Kathryn Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0105/Are-you-smarter-than-an-atheist-A-religious-quiz/ Are you smarter than an atheist? A religious quiz Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups in a 32-question survey of religious knowledge by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right. How will you do on the quiz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/archive/index.php/t-372544.html I got three wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 30. I knew I was hitting the wrong answer and knew the correct one as soon as I hit for the first one I missed (hate it when I do that). I don't remember missing another, but I must have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdalley Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 4 wrong though 3 of my guesses would have been correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I didn't know Maimonides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) Do people really not know this stuff? :confused: I only missed 1. I thought "Edwards" was too obvious for the awakening. How about questions about Holi or Samhaim? How about Jainism, Sikhism, or something cool like Zoroastrianism. Edited October 11, 2012 by Karen in CO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I guess I shouldn't be allowed to answer the silly poll. :D I did just to see. Do people really not know this stuff? :confused: I assume that the folks on TWTM will all score above the 20.9 mark. After all, we do have well trained minds :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljenn Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got two wrong, and I changed those from my first gut answer! Argh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I only got 25 correct. I didn't know any of the questions about Mormonism :tongue_smilie:. Guess I know what I need to catch up on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed 4. I was off on the date that the Mormon religion was founded. I knew it was around 1800 but didn't know if it was just before or just after. I also missed the salvation through faith alone question. I don't think all Protestants believe this. I guess they were not getting technical ;) I kind of knew they wanted the Protestant answer but couldn't bring myself to click it. I also didn't know Maimonides, and couldn't remember which religion went with the Dalai Lama. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I've taken it before and got them all correct. I think the title "Smarter than an atheist" is both misleading and insulting. Misleading to believers because it doesn't mean atheists are more intelligent; just better informed about various religions. Insulting to atheists because, well what does it mean? Most of us know "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?", so it sounds like atheists aren't supposed to be smart. :confused: The reason many atheists and agnostics do better is simply a matter of research. Many of us came from religious backgrounds, and didn't just stop believing in a deity/deities. We researched other religions to find out if maybe it was just our own we no longer believed in. By the time we come to the come to the conclusion that we don't believe any of them, we've learned a lot about most of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed the one about the time period for the founding of the Mormon religion. I mistakenly read it "Muslim" religion! :lol: My answer *would* have been right for the Muslim religion, and I knew the right answer for Mormon. Just misread the question. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) I missed one. Dalai Lama - I thought it was Buddhism and then second guessed myself and clicked on Hinduism. The questions seemed pretty basic. Edited October 10, 2012 by Meriwether Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 32/32. Pulling up those Catholic averages! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) That was fascinating! Mormon/LDS here, since you mentioned us :tongue_smilie:, with 32! Thanks given to my wonderful world religions class at BYU (LDS university). That's where I learned my Maimonides. Edited October 10, 2012 by LittleIzumi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 31/32 Buddhism and Hinduism are my weakest areas, so I missed the one about Nirvana. I probably used to know that.... (I'm LDS.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) I missed the First Great Awakening question. I didn't know Maimonides. I guessed, based on the name. So, I didn't really *know* that one, even though I guessed correctly. Edited October 10, 2012 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrub Jay Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 28, not bad. One wrong answer, when I saw the correct one, was a big fat duh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I'm a Christian and I had 1 incorrect (though I did guess on a few of the answers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 4 wrong. I thought the Catholics believed in salvation through faith alone, too. I knew that was a big change when protestantism was founded, but I guess I thought the Catholic church had changed. I had never heard of Maimonides. I got the first great awaking question wrong (was that different from the revivals?) ( I knew it wasn't Billy Graham.) And I didn't guess on Indonesia's main religion. Pretty proud of myself. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed four, but I used to be Mormon and I've taken School Law, so maybe that's cheating. :) I wonder if the findings actually have to do more with levels of education than with anything else. Perhaps of the people who took the test, the atheists had a higher level of education? Or perhaps it had to do with socioeconomic reasons. The answers to most of these just come from being aware of what's going on in the world and having a solid education, don't you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed one. I didn't know the main religion of Indonesia was it? Or Malaysia? Anyway, that one. I guessed Buddhist and it was Muslim. I'm an atheist. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed the one about the time period for the founding of the Mormon religion. I mistakenly read it "Muslim" religion! :lol: My answer *would* have been right for the Muslim religion, and I knew the right answer for Mormon. Just misread the question. :tongue_smilie: I almost did that too! I'm really surprised by what the averages listed on the site are, but I suppose I live in a bubble of education-minded people. I got them all right, and DH only missed Maimonides. I figured WTMers would do much better than the averages they listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I'm a Christian and Protestant, and I got them all right. I almost picked Hindu for Dalai Lama, then remembered that Richard Gere is Buddhist and the Dalai Lama is his guru, so therefore the Dalai Lama must be Buddhist. I feel like I should get a point off for using Hollywood to figure it out. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed one. I didn't know the main religion of Indonesia was it? Or Malaysia? Anyway, that one. I guessed Buddhist and it was Muslim. I'm an atheist. :) That's the one I missed, and I guessed Buddhist, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 28. I always mix up Buddhism and Hinduism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Missed one. Forgot about the First Awakening. But honestly, some were guesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed two - Maimonides and what year Mormonism was founded. I thought it was in 1800's. I'm currently atheist/agnostic, was raised United Methodist, my mother's family is all Catholic (and my ex is Catholic), my stepbrother and sister are Jewish, and I used to work for an Indian owned company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0105/Are-you-smarter-than-an-atheist-A-religious-quiz/ Are you smarter than an atheist? A religious quiz Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups in a 32-question survey of religious knowledge by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right. How will you do on the quiz? 31/32 right. Accidentally hit the wrong button on nirvana. Non-Catholic, nondenominational Christian here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I've taken it before and got them all correct. I think the title "Smarter than an atheist" is both misleading and insulting. Misleading to believers because it doesn't mean atheists are more intelligent; just better informed about various religions. Insulting to atheists because, well what does it mean? Most of us know "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?", so it sounds like atheists aren't supposed to be smart. :confused: I got 31. I would not have known who Maiomondes was except I just read about him in a book. I'm not an atheist, I am a Christian. But, I didn't take the title as insulting to atheists. I think it was using a "catchy" title, and just pointing out the fact that the people practicing religion should know more about it than those who don't practice religion. It's like if my non-homeschooling friend knew more about homeschooling than I did. It would be kind of embarassing ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gisel_le Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I didn't know Maimonides. :iagree: + I missed the one on nirvana, which I should've known. :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 4 wrong. I thought the Catholics believed in salvation through faith alone, too. I knew that was a big change when protestantism was founded, but I guess I thought the Catholic church had changed. semantics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got all of them right. That was a lot easier than I was expecting. I'm a Protestant, if that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 This was posted a while back and I missed two I think. I got them all right this time so I learned. Yay! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) I missed two - Maimonides and what year Mormonism was founded. I thought it was in 1800's. Mormonism was founded in the 1800s. Joseph Smith's first vision was in 1820. The church was actually founded in 1830. I missed two, but one was my computer's fault. :D Edited October 10, 2012 by DianeW88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed 1, but I consider this quiz a history quiz. After teaching/learning the WTM way for 8 years, how could I not know these? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 100%!!! I'd never heard of Maimedes (or however you spell it), but it sounded Greek, so I guessed he was Jewish. Off to google that guy (because I just can't accept the fact that I've never heard of him). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Missed zero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjmakmom Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I guess I shouldn't be allowed to answer the silly poll. :D I did just to see. Do people really not know this stuff? :confused: I only missed 1. I thought "Edwards" was too obvious for the awakening. How about questions about Holi or Samhaim? How about Jainism, Sikhism, or something cool like Zoroastrianism. That's the only one I missed, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I missed two - Maimonides and what year Mormonism was founded. I thought it was in 1800's.[\QUOTE] Mormonism was founded in the 1800s. Joseph Smith's first vision was in 1820. The church was actually founded in 1830. I missed two, but one was my computer's fault. :D My best friends in junior high and high school were Mormon which is probably why I knew the Mormon questions. I'm not Mormon, but we were probably the most similar in moral beliefs...our religious beliefs differed (I'm non-denominational non-Catholic Christian - as another poster put it :001_smile:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauriep Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I didn't know Maimonides. Same here. On one other I should have gotten it right, but hit another answer too soon. 30/32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Although it took me 20 minutes to take because the site was really slow. I got 2 wrong, one of them was the maimonides one and the other I knew was wrong as soon as I hit "next" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 100%!!! I'd never heard of Maimedes (or however you spell it), but it sounded Greek, so I guessed he was Jewish. Off to google that guy (because I just can't accept the fact that I've never heard of him). :iagree:me too, except that I'd heard of Maimonides, thanks to the inimitable Ester Maria. (Where are you, EM???) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) I got one wrong. Unsurprisingly, as a cradle Catholic, I had no earthly idea who was prominent in the First Great Awakening. I only recognized the name Billy Graham, and of course I realized that he was a wee young. I didn't know the other names at all. Edited October 10, 2012 by kijipt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 30/32 One of the ones I missed was the Dalai Lama, which I guess I should have known, but I also missed the definition of agnostic. I had to go look it up after I finished. I really have not understood agnosticism at all! Learned something new today. Oh, and I'm a protestant Christian with an LDS best friend, which is why I rocked the Mormon questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 32/32. Pulling up those Catholic averages! :D :lol: I missed 1, but I consider this quiz a history quiz. After teaching/learning the WTM way for 8 years, how could I not know these? :D Seriously! I got 30/32, and I'm an atheist. I'm sort of surprised that the average scores are so low, though. I agree that they seemed to be pretty basic questions. I've never heard of the First Great Awakening, though. I can't remember the other one I got wrong. ETA: Oh, I remember! It was the one about salvation through faith. I thought there were a few Protestant denoms that didn't believe that faith alone would save, no? I thought I remembered a long and heated thread about it here once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom23Boys Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I got 30 right. I knew one and second guessed myself and changed it. Always go with your first instinct!! :tongue_smilie: I am Protestant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Would you tell me if Maimonides was ... ? Well, I knew it was either Jewish or Hindu...guessed wrong. At least that was the only one I missed. Not too bad for a Protestant, I guess :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 ETA: Oh, I remember! It was the one about salvation through faith. I thought there were a few Protestant denoms that didn't believe that faith alone would save, no?I agree with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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