Atheists and agnostics have always known this, but it’s fun to see it confirmed:
A new survey of Americans’ knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.
For instance:
Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn’t know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.
More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation. And about four in 10 Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis and intellectuals in history, was Jewish.
Riley at Wonkette, with the Hard Analysis:
Writes the New York Times, “Americans are by all measures a deeply religious people, but they are also deeply ignorant about religion.” Ha ha, that’s racist right there, against white people.
Yes, ’tis. But it’s hilarious. We are truly a nation of dumbs.
The details say that atheists and agnostics know more about world religions and religion issues in society but Evangelical Christians still know more about Christianity.
Bob, well, sort of. It says Mormons and white evangelicals know more about the Bible and Christianity. Atheists know more than all the other groups.
That’s not surprising.
The easiest way to make an atheist is to give him a Bible and tell him to study it.
“Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn’t know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.”
In a rational world, that belief alone should be enough to make one an atheist.
If the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ, then Roman Catholics are literally cannibals.
The sheep are dumb and compliant, just the way their overlords want them to be.
Bob said “The details say that atheists and agnostics know more about world religions and religion issues in society but Evangelical Christians still know more about Christianity.”.
Not true Bob. As is typical Fox news is lying and putting a right wing slant on things. Fact is that atheists know more about Christianity then christians do:
“‘Well This Is Awkward,’ observes Truthdig’s Ear to the Ground blog, noting that “Mormons and Jews also scored well, and, like Atheists, know more about Christianity than Christians.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/doatheistsknowmoreaboutchristianitythanchristians5192;_ylt=Ar0Ta7ptnp95a6OLVu_2aSBTsa8F;_ylu=X3oDMTE2cDh2bDI2BHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bi1yLWItbGVmdARzbGsDLWRvYXRoZWlzdHNr
Actually, Priya, that’s what the original PewForums page (which seems to be down, so here’s a cache) says, too:
“On questions about Christianity – including a battery of questions about the Bible – Mormons (7.9 out of 12 right on average) and white evangelical Protestants (7.3 correct on average) show the highest levels of knowledge. Jews and atheists/agnostics stand out for their knowledge of other world religions, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism…”