People in Britain ignorant about Easter

They may be the bedrock of the Christian faith, but the events of Easter, from Christ's betrayal to the resurrection, have proved to be something of a mystery to many in modern Britain.

A straw poll by The Sunday Telegraph, in which people were asked five questions about the Easter story, found that some of the most basic details were known by as few as half of those polled.

The responses included some surprising suggestions and will add to concerns over the ignorance of Christianity among Britons.

Only around half of those quizzed - 55% - were able to correctly name Judas Iscariot - or at least "Judas" - as the betrayer of Jesus. One of those taking part, Alexis Smith, 30, from Huddersfield, said Jesus had been betrayed by "Judas Priest" - the name of a heavy metal band - while Paige Johnson, 19, from Water Orton, Warwickshire, said it had been Christ's brother. Other responses included Peter, Moses, "Nazarus" and "Judas Escargot".

A similar proportion - 51% - knew who Pontius Pilate was. Among those who did not was Denise Buggins, 55, from Blackwell, Worcestershire, who said he was "one of Jesus's disciples".

Around a fifth - 21% - were not able to say what happened on either Good Friday or Easter Sunday. Jack Davison, 22, from Rubery, Worcestershire, thought the events of Good Friday were "something to do with rabbits", and also said that the events of Holy Week took place in Rome.

In total, 23% were not able to identify Jerusalem as the location for the events of the Easter story. Other incorrect responses included London and Bethlehem. Paul Harer, 31, from Coventry, suggested Babylon.

Just under a third of those taking part - 32 per cent - were able to answer all five questions correctly. The unscientific survey involved around 100 people, from a range of ages, on the streets of London, Birmingham and Bristol.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, the director of Christian Concern, a campaign group, said the results showed that more needed to be done to teach people about Christianity when they are young.

"We have a great and rich Christian and Biblical heritage and not so long ago all our children would have been steeped in it from a young age," she said.

"We lose the knowledge of such things at our peril. It anchors us in who we are and gives us a sense of meaning, belonging and a common identity. We need to recapture these things before they are lost and understand that they bring exactly what the message of Easter brings - hope, salvation and love for all."

In 2010, the Archbishop of York used his Easter Sunday sermon to express his regret that many children thought Easter was to celebrate the birthday of the Easter bunny.

Dr John Sentamu said it was "deeply sad that millions of children don't know the great news of the true meaning of Easter".

His comments came after a study of 1,000 six to 10-year-olds found 53% were unaware of the religious significance of Easter and 30% thought it was to celebrate the birthday of the Easter bunny.

In 2010, a report by Ofsted found that schools were failing to teach pupils about Christian beliefs in religious education classes.

Christine Gilbert, the former chief inspector of schools, warned that a rise in theme-based teaching in primary schools had led to the "virtual disappearance" of traditional subjects such as religious education.

Questions:
What happened on Good Friday?
What happened on Easter Sunday?
In which city did the events of Holy Week take place?
Who was Pontius Pilate?
Who betrayed Jesus?