Somehow, I missed this report (PDF) on Mormonism from the Pew Research Center a couple of weeks ago when it came out, but it was too interesting not to mention.
When it comes to factual knowledge about Mormonism — when it was founded (after 1800) and where the Book of Mormon says Jesus appeared (“the Americas”) — guess who knows the most about the religion?
We do.
(And that’s why we’re not Mormon.)
Knowledge about the Mormon religion is higher among the religiously unaffiliated than among either Protestants or Catholics. More than a third of the unaffiliated (36%) correctly answer both factual questions, as do 28% of Protestants and 22% of Catholics. There is no change in factual knowledge among religious groups, including the unaffiliated, since 2010.
…
The Pew researchers also asked respondents to tell them the first word that came to mind when describing the Mormon religion.
#1 had nothing to do with politics…
Even with all the “Mormon Moment” hoopla of the past couple of years, it looks like the church still has a long way to go before people see the faith the same way they do Protestantism and Catholicism.