I was listening to one of my favorite radio stations this morning, K-Love while having breakfast and learned something interesting worth passing along to you. According to a recent nationwide U.S. Religious Knowledge survey conducted by the Pew Research from May 19 through June 6, 2010, Atheists and Agnostics are among the highest-scoring groups on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions! With Americans on average correctly answering 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions, Atheists and Agnostics answered on average 20.9 correct answers compared to Christians and Catholics who lag behind with 17.6 and 16, respectively. How can that be?
At first glance, it would appear paradoxical for Atheists and Agnostics to score so well on this survey given their low level of commitment to any particular religion. Upon closer examination, however, the best predictor of religious knowledge is educational attainment, and according to the survey, Atheists and Agnostics are not only highly educated, but they know more about world religions beyond Christianity than those of other faiths! So it makes sense. They apparently studied many religions of the world before deciding on their religious views. Fascinating!
Having studied and currently embrace beliefs of many religions of the world, this survey left me curious about how I would do on the quiz. The results? 13 out of 15, or 80%. Hmmm…. not bad. It’s obvious though that I still need to learn more. How about you? How do you think you would do?
For more information, click here for survey results, or to take the quiz to see how well you do, click here.
Remember … touch a life today “The Little Way” by following the lead and need of others. Also, if you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my community, knew…”, then be sure to visit White Light Communications at http://www.tothewhitelight.com.
~ Theresa
Doing It "The Little Way" 