Staff editorial: Atheists, Agnostics score highest on religious survey

A survey by Pew Forum found that atheists and agnostics were more
knowledgeable about religion than other groups. 

We’re going to go ahead and say that this is not a shocker.

There are few things that are embraced collectively around the world.

Like language and love, religion is instilled in most people from a very young age. The matter of faith is important on a personal level. While it isn’t a mandatory way to live your life, it is suggested by many cultures that the belief in a higher being will lead to success in all aspects of life.

Apparently, success in the knowledge of faith didn’t come with that bargain.
In the recent survey conducted by the Pew Forum, atheists and agnostics were more knowledgeable when it came to religious and public knowledge, scoring an average of 20.9 out of 30 questions.

While Jews and Mormons scored relatively close with an average of 20.5 and 20.3 respectively, Protestants, the largest practicing sect of Christianity in the U.S. (according to previous Pew Forum surveys), scored an average of 16. Catholics, the second largest sect, averaged a 14.9.

Now, those of strong faith that hold their god of choice nearest and dearest to their heart have obviously put up the defenses on this matter. It wouldn’t be disagreeable to understand where they are coming from.

How can you test someone’s beliefs? How do you know what is in their hearts?
However, this isn’t what the survey was conducting.

The survey documented just how much general knowledge the public has on different religions, and how we deal with it socially (the presence of religion in public schools, for instance).

It would make complete sense for an atheist or an agnostic person to score higher than someone of faith because they have likely already tested
themselves out of believing.

When a person is devout in their faith, they hardly ever question for the fear of being proven wrong, or even understanding fully. Faith and religion are matters of the heart, not of the mind.

But, for someone who has decided to purge such an accepted concept, it would probably take years of exploring and questioning not only the religion they started with, but also others just to be sure there might not be a better choice.

It is never easy to go against the social norm without being completely sure.
So, naturally, in the quest to negate the possibility of a “true” religion, an atheist or agnostic would have had years of researching the facts and histories for solid answers. While most people of religious standings would merely know what they have heard in their church or been told by their parents. 

A survey like this isn’t really telling of whether or not people are true to their religion or to their faith.

One could say that this is embarrassing, but there are really only two sorts of people that this survey split Americans into: people who have challenged the ideas behind faith and those who have not.