"All religions have this in common, that they are an outrage to common sense, for they are pieced together out of a variety of elements, some of which seem so unworthy, sordid, and at odds with man's reason that any strong and vigorous intelligence laughs at them." -Pierre Charron
Here's an article about a recent survey of Americans' knowledge about religion. While most articles I've read about the survey results express surprise, I expect most atheists would agree that it comes as no shock to find out that we know more about religion than actual religious people.
After all, it was an American survey. There are no definite numbers, but most studies show that less than 10% of Americans don't believe in some sort of God. Since over 90% do believe, and are teaching their children to do the same, it's far easier to simply believe by default. For most people, choosing to be an atheist is a decision that requires a lot of studying and "soul" searching, not to mention courage to be willing to face the incredible social stigma that comes with the title "Atheist." And of course, we don't have the luxury of answering any difficult question with "faith," every believer's favorite way of plugging their ears and saying "not listening!" So no, I'm not surprised.
However, it's the implications of the results that interest me most. Again unsurprisingly, I've yet to see any articles that mention this. It seems to me that the people who know the most about religion use that knowledge to make the decision to become atheistic. Does this mean that if more people took the time to study different religions, especially their own, they would also decide not to believe in them? It would appear most people's choices to follow a religion are not informed decisions. And do they subconsciously realize this, and choose not to learn more? Ignorance is bliss, right?
Along the same lines, I spent my whole adolescence being taught how horribly evil liberal higher education is. How difficult it is to maintain your faith, since everyone will be attacking it and you, especially professors. My mom even bought me the book How to Stay a Christian in College when I went. And it made sense, since most atheists are better educated than the average person. It wasn't till later that I realized, if higher education tends to lead one away from religion, is it likely that this is because schools are somehow just a bad influence? Or is it much more likely that a better education encourages atheism because once one learns the facts, it becomes increasingly clear that religion doesn't have a leg to stand on? Apologetics claims that science can be used to "prove" Christianity. So why do only 7% of our nation's leading scientists say they believe in a god, compared to around 7% who don't in the general population?
Obviously, one simple study doesn't prove any of these things. But it's interesting how few people seem to come away having even thought of them.
