American students are at the top rank of confidence in their academic abilities, even though more than 20 other countries rank higher in actual academic ability. Now it turns out, according to a study done by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, that though America is one of the most “religious” nations in the world as judged by basic beliefs, church attendance, etc., Americans don’t know what they’re talking about. The study asks people 32 objective questions on topics of faith and religion. White mainline Protestants got 15.8 questions right and White Catholics got 16 questions right–these were the middle groupings. But get this: the group that got the highest percentage of questions on faith and religion right at 20.9 out of 32? Atheists and agnostics. Jews and Mormons were second and third.
Make of it what you will–and there will be surely many interpretations–all of us who are believers need to do better. Faith isn’t just an opinion, and it’s not a fire insurance policy. It is the movement of us mere mortals into a universe of spiritual realities that we will only know a very small sliver about. There is no growth of faith without a driving curiously to learn more.
Want to take the quiz yourself? Go here.