible and study of it and realized many of my previous positions were in error (to me) and not based on an actual understanding of the bible. Also I thoroughly enjoy reading and learning about Christianity and passing that knowledge to others who may be experiencing my previous position.

As a believer I read a book by Michael Shermer called "How We Believe" . He is the founding publisher for Skeptic magazine and director for the Skeptics Society. I knew the book would be a anti religious but he was trying to find a scientific reasoning for why people believe in spite of science. It was a good read but I found it condescending how people can pretend to know why someone believes or to explain the experiences of another based on 2nd or 3rd hand interpretations of science. I would still recommend the book to others but for each of us individually our understanding comes from experience and knowledge. I could be the most well read Christian but if Christians beat me everyday of my life it would be difficult for me to reconcile the two. At the same time though not everyone has such extreme encounters or justifications. In the end I can say conclusively why "I" believe but that wont hold true for why another believes. Often times people attempt to shoe horn people into their own experiences and understandings.

originally posted by: roth1
I think most religious people count on a preacher to teach, more than the book. There isn't the problem. They don't seek out the truth. As far as global warming. 90% of experts say it is true. Cars make heat, your cloths dryer, lighting everywhere, heat in homes, fires from natural and man made sources, and yes pollution create a gaseous layer to hold heat down. Read it helps.a reply to: NihilistSanta

There are also Volcanoes and this little thing called the Sun. You presume that because someone does not hold your view that they are somehow ignorant and are not familiar with other ideas. This is a great example of the things from my second reply to OP. This is no different than a religious persons claims as to why you may or may not believe. In the end it is belief whether in the material or the divine and is presumptuous to cast a blanket over everything and call it fact based on finite information and experiences.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Klassified

This is probably because many Atheists and Agnostics were religious at one point and it is through investigating their religion and its inconsistencies that they lost their faith. I know that is what happened to me.

Exactly. Which is what you, I, and others here have said repeatedly.

While I understand what Nihilist Santa was saying above. It just seems to me that if a person is religious, they would want to know what and why they believe the way they do. But for many, that isn't the case. They just believe, and that's it. I was never able to live that way. I knew what and why I believed, I studied daily, and only changed those beliefs when evidence proved my faith was in error.