"Bible or Koran" Survey Results

From Sunday, October 10, 2010

Part of the reason I created this survey was this article I read in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/us/28religion.html?partner=rss&emc=rss. Researchers phoned 3,412 Americans asking 32 questions about the Bible, Christianity, other World religions, and religious history and geography. The survey found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons knew the most.

>>53% of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the man who started the Protestant Reformation.

>>45% of Catholics did not know that their church teaches that the consecrated bread and wine in holy communion are not merely symbols, but actually become the body and blood of Christ.

The statistics above indicate to me that there is a lot of ignorance within Christianity - a lot of Christians who do not know what they believe or why they believe it.

The "Bible or Koran" survey I created was intended to see how well people know the Bible (most of those who took the survey are Christians.) And to illustrate that there are more similarities between the Bible and the Koran than you'd initially think. Also to point out some of the verses in the Bible that aren't as emphasized in bible study and church - the hard ones that most either skip over or try and explain away.

There's so much to learn and I'm just at the very surface level in my research of Islam, so I definitely don't claim to be an expert. But this website has been very helpful to me thus far in learning about Islam; it addresses some common misconceptions about the religion. Check it out if you are interested. www.whyislam.org

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(54 completed the survey.) I have bolded/underlined the 3 verses which the lowest percent of people identified correctly.

1. 64.5% got this right (Koran)

2. 79% got this right (Koran)

3. 77.4% got this right (Bible)

4. 58.1% got this right (Koran)

5. 77.8% got this right (Bible)

6. 64.8% got this right (Bible)

7. 31.5% got this right (Koran)

8. 50% got this right (Bible)

9. 81.5% got this right (Koran)

10.74.1% got this right (Koran)

AND THE CORRECT ANSWERS .......

Here are the verses....... (Surah means it's from the Koran and the others are from the Bible)

1.Surah LXXXVII 1-2 "Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who creates, then makes complete."

2. Surah XLI46"Whoever does good, it is for his own soul, and whoever does evil, it is against it; and your Lord is not in the least unjust to the servants.”

3. Proverbs 12:1-2"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a crafty man."

4. Surah XXXII“This is the Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Mighty, the Merciful, Who made good everything that He as created and He began the creation of man from dust.”

5. Mark 16:17-1817And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

6. Luke 12:49“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in- law.”

7.. Surah II 40"O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you abe be faithful to (your) covenant with Me, I will fulfill (My) covenant with you; and of Me, Me alone, should you be afraid."

8. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35"I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs - how he can plase the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can plase his wife - and his interests are divided. An unamrried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world - how she can plase her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord."

9. Surah X 9"Surely (as for) those who believe and do good, their Lord will guide them by their faith; there shall flow from beneath them rivers in gardens of bliss."

10. Surah XLII“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deeds and He knows what you do; And He answers those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more out of His grace; and as for the unbelievers, they shall have a severe punishment.”