LAT: Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says

[Poll_Blind]

From the LA 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.

So why would an atheist know more about religion than a Christian?

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," he said. "They're not indifferent. They care about it."

Much more at the link! Interesting article.

PB

[joeybee12]

1. This does not surprise me...i'm willing to bet most athetists/agnostics were not

raised that way...it's in them to question the beliefs they were taught, so they educate themselves...true believers believe that way because they have no intellectual curiosity...now, don't yell at me, many intellgient educated people believe, I'm talking supid fundies...you know, the ones who think book lernin' is the devils'w work.

[Umbral]

2. It's not surprising that Mormons are more knowledgeable about other religions...

They spend allot of time highlighting how other religions misinterpret doctrine. That most Catholics misunderstand the doctrine of transubstantiation shouldn't be too surprising - it's religious gobbledygook.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. This validates my anecdotal experience.

[Greyhound]

4. This mirrors my experience.

It is rare when I meet one of the faithful that has even a rudimentary knowledge of their book, and all are very selective in which parts they choose to follow.
:kick: & R