Salt Lake City: Most Godless City In America...???

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

According to this article, Salt Lake City is the least Bible-literate city in the U.S. One wonders why Time thought this "study" worthy of its attention, since it’s merely a population-weighted analysis of the number of visits to a particular website. It certainly makes no attempt to account for other websites (such as LDS.org); nor does it jibe very well with more robust studies--such as this one from PEW--which indicates rather greater knowledge about the Bible among the LDS as opposed to any other group.

 

From the Pew Study:

 

"Mormons outperform Jews as well as atheists and agnostics on questions about the Bible but do not perform as well as the other two groups on questions having to do with world religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism."

I grew up in a Baptist Church were every sermon was wrapped around a story from the OT, so I often have people ask me how do so much about the Bible? But this is common among all faiths. Most know only what they hear from their Pastor, even in my Church growing up, few carried Bibles. I had to joy of being raised by a Minister.

[Okrahomer]

Poor Denver Nicks and poor Time.  Last week they reported that Salt Lake City was apparently the most "Godless city in America";  but today they report nearly the opposite.  What to believe?  Who to trust?  This poor Editor's head must be spinning.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Poor Denver Nicks and poor Time.  Last week they reported that Salt Lake City was apparently the most "Godless city in America";  but today they report nearly the opposite.  What to believe?  Who to trust?  This poor Editor's head must be spinning.

I remember seeing something about Denver being (or maybe the whole State of Colorado) being the most "unchurched".

[Okrahomer]

I remember seeing something about Denver being (or maybe the whole State of Colorado) being the most "unchurched".

 

Sorry, Papa:  Denver Nicks is the Time reporter who has been reporting on these things lately.  But since you mention it, it is interesting to look at Colorado:

 

Colorado Springs is #16 and Denver is #61 on the BibleGateway.com list; while Salt Lake City is all the way down at #100.  As has been pointed out by others, this “study” and these “rankings” are simply not credible, and Time did not serve its readers well when it reported on them.  By contrast, the study released by the Gallup organization a few days ago is far more reliable.  Gallup shows Utah as the 2^nd “most religious” state; while Colorado is the 16^th “least religious.”

 

Gallup:  “Utah is the exceptional state. Mormons are the most religious of any category or denomination Gallup routinely measures, and Utah's majority Mormon population clearly explains why Utah stands out so remarkably from its much less religious neighboring states.”

[thesometimesaint]

If I leave I am going Norse pagan.

 

Greek Orthodox appeals more to me than the Norse Gods. But Agnosticism is the more logical for those wanting to get away from all religion.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Sorry, Papa:  Denver Nicks is the Time reporter who has been reporting on these things lately.  But since you mention it, it is interesting to look at Colorado:

 

Colorado Springs is #16 and Denver is #61 on the BibleGateway.com list; while Salt Lake City is all the way down at #100.  As has been pointed out by others, this “study” and these “rankings” are simply not credible, and Time did not serve its readers well when it reported on them.  By contrast, the study released by the Gallup organization a few days ago is far more reliable.  Gallup shows Utah as the 2^nd “most religious” state; while Colorado is the 16^th “least religious.”

 

Gallup:  “Utah is the exceptional state. Mormons are the most religious of any category or denomination Gallup routinely measures, and Utah's majority Mormon population clearly explains why Utah stands out so remarkably from its much less religious neighboring states.”

I know who wrote it, but seeing his name "Denver" caused me to remember an older article.

[cdowis]

"A study from the American Bible Society purported to rank the “Bible-mindedness” of 100 American cities last week, and based on how often respondents read the Bible and how accurate they believe the good book to be"

 

The LDS do not accept the Bible as inerrant, so they are not "Bible minded".