Are you smarter than an American on religious knowledge?

[Adam]

Apparently, I am - just.

Article here --> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/sep/29/religion-us-pew-religious-knowledge-poll

Quiz here -->http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/

Yes, I am this bored.

[Dorothy Wood]

what was your score?

I got 13/15

scored better than 93% of the public. that's pretty sad, though I'm not surprised.

[Bob]

i am, but i am american so i don't know what to do with that information

i got them all right except for the one about the jewish sabbath

[Dorothy Wood]

I didn't know about the communion. that's what I get for rejecting church and not getting confirmed. I imagine they tell you those things at confirmation classes.

also, never heard of the First Great Awakening. sounds scary. I shall google it.


and bob, shame on you, I thought you loved jews!

[Bob]

i only knew about the communion thing because of v for vendetta. there's a really bad-ass scene in the comic (it got cut from the movie) where he kills a priest. first they start talking about the miracle of transubstantiation, where a communion wafer miraculously transforms into the body of christ after you eat it. then he feeds him a poison communion wafer and says "let's see if it's still poison"

it's ok because i think the priest was a child molester or something

and i kind of guessed on the great awakening one. i remembered the name of the guy from some history class somewhere and figured that must be him on account of it being multiple choice

[Dorothy Wood]

yeah, I almost guessed the right answer to the awakening one on account of a tiny memory twitch in my brain, but I chose Billy Graham because I thought maybe I was just twitching for the name Jonathan Edwards because of, well, John Edwards.

Either way, just picked whatever since I didn't actually know the answer.

[Dorothy Wood]

don't forget, even with guessing, we're still smarter than Americans! yes!

*high five*

[kaiser soze]

12 out of 15 - Missed the Supreme Court ruling of bible reading as literature, Buddhism for Nirvana, and the Great Awakening One

I scored better than 87% of the population and I consider myself an agnostic/christian. I believe that Christ existed but not 100% sold that he was the true embodiment of GOD. I think he was trying to tell us that we are ALL the children of God and are also just as much a part of God as he was. His message was to help us believe in the good, the potential, and the precious existence of mankind.

it is a shame every religion has been corrupted

[Adam]

10/15. I was raised catholic, I got most of the Christian, Catholic stuff wrong.

It's a stupid thing. It's a waste of journalism. I just wanted to try and get some rise out of Americans or religious types cus I don't believe any of it. :)

[Dorothy Wood]

I see, hard to get a rise out of americans, especially when the ones here do better on the quiz than you.

as for not believing, it's still no excuse to be ignorant of historical and cultural facts.

[Guy Incognito]

eleven, better than i thought.

[jabumbo]

i got 12


kind of a weird collection of questions, no?

[yeahwho]

I guess a bum like me is smarter in religion than most everybody I see on a daily basis, especially Sunday when I'm walking by the churches.

I think I have huge gaps in spirituality and often end up in situations many pray themselves out of, so perhaps knowledge can only take me so far.

It seems from the results of this test that instilled belief systems passed down from generation to generation also include a general ignorance or indifference of knowledge of other religious practices and the tolerance of such. I don't know the criteria for the questioning or if the results have a pre-determined result just to justify some other agenda, like getting more people to church or some shit.

[Drederick Tatum]

anyone who gets less than 10 probably shouldn't take part in any more quizzes of any kind.

[yeahwho]

apatheist (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=apatheist)

[saz]

anyone who gets less than 10 probably shouldn't take part in any more quizzes of any kind.

because they don't know that much about organized superstition?

[TurdBerglar]

8

never been in a church or have done any religious type things.

[abbott]

10 of 15, who gives a fuck about this shit.

I am sad I did this good.

[sjp]

11/15

[Dorothy Wood]

i thought they were pretty general questions...but maybe just because i know jewish people, and had a class on the history of islam in college.

the other stuff i just remembered from reading the news or whatever.

it's interesting i think, and it's helpful to know what people believe in and what their rituals are so you can see where they're coming from.

[kleptomaniac]

11/15

i'm not religious. also, uhhh, i knew 2 of those answers from watching south park. :p
but i'm surprised i did better than 80% of the public? wow.

[kaiser soze]

I'm curious what true % of the population that took this quiz and scored lower than us are devout, that would be interesting to see

[Documad]

as for not believing, it's still no excuse to be ignorant of historical and cultural facts.

The only question I got wrong was the last one. I had never heard of the Great Awakening. I knew it probably wasn't Billy Graham because I'd heard of him, so I had a 50/50 chance and guessed wrong. I knew the other 14 answers without guessing. But then I'm an educated atheist. And that link says that atheists did better than any group except Jews, which makes sense to me.

You're right. The questions didn't test religious knowledge, they tested knowledge about history, literature, and world culture. No offense to people who scored badly, but you can't consider yourself well read if you don't know some basics about major characters in the bible. It's like not knowing who Scrooge or Superman is.

Dorothy, you apparently don't have any devout Jewish friends. :p I have a friend who couldn't take late afternoon classes with me on Fridays because she had to get home before dark.

[Documad]

and I'd love to know whether any of you thought the Golden Rule was a Commandment. :D

[Dorothy Wood]

phew, thanks doc, voice of reason.

and no, my jewish friends aren't very devout, but they still take the big holidays seriously, or at least more seriously than most of the lapsed catholics i know take their holidays.

[ericlee]

The only thing I know about religion is that I say, "Jesus Christ" when I see a huge set of knockers and "God Dammit" when I see an Adam's apple.

[checkyourprez]

http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/img/histogram-12.gif

not bad for not really fuxin with religions. although i find them interesting, and really appreciate some of them.

[Drederick Tatum]

because they don't know that much about organized superstition?

because most of the questions seem like they're out of Trivial Pursuit Junior, as proven by kleptomaniac...

uhhh, i knew 2 of those answers from watching south park.

Documad correctly notes the test isn't really about religion so in my mind any adult not able to stumble their way to 10/15 should probably not be in a position of authority or responsibility. what did you score, saz?

[Audio.]

I got 9. Mostly didnt know certain people like Jobs or Joseph Smith and some Islamic and Jewish questions. Everything else is pretty much from art history class.
I cant believe I got bread and wine question wrong. I always thought they were symbols.

[Bob]

I cant believe I got bread and wine question wrong. I always thought they were symbols.

they are, but don't tell catholics that

[Kid Presentable]

The public is the guy who came up with the quiz and you lot.

[Adam]

I got the bread and wine wrong to. And I've took part in countless communions. I've pretty much blocked out all the propaganda, myths and scaremongering from my catholic teachers.

I don't think its about being well read, you can't be an expert on every subject, religion doesn't interest me much. I'm barely literate tho so for me 10/15 is pretty good (y)

[Documad]

I never had religious instruction. I was never a member of a church. I don't know how people avoid learning about religion though. I had to learn about the saints and other major characters just to get through high school humanities. You have to look at a painting and know what's going on -- that St. Peter is the guy holding the keys, etc. And a lot of funny stuff (including South Park) is funnier if you know what they're making fun of.

The other thing I don't understand is why more people aren't just generally curious. Didn't you ever hear about the mormons and wonder what their story was, and why they took over Utah? An unflattering version of their history even comes up in the first Sherlock Holmes book. And it would be difficult for me to understand european history without understanding some basics of religious history. Maybe the sad thing about tests like these is that people just generally aren't interested in history or art. :(

P.S. transubstantiation (the bread and wine being the body and blood of christ) was one reason groups of people left the Catholic Church long ago. But my modern catholic friends know it's just symbolic. They ignore much of the church doctrine.

[kaiser soze]

why didn't they ask this question:

WWJD?

[Kid Presentable]

Some mormon missionary girls talked to me and a friend for a few months about their faith. Interesting, but as soon as you say anything positive, they attribute it to the flying spaghetti monster and try to sign you up. I'm happy religion makes people happy, for the ones it actually makes happy.

[TAL]

I got 13.

[Dorothy Wood]

i just wanted to second what doc and drederick are saying.
if you guys aren't interested in learning about other cultures, that's one thing...but if you think only religious people know anything at all about religion, it's actually the opposite in most cases.

also, pretty sure the simpsons have referenced every single one of those questions at one point or another.

[Adam]

Ok, so I'm an idiot. But the point is I know more than the average American! :P

[jabumbo]

"God Dammit" when I see an Adam's apple.


Eve said the same thing when she saw Adam eating the apple.

[Dorothy Wood]

Eve said the same thing when she saw Adam eating the apple.

psst, eve ate the apple first and damned us all. that's why childbirth is painful!

see, it all makes sense.

[checkyourprez]

Ok, so I'm an idiot. But the point is I know more than the average American! :P

which is a fallacy in itself, there is no such thing as an average american, we are an above average nation. which is the reason we are rulers of the world. so in reality you know more than no americans.

ROCK. FLAG. EAGLE.

[saz]

because most of the questions seem like they're out of Trivial Pursuit Junior, as proven by kleptomaniac...

Documad correctly notes the test isn't really about religion so in my mind any adult not able to stumble their way to 10/15 should probably not be in a position of authority or responsibility. what did you score, saz?

although some of these questions did deal with general and popular fairy tales, some of them were much more specific. i'm actually kind of ashamed i'm knowledgable about this bullshit.

11/15

[TurdBerglar]

i was brought up that religion and overtly religious people are not to be taken seriously. my whole family was brought up in relgious households(baptisms, communions, catholic schools, church on sundays, the whole thing). my parents, my aunts/uncles and all their cousins have pretty much dismissed religious as soon as they got old enough to tell their parents to fuck off. i guess they were all fairly bitter that they had to grow up with that bullshit.

so that's kinda my mindset towards religion and anything relating to it. it's just one of the many silly things all people do. so i never really had any interest in it. nor do i remember ever being taught anything about religion in HS.

[MC Moot]

Who was the Satanic Bible or the “Black Book”, first published in 1969, originally written by?

Lucifer Fallen Angel
Anton LaVey
Dante Alighieri
Aleister Crowley

[Dorothy Wood]

b?

[MC Moot]

b?

yes....excellent D.W...i'll see you on the alter...:eek:

[Adam]

which is a fallacy in itself, there is no such thing as an average american, we are an above average nation. which is the reason we are rulers of the world. so in reality you know more than no americans.

ROCK. FLAG. EAGLE.

do you think you're china? Do americans still believe they are the superpower? Think you need check the books again.

[Guy Incognito]

also, pretty sure the simpsons have referenced every single one of those questions at one point or another.

i was wondering today how i actually knew the answers because i have very little interest or enthusiasm about religion. it kinda frightens me but i was trying to think how i knew the stuff and this post has just made me realise.

[Guy Incognito]

Think you need check the books again.

cant check the books, some geezer in florida burnt them all

[saz]

which is a fallacy in itself, there is no such thing as an average american, we are an above average nation. which is the reason we are rulers of the world. so in reality you know more than no americans.

ROCK. FLAG. EAGLE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI

.

[Dorothy Wood]

yes....excellent D.W...i'll see you on the alter...:eek:

muwhahahahaha!

see guys, i know about satanism too! actually, i don't know much about this stuff in depth (besides islam, on account of that class), i just have a head full of trivia.

[TAL]

I'm so clever that I even know that the bible doesn't mention an apple. It's just a fruit that they eat.

[MC Moot]

And I'm so clever that I know it was likely a pomegranate...

[Freebasser]

I only got 9.

I not only failed the test, but I failed the Drederick Tatum coolness test :(

I did get an A grade in Religious Studies at GCSE level though, so I can live with myself :)

[HAL 9000]

I got 15 but I totally guessed at least one with several educated guesses as well.

My most interesting piece of religious trivia is that Immaculate Conception does not mean what 90% of people think it means. Most people think it reffers to the virgin birth of Jesus. But actually it is a Catholic doctrine meaning that Mary was born without original sin unlike all other people since the fall of man. Which means that she does not need to be baptised to get into heavan. Tell and amaze your friends.:cool:

[mate_spawn_die]

The only thing I know about religion is that I say, "Jesus Christ" when I see a huge set of knockers and "God Dammit" when I see an Adam's apple.


i came back from hiding just to thank you for this.

thank you.

[M|X|Y]

The only thing I know about religion is that I say, "Jesus Christ" when I see a huge set of knockers and "God Dammit" when I see an Adam's apple.

in the same sentence?

[Drederick Tatum]

I only got 9.

I not only failed the test, but I failed the Drederick Tatum coolness test :(


you're yet to take my coolness test. it's pretty difficult. I failed it myself.

[Documad]

NPR had a show on this study. It sounds like some of the questions on the full test were more difficult than the ones in this sample.

[Lex Diamonds]

I got 12, but I'd like to think I'm smarter than an American in most ways anyway, quiz or no quiz. They are essentially a belligerent group of inbred Euro-rejects, after all.