Americans get an 'F' in religion

Sometimes dumb sounds cute: Sixty percent of Americans can't name five of the Ten Commandments, and 50% of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married.

Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University, isn't laughing. Americans' deep ignorance of world religions — their own, their neighbors' or the combatants in Iraq, Darfur or Kashmir — is dangerous, he says.

His new book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn't, argues that everyone needs to grasp Bible basics, as well as the core beliefs, stories, symbols and heroes of other faiths.

Belief is not his business, says Prothero, who grew up Episcopalian and now says he's a spiritually "confused Christian." He says his argument is for empowered citizenship.

"More and more of our national and international questions are religiously inflected," he says, citing President Bush's speeches laden with biblical references and the furor when the first Muslim member of Congress chose to be sworn in with his right hand on Thomas Jefferson's Quran.

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http://usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-03-07-teaching-religion-cover_N.htm

Well you know, most of us on this board seem to have a pretty good grasp on religion but we're in the minority apparently. Its the same with religion as it is with all other things. I read somewhere reputable that 50%+ of 18-25 years olds cant point out New York state on a map, or Iraq or Afgahnistan for that matter. Most people in the US have a HORRIBLE sense of geography, as well as most other things. They dont take the time to learn anything on their own. Public schooling just does not cut it these days. Im going to home school my children.

And anyways, It perplexes me as to how people dont know Sodom and Gamorrah, nor the Ten Commandments when over half this country is Christian. I could probably run circles around half these supposed followers and im not even one myself.

Lets see.... the 10 commandments

I am your Lord and God
You shall have no other gods before Me
You shall not make for yourself an idol
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honor your parents
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
You shall not covet your neighbor's house


50% are semi-right, but the first 5 are retarded. Honor your parents as long as they deserve it. Don't murder unless the alternative is worse etc... I could care less if anyone remembered the commandments.

Windwip,

The word is murder, not kill. Murdering and killing are two different things.

Lets see.... the 10 commandments

I am your Lord and God
You shall have no other gods before Me
You shall not make for yourself an idol
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honor your parents
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
You shall not covet your neighbor's house


50% are semi-right, but the first 5 are retarded. Honor your parents as long as they deserve it. Don't murder unless the alternative is worse etc... I could care less if anyone remembered the commandments.
ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'

1) anything else is kinda a waste of time..

2) also a waste of time..

3) show some respect for your Deity!

4) everybody needs a day off

5) come on! they're your parents!

5-9) falls under the Golden Rule, you wouldnt want people doing that to you!

10) all that wasted energy is just going to burn you up.

I read somewhere reputable that 50%+ of 18-25 years olds cant point out New York state on a map, or Iraq or Afghanistan for that matter.

"Where did you go this summer?"

"I went to Saskatchewan."

"Oh! Wow, I admire you for being willing to go to a country where they don't even speak English."

this doesn't surprise me at all... most liberals and mainstream america have been pushing for a secular america.. making religion and christianity seem almost "taboo" or "uncool"... why would kids know the 10 commandments when they idolize paris hilton and hip hop culture?

this doesn't surprise me at all... most liberals and mainstream america have been pushing for a secular america.. making religion and christianity seem almost "taboo" or "uncool"... why would kids know the 10 commandments when they idolize paris hilton and hip hop culture?

Doesn't mainstream America just piss you off Decka? ;-)

Sixty percent of Americans can't name five of the Ten Commandments
Thank God!

You shall have no other gods before Me
You shall not make for yourself an idol
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
What a queen.

this doesn't surprise me at all... most liberals and mainstream america have been pushing for a secular america.. making religion and christianity seem almost "taboo" or "uncool"... why would kids know the 10 commandments when they idolize paris hilton and hip hop culture?Are liberals and mainstream America (or the mainstream media, if that's what you actually meant) also to blame for America's poor knowledge of world geography too? Or is a general attitude of indifference and ignorance a more likely explanation?

Beyond "Do unto others the way you would have them do unto you", what more is needed? Perhaps "if you don't start no shit, there'll be no shit" is just as meaningful as a commandment.

Talking about the Ten Commandments, they miss several important moral precepts.

For example, there is no discouragement or control of slavery. A truly divine law would ban it altogether, but even considering the times, a command to not mistreat slaves and to allow them to have families and providing for eventural freedom should be there.

Similarly, there is nothing protecting animals. It leaves the "dominion" nonsense of Genesis in place, providing justification for all sorts of cruelties.

While parents are to be "honored," what about their responsibility to care for and raise their children? That the Ten Commandments ignores this is astounding.

Probably the most harmful commandment is the prohibition on this thing called "idolatry," which has in history produced all sorts of persecutions of "idolaters," as well as destructions of art.

I have never really understood what the ban is about. No one actually believes the god is the statue; everyone knows that someone made the statue, so the statue itself is never actually the object of worship but only, as the Roman Catholics explain about their icons, a symbol or aid in worship. A ban on images, when taken literally (which I don't think any Christians actually do) is ridiculous.

.

While parents are to be "honored," what about their responsibility to care for and raise their children? That the Ten Commandments ignores this is astounding.

.

I've often thought the same thing.

If parents raise their children properly, showing them love and respect, there would be no need for this Commandment.

I have never really understood what the ban is about.
Neither did I, until I finally understood that the Christian religion, and all religions, to a more or less degree, are systems designed to control and repress people. Then this icon business makes sense, for what tyrant would want you to worship something other than himself? Putting a picture there allows a person to personify and humanize his deity. Once the focus has shifted from the Church to the deity, he cannot be controlled as well. The Catholic Church was trying to fight off the reformation for centuries before it actually happened. Hence the ban on idol worship.

Nah, that makes no sense either. While it is obvious that all rulers seek to use religion to control their people (even Stalin), religions exist above and beyond politics.

Also, while Christianity is about power--Jesus is "King," many religions are quite different.

For example, the Chinese Emperor who would be abusive had to deal with something called "The Mandate of Heaven" (poor translation--it has more to do with "heaven" hearing the objections--the "voice" of the people). Chinese Kings did not claim Divine Right and in fact it was understood that they had better be good or, acting under the will of the people, Heaven would find a different Emperor.

Windwip,

The word is murder, not kill. Murdering and killing are two different things.

Modern Apologist Nonsense.

The original Hebrew verb used in the Torah Commandment is "Ratsach", which means: (http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRHEB75.htm)

a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder:--put to death, kill, (man-)slay(-er), murder(-er).

So basically Stephen Prothero wants a survey of world religions taught and maybe passing a test required for all students (not sure what grade though). I don't see anything wrong with that. I think it's just as important as history, geography, philosophy, and languages, not to mention useful.

Modern Apologist Nonsense.

The original Hebrew verb used in the Torah Commandment is "Ratsach", which means: (http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/STRHEB75.htm)



So it means either "murder" or "kill." What about murdering sentient animals? The sure act as though being murdered is not something they want, either.

So basically Stephen Prothero wants a survey of world religions taught and maybe passing a test required for all students (not sure what grade though). I don't see anything wrong with that. I think it's just as important as history, geography, philosophy, and languages, not to mention useful.

The Thais do that (Thailand is a remarkably secular county in spite--or maybe partly because of--the huge Buddhist majority). Religion is part of the curriculum for every grade, right there with history, maths, science, English, Thai, social science, and economics (a course more like home economics and how to run a small business).

One thing I have noticed is that Thais are more resistant to missionary propaganda than are, say, Vietnamese, and I think this is because they already know enough to be able to see through it.

So it means either "murder" or "kill." What about murdering sentient animals? The sure act as though being murdered is not something they want, either.

Neither the Jewish nor Christian Commandments makes any mention of sentience.

Neither the Jewish nor Christian Commandments makes any mention of sentience.

Yes, I know. This is a major failure of these traditions. They have the idea that animals were created to serve mankind (indeed, the Adam and Eve myth makes that explicit). That this is just simply wrong--that animals exist independently of us, and that in fact we are only another kind of animal, is something the OT descended religions are completely wrong about.

It is, sadly, not just an error but also a harmful error, one leading to a lack of compassion and to all sorts of unscientific thinking. I would not make an issue of it if it were not so harmful.

Yes, I know. This is a major failure of these traditions. They have the idea that animals were created to serve mankind (indeed, the Adam and Eve myth makes that explicit). That this is just simply wrong--that animals exist independently of us, and that in fact we are only another kind of animal, is something the OT descended religions are completely wrong about.

It is, sadly, not just an error but also a harmful error, one leading to a lack of compassion and to all sorts of unscientific thinking. I would not make an issue of it if it were not so harmful. Kind of hard to push in a religion that was practicing animal sacrifice

It is, sadly, not just an error but also a harmful error, one leading to a lack of compassion and to all sorts of unscientific thinking.

That thought --which in your case is centered on the subject of animals and how they are treated by man-- encapsulates my view of the entirety of the Christian belief system.

It is not simply an error but a harmful error.....it engenders a worldview predicated on superstition instead of reason and rationalty.

I would not make an issue of it if it were not so harmful.

Again; that is my posiiton, not just on the subject of animals but on the entire Christian religion. It is not simply an invalid view of reality, but a harmful view of it.

That thought --which in your case is centered on the subject of animals and how they are treated by man-- encapsulates my view of the entirety of the Christian belief system.

It is not simply an error but a harmful error.....it engenders a worldview predicated on superstition instead of reason and rationalty.



Again; that is my posiiton, not just on the subject of animals but on the entire Christian religion. It is not simply an invalid view of reality, but a harmful view of it.
You generalize here, I think, too much. Take the teachings of Christians one at a time--don't decide all is harmful because some of the teachings are harmful.

I keep reminding myself of the pastoral and charity and counseling and sacramental benefits provided to so many by Christianity. Consider also the artistic product produced with a Christian inspiration.