In a recent Pew Religious study, atheists scored highest on a survey asking basic questions regarding religion. Even more surprising is the fact that some answered questions incorrectly when it came to facts about their own faith. The New York Times reports that on average respondents answered half of the questions incorrectly.
Atheists and agnostics scored the highest out of all respondents. Jews and Mormons scored the highest out of all religious groups. White Protestant Christians scored in the middle range.
How could Atheists out score all other religious groups in this simple religious test? It had to be the questions. The questions were too hard, right? Well, there were some basic questions like, “Where was Jesus born?” “Whose writings inspired the Protestant Reformation?” “Which Biblical figure led the exodus from Egypt?” The respondents answered in multiple choice form.
What conclusion can we reach about this study? Atheists know more about religion?
It clear that at least atheists are more informed than the rest of the people who took part in this survey. Stephen Prothero argues in his book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know – And Doesn’t, that Americans are really religiously illiterate. Prothero believes we have become ignorant to religious facts because we have taken religious education out of public school for fear of violating the separation of church and state. However, public schools cannot teach devotional reading of holy books, but public schools can teach about religion.
The Times reports some reflections of this new religious survey’s findings:
The researchers said that the questionnaire was designed to represent a breadth of knowledge about religion, but was not intended to be regarded as a list of the most essential facts about the subject. Most of the questions were easy, but a few were difficult enough to discern which respondents were highly knowledgeable.
On questions about the Bible and Christianity, the groups that answered the most right were Mormons and white evangelical Protestants.
On questions about world religions, like Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, the groups that did the best were atheists, agnostics and Jews.
An overwhelming 89 percent of respondents, asked whether public school teachers are permitted to lead a class in prayer, correctly answered no.
But fewer than one of four knew that a public school teacher is permitted “to read from the Bible as an example of literature.” And only about one third knew that a public school teacher is permitted to offer a class comparing the world’s religions.
If you think the survey was bogus, then take the quiz.
It is clear that we have become fearful of any religious idea in the public arena. If we want to work together in politics, culture, and in business we must understand some basic beliefs of other people’s faith systems. Religion is a major influence of ethics and morals. Shouldn’t we learn a little bit about other religious in order to understand people?
Other findings:
- Fifty-three percent of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the man who started the Protestant Reformation.
- Forty-five percent of Catholics did not know that their church teaches that the consecrated bread and wine in holy communion are not merely symbols, but actually become the body and blood of Christ.
- Forty-three percent of Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the foremost rabbinical authorities and philosophers, was Jewish. The question about Maimonides was the one that the fewest people answered correctly.
- 51 percent knew that Joseph Smith was Mormon, and 82 percent knew that Mother Teresa was Roman Catholic.
Looks like Christians have some studying to do.
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