Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Atheists Win Again

As we suspected, atheists and agnostics know the most about religion (in the US).

In a Pew Forum survey, atheists and agnostics answered the most questions correctly, closely followed by Jews and Mormons. Out of 32 questions, atheists/agnostics average 20.9 correct answers, while white evangelical protestants (looking at you, Ray) could only answer 17.6 questions correctly.

This gets even more amusing when you break it down by what the questions were about. On questions relating to Christianity, atheists/agnostics answered 6.7 questions correctly. White evangelical protestants did only slightly better with 7.3 correct answers. It's their religion, folks, but they don't know much more about it than you and I. When asked about other religions, white evangelical protestants only managed 4.8 correct answers (shocking, I know!), while atheists/agnostics answered 7.5 questions correctly.

Even less surprising is the finding that the single most important factor in being able to answer the questions correctly was general level of education, you know, that thing white evangelical protestants eschew as liberal claptrap? You might want to get back on the learning train, guys.

8 comments:

  1. But... But... You might educate yourself right out of a relationship with God!!! I tell ya, ya can't trust that book-larnin'...

    ReplyDelete
  2. But... But... You might educate yourself right out of a relationship with God!!! I tell ya, ya can't trust that book-larnin'...

    Why, you'd almost think that they're aware of the correlation between education and unbelief on some level.

    But...nah. They're not smart enough for that...

    ReplyDelete
  3. why do *I* never get to take PEW surveys? the ONLY surveys i've ever been asked to do are customer service/telemarketing BS from stores [and those piss me off]. oh! and one time a republican survey - my step-mom voted for Guilian in the Primary [we all did, actually - in my case, Edwards was gone, and i was terrified we were gonna get a Rep., and he really really was the Lessor Evil]
    so when they called asking for "Mrs Barnett" i just answered. she was sitting there next to me laughing her ass off, too.



    OT: i protest that pic of you - you look like the love child of Gem [Gem! Gem is excitment! OOOOOOH GEM!] and Debbie Gibson.

    you REALLY need to be wearing a beret. and/or purple. for Moral, ya know? [Moral is 3-1 numbers. paraphrased, been too long since i read it. but you know what i mean]

    ReplyDelete
  4. and of the listed questions [which couldn't have been all of them] there was only one i didn't know - the person associated with the Great Awakening. that would have depended on how they asked. but i knew everything else. Maimodes [Rambam] is one of my favorite historical figures [Jewish; The Second Moses; shows up in the RPG MAGE:The Awakening. lol]



    you know who tend to be REALLY well versed in religions? gamers [table-top and LARP RPGers - not video games, as much] it's sort of funny to go to a LARP and find a blonde guy playing a Muslim Arabic assassin who quotes the Quo'ran perfectly, or the Polish nationalist chick playing a Hindu and speaking of Kali [her character's main Goddess] with full and complete knowledge...

    hell, *I* do it! i played a Voudoun follower for 3 years :D

    CHARACTER RESEARCH. it's fun!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Is there some reason I don't live with you, denelian? I could die happy if I had that sort of experience!

    ReplyDelete
  6. you remember those speculations from a couple years ago, because my dad has a bit of a crush on you? *G* too bad we all like my step-mother - otherwise, BAM!

    *giggle* of course, i live with Pete now... we *DO* technically have a 2Bedroom.

    oh wait - no room for BaconPuppy. *THAT'S* why!


    but i'd share with you! i'd let you take half the crazy Rep surveys!!! [i voted for the less crazy Rep in the primary] :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. The more one learns about religion, the more likely one is to see that it is nothing more than a susperstition-peddling power-and-control structure. This is surprising..?

    ReplyDelete
  8. interesting stats V. Not at all surprising, but interesting none the less.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are for you guys, not for me. Say what you will. Don't feel compelled to stay on topic, I enjoy it when comments enter Tangentville or veer off into Non Sequitur Town. Just keep it polite, okay?

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