Yesterday I posted some key findings from the Pew Forum of Religion and the Public Life’s US Religious Landscape Survey. The full survey became available today. Download both PDFs. I imagine that there will be some useful information for some people that frequent the site.
However, I’m confused and I need your help. One of the findings of the full study asserts
21% of American atheists believe in God. (12% of American atheists believe in Heaven and 10% believe in Hell.) 55% of American agnostics believe in God.
Ummm… I says pardon.
Have words lost their meaning? I may be wrong but I was fairly sure that a disbelief in the existence of God was a pretty solid requirement to be an atheist. Iyon writes this “suggests to me that we have one very poorly designed survey or a country with plenty of people who have trouble with polysyllabic words.”
TEST:
Question 1: Are you an atheist? (person checks yes)
Question 2: Do you not not believe in the existence of God? (person checks yes)
On the other hand, seeing that a good portion of the population seem to think that definitely is spelled “definately”; wonder if cognitive dissonance might be some sort of bowel infection and epistemology could be the study of urination; or guess that Esoteric was the name of an band or album from the 70’s Iyon’s second conclusion may well be correct!
Monosyllabic Atheist says, “Me like quiz. Me check box. Me no think God is. What is “ex… ex-is.. ex-is-tenc..? Me check box!”
Filed under: Religion
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Freaken brilliant. My cognitive dissonance on this issue gives me bowel infections…
Atheism is probably more accurately descriptive as a person who is bitter against some combination of church/God/parents/sunday school/person who stole lunch money from them in grade 4.