Pew: 8 facts about atheists

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:14 of 15 questions right
Atheist since 2000

“On average, they answered about 18 out of 32 fact-based questions correctly, while U.S. adults overall got roughly 14 questions right.”

The link posted is for a different survey than the one referenced in Pew’s report on atheism.

The linked religious test only has 15 questions, and the test referenced in the op has 32 questions.

I took the linked 15 question test. It asked a few extremely easy and basic questions about the major world religions. I don’t know if knowing a few facts about each religion makes one knowledgeable. I got a perfect score and I am not knowledgeable about any religion. I just know a few things about the world’s major religions.

Maybe the answer is that atheists are educated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is OP obsessing over atheism?

Are you questioning your faith? Or do you just enjoy antagonizing others?

How is posting a Pew Research link that merely shows Pew Research results and research about atheists antagonizing others?

You post about athiests and then complain because athiests are posting in a religion forum.

At least you don't deny obsessing over atheism.

Does anyone think it’s creepy that this poster, an anonymous poster as we all are, knows another anonymous poster’s post history?

How would someone know what others post if we are all anonymous?

Are you a mod that has access to posters posting history or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is OP obsessing over atheism?

Are you questioning your faith? Or do you just enjoy antagonizing others?

How is posting a Pew Research link that merely shows Pew Research results and research about atheists antagonizing others?

You post about athiests and then complain because athiests are posting in a religion forum.

At least you don't deny obsessing over atheism.

Does anyone think it’s creepy that this poster, an anonymous poster as we all are, knows another anonymous poster’s post history?

How would someone know what others post if we are all anonymous?

Are you a mod that has access to posters posting history or something?

They don’t know for sure. They made an overly broad statement based on your style, and now you’ve outed yourself. Most people here are just testing spaghetti. Some things stick and others fall flat.

[Anonymous]

Some religious people, let's be honest, know very little about their religion. "Dumb as a fundamentalist Baptist" comes to mind.

Anyway, I'm an atheist and got 15 out of 15. And yes, I adore the Bible, particularly the OT as history and literature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you believe in a higher power, you are not an atheist.

Some atheists believe in a non-spiritual higher power. Like they believe in scientific forces and concepts as a higher power that shapes and controls the lives of humans and other beings. But they do not believe that there is a god pulling the strings behind the scenes.

So some atheists might believe in a "higher power" but not believe in any gods.

A useful thing about understanding this is that it reveals how personal belief systems are, and how dependent on language, which can be imprecise. I've also heard s dentists who maintain religious beliefs describe their beliefs in God in a similar way-- like to point to the principles of physics or natural forces and say "that is God at work " They say God, an atheist would not, but the difference in their beliefs system is to some degree semantic.

Obviously many religious people and atheists are further apart than that (most atheists would not describe scientific forces as a "higher power" and many Christians are skeptical of science to begin with) but I think it's interesting that some are closer together than you'd expect.

I can't see how anyone could argue that scientific forces (like gravity, centrifugal force etc.) aren't "higher powers." I'd add evolution through natural selection, but that one may be more disputed.

Because “higher power” indicates some kind of hierarchy, and the natural world has no hierarchies.

Plus it’s ridiculous new age woo woo bullcrap and it is a phrase that has no space in any scientific discussion. Even spinoza’s god or the god of the gaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is OP obsessing over atheism?

Are you questioning your faith? Or do you just enjoy antagonizing others?

How is posting a Pew Research link that merely shows Pew Research results and research about atheists antagonizing others?

You post about athiests and then complain because athiests are posting in a religion forum.

At least you don't deny obsessing over atheism.

Does anyone think it’s creepy that this poster, an anonymous poster as we all are, knows another anonymous poster’s post history?

How would someone know what others post if we are all anonymous?

Are you a mod that has access to posters posting history or something?

Yep. I'm the pp she was responding to (how is posting a Pew Research link...?), and I'm not OP. I don't "obsess" about atheists because you guys aren't as massively interesting as you think. I do, however, like polls and responded to defend this one. So, pp who wrote "You post about atheists...." had a telepathy fail.

[Anonymous]

I got 12 out of 15 of the linked questions right. I firmly believe the more you know about religion, the less you believe in it provided you aren't brainwashed. For example, many religions have flood myths. If you really think about it, it makes sense, Ancient civilizations liked being near water- it's not like they had running water. Also, ancient people had no way to actually perceive how big ( or small) earth is. So, when a flood eventually occurred through an act of climate, not a wrathful God, their perception was that the world was destroyed, because THEIRS was.
I feel bad. A whole lot of people have died for NO reason in the name of various Gods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got 12 out of 15 of the linked questions right. I firmly believe the more you know about religion, the less you believe in it provided you aren't brainwashed. For example, many religions have flood myths. If you really think about it, it makes sense, Ancient civilizations liked being near water- it's not like they had running water. Also, ancient people had no way to actually perceive how big ( or small) earth is. So, when a flood eventually occurred through an act of climate, not a wrathful God, their perception was that the world was destroyed, because THEIRS was.
I feel bad. A whole lot of people have died for NO reason in the name of various Gods.

There actually was a huge flood in the Black Sea about 7500 years ago. https://www.science.org/content/article/questions-about-noahs-flood-theory#:~:text=Many%20scientists%20accept%20the%20idea,the%20Mediterranean%207500%20years%20ago. I know someone who went out on one of the scientific ships that studied this.

Also, many Jews and Christians see the stories that grew up around that as being allegorical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14 of 15 questions right
Atheist since 2000

13/15
Official atheist since 2007 but in reality probably college so mid-90’s

[Anonymous]

14/15 - atheist since the 1980s.

[Anonymous]

15/15 - atheist since elementary school, but couldn’t really put a name to it until I was in middle school or so. It distressed my devout mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:14 of 15 questions right
Atheist since 2000

“On average, they answered about 18 out of 32 fact-based questions correctly, while U.S. adults overall got roughly 14 questions right.”

The link posted is for a different survey than the one referenced in Pew’s report on atheism.

The linked religious test only has 15 questions, and the test referenced in the op has 32 questions.

I took the linked 15 question test. It asked a few extremely easy and basic questions about the major world religions. I don’t know if knowing a few facts about each religion makes one knowledgeable. I got a perfect score and I am not knowledgeable about any religion. I just know a few things about the world’s major religions.

I think the weird thing about the test is that apparently people who are religious don't know as much about religion as people who aren't.

I think atheists are probably better educated and also more curious about different cultures.

[Anonymous]

I’m shocked it’s only 4% of US adults?! I’m a millennial and just about everyone I know is an atheist. I don’t know a single person who attends religious services, even infrequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked it’s only 4% of US adults?! I’m a millennial and just about everyone I know is an atheist. I don’t know a single person who attends religious services, even infrequently.

Polls are not reliable. Think about who would even answer one.

[Anonymous]

Seems that 28-30% of Americans are "nones".