Data Suggest Non-Believers Don’t Believe for a Reason
On September 28. 2010, Laurie Goldstein of the New York Times reported on a Pew Forum poll that confirms something I’ve known for a long time: Atheists are more knowledgeable about religion than believers.
In a phone survey of 3,400 people in the U.S., self-identified atheists and agnostics scored higher than every category of religious believer (though only slightly higher than Jews and Mormons) on knowledge about the world’s religions.
I found it especially interesting that the average non-believer scored so much higher than the average Evangelical Protestant in the poll’s 32-item quiz. The atheist/agnostic mean was 20.9, almost three and a half points higher than the white Evangelical average.
The data didn’t surprise me, and didn’t surprise American Atheists president Dave Silverman either. As he told the Times, “I have heard many times that atheists know more about religion than religious people. Atheism is an effect of that knowledge, not a lack of knowledge. I gave a Bible to my daughter. That’s how you make atheists.”
Editor’s Note: This was originally published on September 28, 2010 and is being reproduced following editing and picture placement by MMA staff.
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Carol Bell
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What????? Stimpy’s no more????…WHY???
Very interesting post Stimp. I am pleased to announce that I simply do not know enough about this subject to pass judgment. I simply try to get through each day offending as few people as I possibly can and helping as many as I can. I think that all things are special in their own way. I do not know if I am doing right or doing wrong but it makes me comfortable in my own skin and for the time being that is all that counts. If that changes I will let everyone know. If you like my philosophy fine; if not I will sic my dog on you. 🙂
Actually I won’t because he is too busy with his inner peace. 🙂
Mr. Stimpson no longer writes for us Bill, however we re-market posts from time to time with some heavy editing, as we did here. The original post wasn’t quite ready for the prom 🙂
Just to let everyone know THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON POST has a new web address over at wordpress.com. It’s http://jackjodell53.wordpress.com/. Thanks for your continued patronage!
Thanks Jack. Not been there yet but if you’re here that’s good enough for me any day.
Oh dear Stimpy old bean…based on the pic you will have a Fatwa issued against you shortly…;-)
As an Athiest – my wifey insists on saying I’m Agnostic – I’ve no idea – I seem to understand the Middle East better than she (as a practising Christian) does…
It’s Sunni Vs Shiite Muslim (notice that I’m behaving myself for once and not saying Sunni Vs Shite)…oh…er…oops…
Actually Sunni Muslims are generally the ‘blow everybody up’ branch of the Muslim family and the Shiites tend to be a bit more moderate…Also the ‘Sunni’ branch of Islam tends to be the ‘ruling’ branch as in Saudi and Bahrain etc despite being very much the minority in said country.
Odd really. You’d think ‘Sunni’ (Sunny) Muslims would be rather jolly and Shiite (Shite) would be the bad guys…
Not the case apparently (and according to my good Muzzie pal Mo Noor who clearly knows about such things I am correct in this assessment)
It appears I should welcome Shiite to my door as they are a damn sight safer.
Now before you start…the spelling IS NOT MINE!
Yes old bean. I know the spelling is not yours. Once upon a time in a world far, far away I had a beautiful Rottweiler named Lightning. When I walked him and wanted him to do his “duty” I would say “Shiite Muslim,” and within moments the job was done. That of course was back in the day when the SM’s were doing some very, very bad things.
On the one hand, you have the hypocritical religionists, like the majority of Christians who love to twist the “accepted” version of the Bible while pronouncing all non-church-goers as sinners. This same group believes that “Thou Shalt Not Kill” has an asterisk after it (such as *except in cases of war, *except in cases of state-performed executions, and *except in cases of killing other species for fun or profit.) They also usually support hatred of other races, religions other than their own, and any deviancy from the norm, such as homosexuals.
On the other hand, you have the non-believers who scoff that any Superior Being could exist and that any one who does believe in the Supernatural is an idiot. They also believe that nothing is a miracle and the supernatural can all be explained away scientifically. There is no belief in an afterlife — life sucks and then you die, basically, My life got twisted upside down And I’d like to take a minute
Just sit right there I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air
Jecky you make some great points and it’s a pleasure to finally meet the Prince of Bel Air. Praise Jesus 🙂
What great pictures not to mention the results of the poll. Makes one proud to be an Atheist.
I am an atheist. I am not a pagan nor spiritual in any way. But I do appreciate people and community and nature and art, every day. I’m not a dualist either: Everything is a miracle AND nothing is, and that’s fine with me.
On the one hand, you have the hypocritical religionists, like the majority of Christians who love to twist the “accepted” version of the Bible while pronouncing all non-church-goers as sinners. This same group believes that “Thou Shalt Not Kill” has an asterisk after it (such as *except in cases of war, *except in cases of state-performed executions, and *except in cases of killing other species for fun or profit.) They also usually support hatred of other races, religions other than their own, and any deviancy from the norm, such as homosexuals.
On the other hand, you have the non-believers who scoff that any Superior Being could exist and that any one who does believe in the Supernatural is an idiot. They also believe that nothing is a miracle and the supernatural can all be explained away scientifically. There is no belief in an afterlife — life sucks and then you die, basically, is their philosophy.
But then beyond that, you have the spiritual believers, who believe that the miracle of life and the beauty of nature can only be the work of a Superior Being. They have personally experienced miracles in answered prayers and synchronicity, and have usually had dramatic life-changing events and/or epiphanies. They believe the accepted version of the Bible has been heavily corrupted and that the truth is found in the so-called “Lost Books” such as Gospel of the Holy 12 and the Essene Gospel of Peace.
They believe that the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” pertains to all living creatures and there is no exception, except in extreme circumstances of self-defense. They believe that there is a big battle of good and evil going on in the world; that God rules the Heavens but Satan rules the earth. They also believe in karmic retribution and a heavenly afterlife that welcomes all species, both those innocent and those who have learned from their lives.
Basically, though, this quote by Albert Einstein says it all: “There are only two ways to live your life — one is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Smokey12499, Michael Scott. Michael Scott said: RT @madmike1 Data Suggest Non-Believers Don't Believe for a Reason http://bit.ly/b8Eedo […]
I have often found in my verbal tussles with the religious that this is true. I have also had many hours of fun making up fake verses and drawing em into discussions…..
I did read a brilliant quote from someone far wittier than I, along the lines of ” Christians read their bible just like a software license. They just skip to the end and click “I agree”.
Oso – Loved the quote at the end. I read the version in the Chicago Tribune this morning. I’m not surprised either. My children went to Catholic schools but raised at home with exposure to everything from the esoteric to Mother Earth. I have some very well rounded children.
Thank you dmz. Your children are lucky to have you raising them, as I’m sure you feel lucky to have them!
Interesting thing about the poll–it also determined that Mormons are as knowledgeable as atheist and agnostics.
Thank God the atheist in the featured photo has such an impressive set of atheist knockers.
After three…
One
Two
Three
“Always look on the brightside of life
de dum, de dum de dum de dum”
“He’s not the Messiah he’s a very naughty boy!”
Oso…am I alright with my bacon sandwiches? Please say ‘yes’!!!
Long as it’s cooked mate eat ’em all you want!
It sounds pretty valid to me. As MH writes,allow people to evaluate info and make up their own minds. Maybe analogous to vegetarians who know more about meat than carrnivores. All I can say for the “believers” side is, had we not been so monstrously inhumane over the millenias possibly this might not be an issue.
This is no surprise. Let the kid go to church, but let them question authority. Make it plain that humans do not have all the answers about the mysteries of the world, but magic can be tested. How many zealots do anything like think for themselves? A good follower is not a thinker. That is what religions cultivate.