Jump directly to the Content

More Evidence of Religious and Biblical Illiteracy

New survey finds atheists know more about religion and the Bible than evangelicals.

The results of a Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life survey have been widely reported this week. Pew asked 3,400 Americans 32 questions about the Bible, Christianity, and other world religions. The results were surprising. It turns out that on average atheists answered more questions correctly than evangelicals.

Average number of questions answered correctly, out of 32:

Atheist/agnostic: 20.9

Jewish: 20.5

Mormon: 20.3

White evangelical: 17.6

White Catholic: 16.0

White mainline Protestant: 15.8

Black Protestant: 13.4

Hispanic Catholic: 11.6

Pew has posted an online version of the survey. Take the quiz and see if you average better than other Americans.

There has been an outcry for years about Biblical ignorance in the church, and this latest survey only adds fuel to that fire. But how do we reconcile the continuing decline in biblical knowledge with the fact that we have access to more Bible teaching than any Christians in history. According to figures in 2005, Americans spent nearly $7 billion ...

July/August
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Dave Gibbons' Hardcore Lent
Dave Gibbons' Hardcore Lent
Could you give up exercise, sex, and social media for 40 days?
From the Magazine
Eric Liddell’s Legacy Still Tracks, 100 Years Later
Eric Liddell’s Legacy Still Tracks, 100 Years Later
With his refusal to race on Sunday, the Scottish sprinter showcased a bigger story about Christians in sports.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close