From “The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power” by Brian Kaylor
People claim to have a high regard for the Bible, but most score poorly when quizzed on its contents. For instance, the Pew Research Center asked Americans some basic questions about the Bible and Christianity (as well as about other religions). The multiple-choice questions included things like “Which Bible figure is most closely associated with leading the Exodus from Egypt?” (with choices of Moses, Daniel, Elijah, and Joseph) and “Who delivered the Sermon on the Mount?” (with choices of Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John). Of the 14 questions about the Bible and Christianity, U.S. Christians only answered an average of 8.2 correctly – which is a failing grade. Atheists, on the other hand, scored an average of 8.6, outperforming those who claim to actually believe what the Bible teaches. We say we follow the Bible, but too often we don’t even know what’s in it. The text, then, becomes a Rorschach test. We make it in our own image, finding it a useful weapon to wield without being inconvenienced by what’s actually there. We have a Bible-haunted politics.