Americans don't know much about religion

**Valigarmander** · 09-28-2010, 05:52 PM

Don't know much about religion? You're not alone, study finds – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

I'm posting this because A) I thought this was an interesting survey, and B) I'm curious to see how everyone else does on the sample survey at the top of the page.

I got 10 out of 10. The only question I wasn't 100% sure about was the Jewish sabbath one.

I am nobody · 09-28-2010, 05:58 PM

I only missed the Jewish Sabbath one, but I don't think that poll does a good job of testing people's actual knowledge of other religions. Factual knowledge is great, but you need to know the concepts of a religion in order to truly understand it. I think the average scores for Americans would be far lower if it were a test on that, if all the hate against Muslims is anything to go by.

ZeldaGirl · 09-28-2010, 06:03 PM

I got an 8/10, missing the Sabbath one and...I don't even remember the other one. Maybe it was the one about Indonesia?

Either way...I'm not actually surprised about these findings, for the reasons listed in the article.

Quote:

I only missed the Jewish Sabbath one, but I don't think that poll does a good job of testing people's actual knowledge of other religions. Factual knowledge is great, but you need to know the concepts of a religion in order to truly understand it. I think the average scores for Americans would be far lower if it were a test on that, if all the hate against Muslims is anything to go by.

This.

Jailbreaker · 09-28-2010, 07:43 PM

"Where, according to the Bible, was Jesus born?"

I read:

"According to the bible, was Jesus born?"

Also, got an 8/10. I thought I didn't know much about religion.

I kind of expected that everyone else knew about these things.

Bomby · 09-28-2010, 09:05 PM

This is almost all about Christianity.

***CaptHayfever*** · 09-28-2010, 11:36 PM

Grand slammed that sucka! Too bad it wasn't deep enough to really test anything but whether or not you've heard of certain stuff.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Fairlight Excalibur · 09-28-2010, 11:43 PM

A rather easy ten, but, as Capt hinted at, a trivia game does not prove much.

EDIT: Can anyone find the full, 32-question quiz? A few minutes of googling only enabled me to find a 15-question version.
U.S. Religious Knowledge Quiz

***CaptHayfever*** · 09-29-2010, 01:17 AM

Top-sided the 15-question version, too.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Fairlight Excalibur · 09-29-2010, 01:19 AM

Not surprising, given that the same ten questions appear.

John Galt · 09-29-2010, 03:57 PM

I got 100% on both tests.

I thought the questions were rather easy.

**Crazyswordsman** · 09-29-2010, 09:24 PM

^The test doesn't really go in-depth as to the beliefs of the religions, and most importantly, their histories (fundamentalists of pretty much all religions often ignore their religion from a historical standpoint and only think about it through a theological standpoint, which to me is a problem because knowing about the development of a religion is really important to understanding it). -CSM

John Galt · 09-30-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazyswordsman

^The test doesn't really go in-depth as to the beliefs of the religions, and most importantly, their histories... -CSM

Yeah, I know. It's all basic stuff.

...

Only 11% of the test takers knew that Jonathan Edwards participated in the First Great Awakening. Isn't that something you typically learn in 9th grade history class?

Glux · 09-30-2010, 03:37 PM

I have a question.

(Referring to the quiz)
If I'm Lutheran, what the hell does knowing what religion Joseph Smith was, or what day the Jewish sabbath day begins, or what Ramadan is, have to do with ME knowing about what believe?

Yeah I get the whole "religion as a whole", but if I'm not Jewish, I don't care, because I'm not Jewish. :B

Rainbow Dash · 09-30-2010, 04:36 PM

8/10

only missed jewish sabbath question and the one about the indonesian religion

^ also did you not get taught anything about religion in school because i'm catholic and i knew what ramadan was and who joseph smith was (i know the sabbath is mostly saturday tho)

Glux · 09-30-2010, 04:43 PM

^ Yes I do know. J. Smith was Mormon, and the Jewish Sabbath starts on Friday, but point remains. If I'm not Jewish why do I need to know?
I know about my religion. Knowing about someone else's religion doesn't affect what I believe.

I'm just saying I never got why it was important to know.

Fairlight Excalibur · 09-30-2010, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glutexo

If I'm Lutheran, what the hell does knowing what religion Joseph Smith was, or what day the Jewish sabbath day begins, or what Ramadan is, have to do with ME knowing about what believe?

Nothing whatsoever. The point of the survey is to determine overall religious knowledge, not to affect what you believe or to gauge your understanding of your own religion. This is simply testing to see how much people know about religion in general... which is apparently very little.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glutexo

I'm just saying I never got why it was important to know.

Because understanding is one component to peaceful coexistence, though definitely not a guarantee of such.

**Valigarmander** · 09-30-2010, 05:31 PM

^^ Maybe if you wanted to make an informed decision about what religion you belong to?

Anywho, having a decent understanding of other peoples' religions isn't a bad thing and can help eliminate misconceptions or prejudices.

***CaptHayfever*** · 10-01-2010, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Right-Wing Libertarian

Only 11% of the test takers knew that Jonathan Edwards participated in the First Great Awakening. Isn't that something you typically learn in 9th grade history class?

I learned about Edwards in 11th-grade English, reading "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God".

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

ZeldaGirl · 10-01-2010, 12:48 AM

^Word. And revisited again in my lit class last semester.

Sim Kid · 10-01-2010, 01:14 AM

If that CCD or whatever they learn to teach you about Catholicism and other religions was anything like the stuff I was forced to go to for a good 12 years (unlike my sister who went for only six and missed all of the gems and B.S. requirements but that's really off topic) or if it's like that in Catholic School, then I have a pretty good explanation as to why. :P If you went by what they taught about what other religions in the world were like, you'd probably think they offer virgin sacrifices still.

Gems they said about other religions:

-Muslims do not actually acknowledge Jesus or Abraham at all.
-Jewish people are instructed that the Messiah will be a Jewish man, because Jesus was not Jewish, he wasn't the Messiah.
-Hinduism was just described as, "Eastern Mythology"
-Mormons encourage polygamy, underage sex, and worship meteors. (No, I didn't get that one from Troper tales...I PUT that there.)
-Jehovah's Witnesses view it as a sin to speak to a Muslim.
-Jewish people will be the people fooled by the False Prophet in the book of revelations.
-The Mark of The Beast is a tattoo that is used in Buddhism and other "Eastern Mythology" and they drew a Manji on the whiteboard....except they still didn't know how to draw it, since it was drawn like a swastika.
-Judaism actually spread off from the Catholic Church
-Protestants actually encourage you to be married and pregnant at thirteen.

I'm sure you guys will probably get a kick out of this.

09-28-2010, 05:52 PM	#1
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Americans don't know much about religion Don't know much about religion? You're not alone, study finds – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs I'm posting this because A) I thought this was an interesting survey, and B) I'm curious to see how everyone else does on the sample survey at the top of the page. I got 10 out of 10. The only question I wasn't 100% sure about was the Jewish sabbath one.

09-28-2010, 11:43 PM	#7
Fairlight Excalibur Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: LA Gender: Posts: 880 Thanks: 72 Thanked 111 Times in 82 Posts Blog Entries: 1	A rather easy ten, but, as Capt hinted at, a trivia game does not prove much. EDIT: Can anyone find the full, 32-question quiz? A few minutes of googling only enabled me to find a 15-question version. U.S. Religious Knowledge Quiz Last edited by Fairlight Excalibur; 09-29-2010 at 12:08 AM.

09-28-2010, 05:58 PM	#2
I am nobody Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Over there. Gender: Posts: 5,515 Thanks: 309 Thanked 365 Times in 242 Posts Blog Entries: 7	I only missed the Jewish Sabbath one, but I don't think that poll does a good job of testing people's actual knowledge of other religions. Factual knowledge is great, but you need to know the concepts of a religion in order to truly understand it. I think the average scores for Americans would be far lower if it were a test on that, if all the hate against Muslims is anything to go by.

09-28-2010, 07:43 PM	#4
Jailbreaker Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Not in jail anymore, yay! Gender: Posts: 3,482 Thanks: 1,074 Thanked 185 Times in 118 Posts	"Where, according to the Bible, was Jesus born?" I read: "According to the bible, was Jesus born?" Also, got an 8/10. I thought I didn't know much about religion. I kind of expected that everyone else knew about these things.

09-28-2010, 09:05 PM	#5
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	This is almost all about Christianity.

09-28-2010, 11:36 PM	#6
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	Grand slammed that sucka! Too bad it wasn't deep enough to really test anything but whether or not you've heard of certain stuff. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

09-29-2010, 01:17 AM	#8
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	Top-sided the 15-question version, too. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

09-29-2010, 01:19 AM	#9
Fairlight Excalibur Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: LA Gender: Posts: 880 Thanks: 72 Thanked 111 Times in 82 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Not surprising, given that the same ten questions appear.

09-29-2010, 03:57 PM	#10
John Galt Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Little Ireland Gender: Posts: 490 Thanks: 20 Thanked 32 Times in 20 Posts	I got 100% on both tests. I thought the questions were rather easy.

09-29-2010, 09:24 PM	#11
Crazyswordsman This key doesn't work. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Booyaville (yeah!) Gender: Posts: 10,791 Thanks: 1,019 Thanked 686 Times in 467 Posts	^The test doesn't really go in-depth as to the beliefs of the religions, and most importantly, their histories (fundamentalists of pretty much all religions often ignore their religion from a historical standpoint and only think about it through a theological standpoint, which to me is a problem because knowing about the development of a religion is really important to understanding it). -CSM

09-30-2010, 03:37 PM	#13
Glux Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Home Gender: Posts: 7,122 Thanks: 647 Thanked 360 Times in 236 Posts Blog Entries: 3	I have a question. (Referring to the quiz) If I'm Lutheran, what the hell does knowing what religion Joseph Smith was, or what day the Jewish sabbath day begins, or what Ramadan is, have to do with ME knowing about what believe? Yeah I get the whole "religion as a whole", but if I'm not Jewish, I don't care, because I'm not Jewish. :B

09-30-2010, 04:36 PM	#14
Rainbow Dash been dreamin', i've been waitin' Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: a bomb-ass cloud house bachelorette pad Gender: Posts: 24,401 Thanks: 173 Thanked 1,179 Times in 716 Posts	8/10 only missed jewish sabbath question and the one about the indonesian religion ^ also did you not get taught anything about religion in school because i'm catholic and i knew what ramadan was and who joseph smith was (i know the sabbath is mostly saturday tho)

09-30-2010, 04:43 PM	#15
Glux Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Home Gender: Posts: 7,122 Thanks: 647 Thanked 360 Times in 236 Posts Blog Entries: 3	^ Yes I do know. J. Smith was Mormon, and the Jewish Sabbath starts on Friday, but point remains. If I'm not Jewish why do I need to know? I know about my religion. Knowing about someone else's religion doesn't affect what I believe. I'm just saying I never got why it was important to know.

09-30-2010, 05:31 PM	#17
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	^^ Maybe if you wanted to make an informed decision about what religion you belong to? Anywho, having a decent understanding of other peoples' religions isn't a bad thing and can help eliminate misconceptions or prejudices.

10-01-2010, 12:48 AM	#19
ZeldaGirl Awesome member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Why do YOU want to know...? Gender: Posts: 15,896 Thanks: 1,130 Thanked 1,919 Times in 1,046 Posts	^Word. And revisited again in my lit class last semester.

10-01-2010, 01:14 AM	#20
Sim Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The state of Denial Gender: Posts: 8,884 Thanks: 80 Thanked 198 Times in 122 Posts	If that CCD or whatever they learn to teach you about Catholicism and other religions was anything like the stuff I was forced to go to for a good 12 years (unlike my sister who went for only six and missed all of the gems and B.S. requirements but that's really off topic) or if it's like that in Catholic School, then I have a pretty good explanation as to why. :P If you went by what they taught about what other religions in the world were like, you'd probably think they offer virgin sacrifices still. Gems they said about other religions: -Muslims do not actually acknowledge Jesus or Abraham at all. -Jewish people are instructed that the Messiah will be a Jewish man, because Jesus was not Jewish, he wasn't the Messiah. -Hinduism was just described as, "Eastern Mythology" -Mormons encourage polygamy, underage sex, and worship meteors. (No, I didn't get that one from Troper tales...I PUT that there.) -Jehovah's Witnesses view it as a sin to speak to a Muslim. -Jewish people will be the people fooled by the False Prophet in the book of revelations. -The Mark of The Beast is a tattoo that is used in Buddhism and other "Eastern Mythology" and they drew a Manji on the whiteboard....except they still didn't know how to draw it, since it was drawn like a swastika. -Judaism actually spread off from the Catholic Church -Protestants actually encourage you to be married and pregnant at thirteen. I'm sure you guys will probably get a kick out of this.