Recently, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a significant survey about religion consisting of questions on the Bible, world religions and religious figures.
Check out www.PewForum.org for an in depth analysis of the results.
What you will find is that among the respondents to the survey, Atheists scored higher than Christians, Jews and Mormons!
Mormons were the second highest.
There has been much commentary printed over the past week concerning the ignorance of our Evangelical brethren concerning their own Faith System and what that means.
Well, simply, it means that we as Christians are selfish. It also means that the teachers of Christianity are FAILING at their jobs.
That’s what it means… so what are YOU going to do about it?
Here is that Pew Forum quiz… see how you do (the answers follow after…):
32. When does the Jewish Sabbath begin?
A) Friday
B) Saturday
C) Sunday
D) Don’t know
31. What is Ramadan?
A) The Hindu festival of lights
B) A Jewish day of atonement
C) The Islamic holy month
D) Don’t know
30. Do you happen to know which of these is the king of gods in ancient Greek mythology?
A) Zeus
B) Mars
C) Apollo
D) Don’t know
29. Which of these religions aims at nirvana, the state of being free from suffering?
A) Islam
B) Buddhism
C) Hinduism
D) Don’t know
28. In which religion are Vishnu and Shiva central figures?
A) Islam
B) Hinduism
C) Taoism
D) Don’t know
27. What is an atheist?
A) Someone who believes in God
B) Someone who does NOT believe in God
C) Someone who is unsure whether God exists
D) Don’t know
26. What is an agnostic?
A) Someone who believes in God
B) Someone who does NOT believe in God
C) Someone who is unsure whether God exists
D) Don’t know
25. Where, according to the Bible, was Jesus born?
A) Bethlehem
B) Jericho
C) Jerusalem
D) Nazareth
E) Don’t know
24. When was the Mormon religion founded?
A) Before the year 1200 A.D.
B) Between 1200 and 1800
C) Sometime after 1800
D) Don’t know
23. The Book of Mormon tells the story of Jesus Christ appearing to people in what area of the world?
A) The Americas
B) Middle East
C) Asia
D) Don’t know
22. Which of the following best describes Catholic teaching about the bread and wine used for Communion?
A) The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
B) The bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ
C) Other
D) Don’t know
21. Which of these religious groups traditionally teaches that salvation comes through faith alone?
A) Only Protestants
B) Only Catholics
C) Both Protestants and Catholics
D) Neither Protestants nor Catholics
E) Don’t know
20. Please tell me which of the following is NOT one of the Ten Commandments?
A) Do not commit adultery
B) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
C) Do not steal
D) Keep the Sabbath holy
E) All are in the Ten Commandments
F) Don’t know
19. Which Bible figure is most closely associated with remaining obedient to God despite suffering?
A) Job
B) Elijah
C) Moses
D) Abraham
E) Don’t know
18. Which Bible figure is most closely associated with leading the exodus from Egypt
A) Job
B) Elijah
C) Moses
D) Abraham
E) Don’t know
17. Which Bible figure is most closely associated with willingness to sacrifice his son for God?
A) Job
B) Elijah
C) Moses
E) Abraham
F) Don’t know
16. Would you tell me if Mother Teresa was …
A) Jewish
B) Catholic
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don’t know
15. Would you tell me if the Dalai Lama is …?
A) Catholic
B) Jewish
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don’t know
14. Would you tell me if Joseph Smith was …?
A) Catholic
B) Jewish
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don’t know
13. Would you tell me if Maimonides was … ?
A) Catholic
B) Jewish
C) Buddhist
D) Mormon
E) Hindu
F) Don’t know
12. Which of the following statements best describes what the U.S. Constitution (including amendments) says about religion?
A) Christianity should be given special emphasis by the government
B) The government shall neither establish a religion nor interfere with the practice of religion
C) The Constitution does not say anything one way or the other about religion
D) Don’t know
11. According to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, is a public school teacher permitted to lead a class in prayer?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Don’t know
10. Do you happen to know what religion most people in India consider themselves?
A) Buddhist
B) Hindu
C) Muslim
D) Christian
E) Don’t know
9. According to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, is a public school teacher permitted to read from the Bible as an example of literature?
A) Yes
B) No
C) don’t know
8. According to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, is a public school teacher permitted to offer a class comparing the world’s religions?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Don’t know
7. Do you happen to know what religion most people in Indonesia consider themselves?
A) Buddhist
B) Hindu
C) Muslim
D) Christian
E) Don’t know
6. Do you happen to know what religion most people in Pakistan consider themselves?
A) Buddhist
B) Hindu
C) Muslim
D) Christian
E) Don’t know
5. What was the name of the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation?
A) Martin Luther
B) Thomas Aquinas
C) John Wesley
D) Don’t know
4. Which one of these preachers participated in the period of religious activity known as the First Great Awakening?
A) Billy Graham
B) Jonathan Edwards
C) Charles Finney
D) Don’t know
3. Do you happen to know the name of the holy book of Islam?
This is not a multiple choice question.
Write your answer down, and go to the next question.
2. What is the first book of the Bible?
These is not a multiple choice question.
Please jot your answer down and go to the next question.
1. Will you tell me the names of the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible, that is the Four Gospels?
Again, this is not a multiple choice question.
Write your answers down.
The correct answers are as follows:
32) A – Friday
31) C – The Islamic holy month
30) A – Zeus
29) B – Buddhism
28) B – Hinduism
27) B- Someone who does NOT believe in God
* Some might disagree with Pew’s characterization of atheism and agnosticism. Strictly speaking, atheism is the belief that God does not exist. Agnosticism, a term coined in 1869 by English biologist T.H. Huxley, is the belief that the existence of God is unknowable.
26) C – Someone who is unsure whether God exists
25) A – Bethlehem
24) C – Sometime after 1800
23) A – The Americas
22) A – The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
21) A – Only Protestants
20) B – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
19) A – Job
18) C – Moses
17) E – Abraham
16) B -Catholic
15) C -Buddhist
14) D – Mormon
13) B – Jewish
12) B – The government shall neither establish a religion nor interfere with the practice of religion
11) B – No
10) B – Hindu
9) A – Yes
eight) A – Yes
7) C – Muslim
6) C – Muslim
5) A – Martin Luther
4) B – Jonathan Edwards
3) Quran
2) Genesis
1) Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
HOW DID YOU DO?
JESUS IS LORD
Rev. Daniel Gabriel
Discussion
No comments yet.