Prepare yourself for more bad news.

According to a survey conducted by Scientific American, "religious authorities" rank at the bottom of eight categories of persons trusted "to provide accurate information about important issues in society." On a 1 (strongly distrust) to 5 (strongly trust) scale, clergy (at 1.55) ranked below "elected officials" (1.76), "companies" (1.78), "journalists" (2.57), and "citizen groups" (2.69).

I want to reiterate this point, just so we don't miss it: ministers rank below politicians in believability and trustworthiness.

Maybe we have one piece of the puzzle why folks are not beating a path to the doors of the church. Note also that the question wasn't who you trust to provide good "scientific" information, though scientists came out at the top of the reliability scale at 3.98, above "friends or family" (3.09).

This study disturbs me. The results may be influenced by the actions of pastors on the angry fringe like the one in Florida who advocate the burning of ...