It’s kind of intuitive: someone who goes to church would be more knowledgeable about religion. Intuitive, maybe, but according to a new poll from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, it’s wrong. In reality, atheists and agnostics tend to know more about religion. The survey found, for example, that the majority of Protestants couldn’t identity Martin Luther as the driving force behind their religion. And Catholics scored lowest overall, getting only about 15 of 32 questions on religion correct. Atheists meanwhile, got 21 of the questions right. What does that say about faith and religion? Why would atheists know more about something they don’t even believe in?
Guest:
Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the USC Annenberg School for Communication