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.
. . .Among the topics covered in the survey were: Where was Jesus born? What is Ramadan? Whose writings inspired the Protestant Reformation? Which Biblical figure led the exodus from Egypt? What religion is the Dalai Lama? Joseph Smith? Mother Theresa? In most cases, the format was multiple choice.
The New York Times has more in its report.
UPDATE: Here’s a 15-question quiz: U.S. Religious Knowledge Quiz. 15 correct out of 15 here.
But it’s alright. You don’t need (or even want) facts if you have faith!
Stunningly easy quiz for me. I knew all this stuff by the time I was in high school, except for the question about Mother Theresa. Until she was on the cover of Time in December 75, she was outside my ken.
Someone once said that knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. Or as Ken B. said, you don’t need facts to have faith.
The result is billions of idiots who think they are acting at the behest of the Almighty.