JIm

Well, this thread was a bit intereting until xxx started to reach into the grab bag of history, going back thousands of years to prove his point, whatever that might be.

xxx

<BR><BR>The point is simple: when a person of any religion interprets &quot;holy&quot; words literally, and cannot tolerate others whose views differ, hatred is sure to follow, and this hatred often begets violence. <BR><BR>&quot;Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.&quot; -- Blaise Pascal

x

97% of Mexicans can find their country on a map? Congratulations. Now if only 97% of them could find their way BACK to there own country!

Me

As another poster stated, I think these results say much more about a general lack of interest in what's going on in the world than a lack of intelligence. It helps to explain why so many people can be so easily led into believing that the threat from Iraq is more important than the faltering economy, corporate corruption, or even the war on terror.

xxx

<BR><BR>I would agree that, to a certain extent, the results say more about a general lack of interest in what's going on in the world than a lack of intelligence. <BR><BR>However, the question about the euro--where only 44% of U.S. respondents correctly guessed that it was the EUROpean Union which endorses the EURO as the common currency for its members--does lead me to believe that there is, if not a lack of intelligence, a serious lack of fundamental reasoning skills. <BR>

something

Geography is one thing, and yes, like physics or music, some people are interested, some are not. A pity, but also a fact.<BR>But that almost a third of the US respondents thinks that the US population is somewhere between 1 and 2 billion baffles me.<BR>The choices were:<BR>(a) 10 to 50 mio<BR>(b) 150 to 350 mio <BR>(c) 500 to 750 mio <BR>(d) 1 bio to 2 bio<BR>Only 25 % had the right answer. All other countries scored better.<BR><BR>Does it mean that one in three thinks that there are more Americans than any other nationality in this world?<BR>Or that there are as many Americans as Chinese? Or simply that they have no clue and couldn't care less? Remember, these are voters, not just children.<BR><BR>Intelligence is not the issue here. Education is the key, from parents and schools. <BR>We all have to do something about it, because ignorance is a dangerous thing.<BR>

Kent

Darn religion question! 19/20!

Sheila

Just for passing interest, I was out for supper with my 13 and 14 year old niece and nephew, and tried a lot of these questions on the. They did pretty well (in the UK)<BR><BR>But they were on holiday in the US in the summer and the boy (Robert, 14) said to me, &quot;I read the papers every day when I was in America. It's pretty scary watching your country just dsappear&quot;

xxx

<BR><BR>I would say it's likely because they simply have no clue and couldn't care less. After all, how does knowing the approximate population of the United States help with things that really matter in life, like getting your hands on a PlayStation 2? <BR><BR><BR><BR>

tcc

Also got the religion question wrong. Could have sworn that our media have been beating into our heads that Islam has the most followers in the world. And for all of us here to get that particular question wrong is very curious. ??????

topper

Topping

xxx

If you wish to post a reply, use<BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/postrep...p;tid=34381861

xxx

Topping.

Kate

I also got the religion one wrong, thinking the answer was Islam ... but I think perhaps what we've really been hearing is that Islam is the FASTEST-GROWING religion, not (currently) the largest. There's also been a lot of speculation that it WILL be the largest by ... 2010 or thereabouts? <BR><BR>Of course, it also depends on the definition of Chritianity - lots of people who are not really adherents of Christianity might claim that as their religion if it's the closest-fitting choice.<BR>

jahoulih

Also, Islam would be the largest religion if you count all of Islam as one religion but each Christian denomination as a separate religion. There are about 1.2 billion Muslims compared to about 1.067 billion Roman Catholics, according to the 2003 World Almanac.

up

up

xxx

<BR><BR>Kate, I agree with you. I suspect the reason so many of us got the religion question wrong was because of what you said, that what we've been hearing on the news, especially post-9/11, is that Islam is the FASTEST-GROWING religion, not (currently) the largest. And I believe that is the case, that it is indeed the fastest-growing religion, although this may have as much, or, more to do with birthrates than conversions. <BR><BR>My understanding is that birthrates are very high in most countries which are predominantly Muslim so I think it's quite likely Islam will eventually surpass Christianity as the major religion with the most followers.<BR><BR>

xxx

top