Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says

[sonomak]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-religion-survey,0,7375137.story

Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says
By Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times

If you want to know about God, you might want to talk to an atheist.

Heresy? Perhaps. But a survey that measured Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists and agnostics knew more, on average, than followers of most major faiths. In fact, the gaps in knowledge among some of the faithful may give new meaning to the term "blind faith."

A majority of Protestants, for instance, couldn't identify Martin Luther as the driving force behind the Protestant Reformation, according to the survey, released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Four in 10 Catholics misunderstood the meaning of their church's central ritual, incorrectly saying that the bread and wine used in Holy Communion are intended to merely symbolize the body and blood of Christ, not actually become them.

Atheists and agnostics -- those who believe there is no God or who aren't sure -- were more likely to answer the survey's questions correctly. Jews and Mormons ranked just below them in the survey's measurement of religious knowledge -- so close as to be statistically tied...

[Odin2005]

1. They needed a study for THIS!?!

[snooper2]

2. blind faith...

I would say that's a nice way of putting it :rofl:

[TexasObserver]

3. That's what I would expect.

[Lance_Boyle]

4. When you learn things you question things and vice versa.

When you can't be bothered to do either you "put your faith in a god."

[NightWatcher]

5. great results..I was 9 for 10, should have been 10 for 10. take the quiz

"It's not Bible-belt Southerners who scored highest - they came at the bottom.

Those who believe the Bible is the literal word of God did slightly worse than average, while those who say it is not the word of God scored slightly better.

Barely half of all Catholics know that when they take communion, the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ, according to Catholic doctrine.

And only about one in three know that a public school teacher is allowed to teach a comparative religion class - although nine out of 10 know that teacher isn't allowed by the Supreme Court to lead a class in prayer"

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/28/dont-know-much-about-religion-youre-not-alone-study-finds/?hpt=C1
_______________________________________________

Bible belt Southerners like to think they are the chosen people, practicing the one true religion....Survey Says...XXX!

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. ten out of ten. Not bad for a kid who got kicked out of Sunday School. nt

[handmade34]

6. hmmmm

religion was created in those times when we didn't have science and didn't know... for the most part, deeply religious people are less educated, more violent and always seem to vote against their own best interest...

I know many fine religious folks though and I did study in Seminary... ;)

[Bill McBlueState]

7. really interesting

However, 67% also said that such teachers are not permitted to read from the Bible as an example of literature, something the law clearly allows.

The fear-based fundraising campaigns by the religious right are responsible for this one.

[DirkGently]

8. Good find, but there's no mystery . Those that reject religion have looked into it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. And,

those who accept it feel no need to look any farther.

A 'true believer' is a case of arrested development.

[DirkGently]

13. To be fair, there are knowledgeable people of faith. But most stick to their own exclusively.

I work with someone with an actual Divinity Degree. Great person, very sincere, and tolerant of other views. We have some great conversations.

[Progressive_In_NC]

14. I go to to a church tied to a theological seminary

a southern and baptist one (but not Southern Batist). And the folks there are the most knowledgable folks you will meet. The minister stood up in the pulpit the other day and put up a slide of demographics of our community. 55% white, 20% African American, 15% hispanic, 10% other. He said and i quote, "In the coming years our church will look like our community. If you are not comfortable with that, I suggest you find another place to worship."

Our sermons are a three year walk through the bible from Genesis to Revelation. Anyone who goes to our church regularly will understand their faith and holy book completely once we are done.

Edited for spelling.

[DirkGently]

18. There's a lot in the way religion is practiced. The extremist political nonsense is the big problem.

[Lucian]

9. That's because atheists/agnostics (why lump together?) research.

I researched religion for years before I decided to be an atheist. I studied when the religion began, how it began, why it began, etc., before deciding it was all a bunch of crap.

[wyldwolf]

10. the money quote:

American atheists and agnostics tend to be people who grew up in a religious tradition and consciously gave it up, often after a great deal of reflection and study, said Alan Cooperman, associate director for research at the Pew Forum.

"These are people who thought a lot about religion,"

I grew up not totally religious but a frequent church goer. In middle school I dated an Evangelical (Pentecostal) who broke up with me because I wasn't a "dedicated Christian." That had such a profound effect on me that for the next six years or so I studied (independently) the history and teachings of various protestant denominations. By my Sophomore year in college I'd reached the conclusion it was all pretty much hogwash. Today I call it Christian Mythology.

[DirkGently]

16. Yep. The harsher the demands, the more defiinitve the rejection will be.

[PADemD]

11. I got 10 right!

I'd like to take the whole test.

[Wilber_Stool]

17. Transubstantiation,

a trick question.