I saw this yesterday, and the report is really misleading. I looked at the data tables, and by far practicing religious people scored the best. It was the non-practicing folks who skewed it, and most of the 'religious' respondents identified themselves as non-practicing.
Did they define "practicing" and does that really matter? And by your response I assume you think 'religious' people that don't practice aren't 'religious'?
I only looked at the data tables and not the methodology, so I can't say how it was defined. I think it does matter. One person identified themself as a Lutheren, and under church attendance had 'never'. Would you really expect that person to understand the doctrine of co-substantiation? That wasn't the intent. I know a bunch of people who call themselves Jews. Hundreds. My god-father is a Jew. I know two of these Jews that have ever been to temple in their adult lives. Most of them were never bar or bat mitzfahed. They still identify themselves as Jews. I also know many people who put Catholic on these type of surveys because their parents, or grandparents were Catholic, not because they know any doctrines of the Church.
But I take that as the whole point of the survey. People call themselves religious but know nothing about it. Thus why I bolded blind faith.
It was misleading I read the article and looked at the data tables as well, Supa is right as usual (except when he said he is for abolishing the department of education)
I find that a lot of those who consider themselves religious are the farthest thing from a Christian. Present company excluded of course.
That was the point of the survey, but their methodology was poor. You have to distinguish between people who identify with a religious heritage, who identify with that heritage, and people who are actually religious. There is a difference between the Jew who does to temple, the Hew who doesn't go to temple but has studied his faith, and the Jew that is only a Jew because his lastname is Rothstein.
Then show us this data. The source of the report, U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows exactly what was reported above. You just don't like what it says. How does this work?
