I just read a report on Yahoo.com that indicated that "Americans don't know much about religion." In this survey, people were asked 32 questions on a broad range of religious knowledge, including understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths, and major figures in religious history. People were asked whether they could name the Islamic holy book, the first book of the Bible, or say what century the Mormon religion was founded. According to the report, "on average, participants in the survey answered correctly overall for half of the survey questions."
Here's the kicker: Atheists and agnostics scored best, with an average of 21 correct answers. Jews and Mormons were next, averaging 20 correct answers. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, and Catholics averaged 15 correct.
On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored highest, with an average of 8 correct answers out of 12, and white evangelicals were next with an average of seven correct answers.
I don't know what all the questions were, but I find these results stunning. Of course, there may be some questions I would have gotten wrong. But I think it does indicate that we think we know a whole lot more than we really do know, and sometimes what we think we know about Christian faith does not come from Scripture, but from extra-biblical sources.
I think we need to make sure that we do a better job of educating ourselves in Christian faith.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Unless you have been on a deserted island for some time, you are aware that there is a pastor in Gainesville, FL, who is planning to lead his congregation in a Koran-burning display on Saturday, September 11, as a way to remember what took place on 9/11/01. This has made national, and even international, headlines. Gen. David Petraeus has commented on this, urging that the church not do this because it could put the lives of American servicemen and women at more risk - and they are already at great risk given what they do. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has commented about it as well.
Who ever heard of Dove World Outreach Center three months ago? It must be pretty heady stuff for the pastor of that church to make national headlines, and to be interviewed by major networks and be on the front pages of newspapers.
I don't have a lot to add to the conversation already taking place, except to say that what is being planned is stupid, dumb, cold, hateful, lacking in compassion, self-serving, and horribly unloving.
The concern I have is that there will be many people around the world, already skeptical about the claims of Christian faith because the Christian church seems so disjointed, so much in disarray, so much in opposition to others within the church (Gandhi once said something along the lines that he might quite possibly become a Christian if he would see more people living what Jesus taught), and so filled with animosity towards each other - as well as seeming to be filled with hatred and condemnation towards others who are different from them - that everyone, including you and me, will be put in the same category as Rev. Jones and his small group in Gainesville.
Is that fair? Not it is not. But we will all be lumped together with those who seem to feel that being a follower of Jesus involves obeying rules rather than paying attention to Jesus when he says, "love one another," and "love your neighbor as yourself." It is not right, it is not fair, it is not just, that the actions of a few misguided, extremist people who claim to be following the rules of faith cause others to then label all people by what they see in those few.
Kind of like we do when we lable all Muslims because of the actions of a few.
If it is not right for people to think of us as being the same as the people at that (I don't even want to call it a church) in Gainesville. It is not right for us to think that all Muslims are like the extremists. Islam is not the enemy. Muslims are not the enemy. Extremists are - whatever their label.
Who ever heard of Dove World Outreach Center three months ago? It must be pretty heady stuff for the pastor of that church to make national headlines, and to be interviewed by major networks and be on the front pages of newspapers.
I don't have a lot to add to the conversation already taking place, except to say that what is being planned is stupid, dumb, cold, hateful, lacking in compassion, self-serving, and horribly unloving.
The concern I have is that there will be many people around the world, already skeptical about the claims of Christian faith because the Christian church seems so disjointed, so much in disarray, so much in opposition to others within the church (Gandhi once said something along the lines that he might quite possibly become a Christian if he would see more people living what Jesus taught), and so filled with animosity towards each other - as well as seeming to be filled with hatred and condemnation towards others who are different from them - that everyone, including you and me, will be put in the same category as Rev. Jones and his small group in Gainesville.
Is that fair? Not it is not. But we will all be lumped together with those who seem to feel that being a follower of Jesus involves obeying rules rather than paying attention to Jesus when he says, "love one another," and "love your neighbor as yourself." It is not right, it is not fair, it is not just, that the actions of a few misguided, extremist people who claim to be following the rules of faith cause others to then label all people by what they see in those few.
Kind of like we do when we lable all Muslims because of the actions of a few.
If it is not right for people to think of us as being the same as the people at that (I don't even want to call it a church) in Gainesville. It is not right for us to think that all Muslims are like the extremists. Islam is not the enemy. Muslims are not the enemy. Extremists are - whatever their label.
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