Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Jesus Wept

Jesus-Loving Americans Totally Ignorant of Jesus, Religion
Re-posted from Wonkette

A shocking new book proves Americans are simultaneously the most “religious” and the most religiously ignorant people in the developed world. Overwhelming majorities of Our Fellow Citizens don’t know anything about the Bible, the teachings of Jesus or even the 10 Commandments they want posted everywhere. (Could Christians want those ancient laws displayed at every government building so they can learn one or two?)



We’ve got a shameful list of things Americans don’t know about their beloved religion, after the jump.

Jump, I say ... Jump!

We live in the land of biblical idiots

Who knew!?!? Call Ripley!!!

Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't
by Stephen Prothero

from Amazon.com
Prothero (American Jesus), chair of the religion department at Boston University, begins this valuable primer by noting that religious illiteracy is rampant in the United States, where most Americans, even Christians, cannot name even one of the four Gospels. Such ignorance is perilous because religion "is the most volatile constituent of culture" and, unfortunately, often "one of the greatest forces for evil" in the world, he writes.

Prothero does more than diagnose the problem; he traces its surprising historic roots ("in one of the great ironies of…history, it was the nation's most fervent people of faith who steered Americans down the road to religious illiteracy") and prescribes concrete solutions that address religious education while preserving First Amendment boundaries about religion in the public square. Prothero also offers a dictionary of religious literacy and a quiz for readers to test their knowledge. This book is a must-read not only for educators, clergy and government officials, but for all adults in a culture where, as Prothero puts it, "faith without understanding is the standard" and "religious ignorance is bliss."

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