Atheists & Agnostics Beat the Religious on Religion Survey

On a U.S. survey of religious knowledge Atheists and agnostics did better than evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

Overall, knowledge was thin. The average respondent got 16 of the 32 questions right.

- Atheists and agnostics averaged 20.9 correct answers.
- Jews and Mormons came in at 20.5 and 20.3, respectively.
- Protestants: 16.
- Catholics: 14.7.

The survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

What's going on?

Here's one idea: American atheists and agnostics tend to be people who grew up in a religious tradition and consciously gave it up, often after a great deal of reflection and study, said Alan Cooperman, associate director for research at the Pew Forum, in a Los Angeles Times article. "These are people who thought a lot about religion," he said. "They're not indifferent. They care about it."

Comme quoi, être athée résulte bien d'un choix informé, réfléchi et rationnel.