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May 20, 2007
I Like This, But I Think Something Is Wrong
From time to time, Christianity Today does an online poll. The most recent one was on atheism. Here are the results.
I do think the 93% of the respondents who answered that atheism is "the only rational outlook" are correct. But I just can't bring myself to believe that this really represents any sample population other than a population made up of about 93% atheists. This is not likely the usual Christianity Today mix.
So what happened? Well, Friendly Atheist happened and Sandwalk happened. And I'm sure several other blogs happened.
The results are amusing and in some ways satisfying, they also demonstrate the major problem with all online polls. It is easy to distort the sample population and get wonderful but likely false results.
This ability to distort such polls no doubt accounts for Abnormal Interests' low ranking among Bibleoblogs.
Update: May 20, 2007 8:32 PM PDT
83423 have now voted and "The only rational outlook" is now at 97%. It makes me wonder if there is a hacker involved.
Update: May 21, 2007 9:07 AM PDT
Christianity Today seems to have taken the poll down.
Posted by Duane Smith at May 20, 2007 1:31 PM | Read more on Religion |
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Comments
I just voted. Tomorrow I will vote one more time from my work conputer. It's a meaningless poll anyway. The only rational outlook is now at 97%.
Posted by: Aydin at May 20, 2007 4:22 PM
I guess I am not sure I understand why "Atheisim is the only rational outlook" is such a satsifying answer. I suppose it depends upon how one is defining "rational."
Posted by: Chris at May 20, 2007 7:23 PM
Seems to me the answers are deeply flawed:
- while atheism, I suppose, would like to be a major threat to Christianity simple agnostic materialism seems to be doing a better job!
- for any ideology to claim to be "the only rational" one seems arrogant, at least while rational discussion still exists ;-)
- for atheism to be "mostly irrelevant today" implies that today is somehow different, so how is "today" different?
- actually "other" is looking really good just now...
Posted by: tim bulkeley at May 22, 2007 2:06 PM
Tim,
Agree with you. The choices were awful. Most of these polls are very poorly constructed. They lend themselves to abuse one way or the other.
Posted by: Duane at May 22, 2007 2:33 PM
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