Basic Religion Test Stumps Many Americans

[Jokerman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/u...l=1&adxnnlx=1285670836-6/4mJtEgADjP5sQsbgk1SA

Americans are by all measures a deeply religious people, but they are also deeply ignorant about religion.

Researchers from the independent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life phoned more than 3,400 Americans and asked them 32 questions about the Bible, Christianity and other world religions, famous religious figures and the constitutional principles governing religion in public life.

On average, people who took the survey answered half the questions incorrectly, and many flubbed even questions about their own faith.

Those who scored the highest were atheists and agnostics, as well as two religious minorities: Jews and Mormons. The results were the same even after the researchers controlled for factors like age and racial differences.

“Even after all these other factors, including education, are taken into account, atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons still outperform all the other religious groups in our survey,” said Greg Smith, a senior researcher at Pew.

That finding might surprise some, but not Dave Silverman, president of American Atheists, an advocacy group for nonbelievers that was founded by Madalyn Murray O’Hair.

“I have heard many times that atheists know more about religion than religious people,” Mr. Silverman said. “Atheism is an effect of that knowledge, not a lack of knowledge. I gave a Bible to my daughter. That’s how you make atheists.”


(Amen) This was always obvious. And it makes sense that Jews who study their shit as children and Mormons who are indoctrinated as children would know the most among religious ppl. And yet Mormons still believe? Those are the ones we really need to watch out for, i.e., Glenn Beck.

 

[masta247]

The truth is that many people are religious and feel a need to belong to a specific religion just because it's the human nature to belong to the same society that believes in what they believe. And most religious people don't believe in these silly stories that come with their beliefs.

Probably about 90% of my religious friends have never took their time to read the bible and they don't go to church yet they call themselves religious - just because they believe in the same God.

On the other hand Atheists are usually more passionate about what they don't believe and hate and so they are also better informed. And I agree that statistically more people from the lower socioeconomic class are religious mainly because of their hopeless situation which makes them more vulnerable. This doesn't mean that most religious people are stupid, knowledge about "their religion" is perhaps only a measure of bible-thumperness.

 

[Duke]

"I gave a Bible to my daughter. That’s how you make atheists."


Bahahahaha, nice.

 

[EDouble]

how fuckin biased is this article /test

i dont trust people who dont believe in shit

 

[Jokerman]

On the other hand Atheists are usually more passionate about what they don't believe and hate and so they are also better informed.

No, it's the other way around. Because they are usually smarter, they become better informed and don't like things that keep people ignorant. But they will never be as passionate about what they hate as some religious ppl do about things like abortion, homosexuality, and atheism.

 

[EDouble]

...........
TB has gotten boring with this anti religion bullshit

 

[masta247]

But they will never be as passionate about what they hate as some religious ppl do about things like abortion, homosexuality, and atheism.

Yes, I see I've never seen a religious person as passionate about something as Atheists are about their hate for all religions. Actually I've never met a religious person as passionate about their religion as Atheists here on Streethop are.

Atheists are "usually smarter" because there are more religious people amongst lower classes - they feel like they need a religion to keep them holding on and they are statistically not very smart because they don't feel like they can rely on themselves. They are usually not really religious. They are religious because of fear and the feeling of being hopeless.
There are also very smart people who are religious though. And many smart people who don't care about religion.
However usually very "reasonable" people become atheists. Those who live by cold facts and far less by feelings, emotions.

 

[EDouble]

there are more religious people amongst lower classes - they feel like they need a religion to keep them holding on and they are statistically not very smart because they don't feel like they can rely on themselves

you r a low individual

 

[ill-matic]

Yes, I see I've never seen a religious person as passionate about something as Atheists are about their hate for all religions. Actually I've never met a religious person as passionate about their religion as Atheists here on Streethop are.

Atheists are "usually smarter" because there are more religious people amongst lower classes - they feel like they need a religion to keep them holding on and they are statistically not very smart because they don't feel like they can rely on themselves. They are usually not really religious. They are religious because of fear and the feeling of being hopeless.
There are also very smart people who are religious though. And many smart people who don't care about religion.
However usually very "reasonable" people become atheists. Those who live by cold facts and far less by feelings, emotions.

lol how do you come up with these conclusions???

 

[Ristol]

You can't really say atheists are smarter. That's unverifiable, and I know it bothers you when you can't verify things, because I know you're an atheist. More people are religious in this world than not. In my country they're about 80% religious. That's an unfortunate number, but my point is that there are obviously plenty of wildly intelligent people who believe in God. I don't think that makes them stupid. I know I'm glossing over your argument: what you said is that by and large religious people tend to be dumber. I don't think that's fair either, only because you can't know that. It may be true.

I liked that quote about making atheists very much. I'm going to say it to someone sometime. I have a daughter too!

Note: two Mormon boys came to my door today to peddle their wares, and I kind of yelled at them about Joseph Smith and told them that religion was a big wonderful fraud. I may have talked about suicide bombing and murder at abortion clinics. I was a little upset and frothing a little at the mouth. I don't remember it all. I just remember I jumped up to answer the door when I saw them, and that when they walked away, I kind of felt like I'd punched two babies in the face.

 

[EDouble]

i dont understand athiests that their arguments always on Religion or Politics but being athiests they dont even have Faith in God(s), so youd think it wouldnt matter 2 them what people With faith do with said faith around the world

 

[ARon]

That's unverifiable, and I know it bothers you when you can't verify things, because I know you're an atheist.

This made me chuckle

 

[Pittsey]

i dont understand athiests that their arguments always on Religion or Politics but being athiests they dont even have Faith in God(s), so youd think it wouldnt matter 2 them what people With faith do with said faith around the world

I agree, if I have translated correctly.


Even when people see Jesus in a potato... Or have statues of the virgin mary weeping milk... Or when a kid who is deformed because his parents are related and is compared to a god because he has 4 arms... I still don't feel hate... Maybe a touch of pity though.

 

[Casey]

youd think it wouldnt matter 2 them what people With faith do with said faith around the world

You don't get it, at all.

I - as a human being - wish to see the human race progress. I want us to advance. I want us to evolve. I want my kids to be able to do things that I could never dream of. I want people to have the same rights regardless of their sexuality, ethnicity, religious or political stances. I want countries to be able to get along peacefully without blowing each other up. I want to see cloning and stem cell technology reach it's full potential so that we may eradicate so many diseases and stop needless deaths.

Religion hinders all of this.

Did you never see that episode of "Family Guy" where Brian and Stewie were travelling through alternate universes? They came across a universe that looked their own except it was all futuristic, flying cars everywhere, etc. They discovered that it was the exact same location and year as in their own universe, but Christianity had never existed so there was no repression of science and a result, humanity was far more advanced.

It was funny because it was true.

 

[Duke]

^ Well, apart from that, it obviously bothers me what a whole bunch of religious people believe and do because it directly affects the world I live in.

Religious extremism being a good example. Of course I'm gonna care what people think if they wanna cut my head off.

Duh.

 

[EDouble]

Casey Rain

half your fuckin post is politics where no correlation in hindering, that with religion

 

[EDouble]

for a large part this thread has been Anti Christianity starting with the original article 2 a segment on Family Guy

 

[Ristol]

EDouble, if you're asking where the religious texts that condone murder are, it's clear you've never read a full religious text. Try starting at your typical Bible or Koran.

 

[EDouble]

^truth
I basically meant in Literal terms not context but in any case Dukes post on "extremism" is 4 another discussion

 

[Casey]

Casey Rain

half your fuckin post is politics where no correlation in hindering, that with religion

But the people who make those decisions to hinder progress do so why?

Because of their religion.

You want to talk correlation? Let's talk correlation between people in politics hindering progress and human rights and religion. What do the people who are anti-gay rights, anti-stem cell research say to justify why they are opposed?