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I read a few interesting statistics in the Economist yesterday. They are about the US's lack of biblical understanding. I found this interesting because issues like Evolution, Abortion, Same sex marriage, are issues that are refuted more heavily in the US than any other developed nation, and they are fought mainly by religious advocates. So when you consider:
A Gallup survey found that less than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible (Genesis), only a third know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Billy Graham is a popular answer) and a quarter do not know what is celebrated at Easter (the resurrection, the foundational event of Christianity). Sixty per cent cannot name half the ten commandments; 12% think Noah was married to Joan of Arc. George Gallup, a leading Evangelical as well as a premier pollster, describes America as “a nation of biblical illiterates”.
How is it possible that the bible is taken with so much confidence by some people, and actually used as reference for presenting arguments against important social issues??
Well, I think to those of us who consider the Bible to be the Word of God, Bible literacy would probably be pretty high. To those who don't, I assume it wouldn't necessarily. If you esteem something, you generally read and study it more. If not, you don't, no? And again, many people in the US would label themselves as "Christian" simply because they are not Jewish or Islam etc. Maybe they have some type of belief that Jesus is who He claimed to be, but this reallly doesn't mean they are Christians in the true sense of the word. I would assume those that base their opinion on social issues on the Bible would be considerably more knowledgeable about what it actually says.
Bill and Ted's excellent adventure is the source of that one I would guess.
In any case though, you get a lot of people most anywhere who just kind of go with the flow, playing something of a game of follow the leader.
There are a lot of people who are taught that they are Christians pretty much at birth. For example, I was told for years that "we are Catholics" despite the fact that none of my immediate family was really a practicing Catholic at the time. Still, my mother always viewed it as something that was pretty much inherited. At the time I was an agnostic and after I asked her to describe her beliefs I pointed out that she was a deist, citing the fact that while she believed in a god, she knew and believed very little in the way of catholic teachings.
I think that is a big source of it. People get it in their heads that they are born to a particular religion and tend to put the word down on polls and such. They may often pay additional attention to leaders who make arguments in the name of their religion, but in the end, it isn't really what they think it is, though they may still hold it near and dear.
I notice this tends to change somewhat when people grow older and sense their own mortality looming.
"Cramming for the final." is the humorous way of putting it.
Honestly though, I have always viewed that sort of thing as moral cowardice.
"The natural man seeks not the things of the Spirit of the God, for they are foolishness to him, and not he can know for they are spiritually discerned" - 1 Cor 2.14; compare 2 Cor 3.13-17.
The names of God are banned in all English Bible translations and in all churches.
The Jews banned 2 names and the Christians banned 4.
Well, I think to those of us who consider the Bible to be the Word of God, Bible literacy would probably be pretty high. To those who don't, I assume it wouldn't necessarily. If you esteem something, you generally read and study it more. If not, you don't, no? And again, many people in the US would label themselves as "Christian" simply because they are not Jewish or Islam etc. Maybe they have some type of belief that Jesus is who He claimed to be, but this reallly doesn't mean they are Christians in the true sense of the word. I would assume those that base their opinion on social issues on the Bible would be considerably more knowledgeable about what it actually says.
I am sure you are right - being Christian is a badge of alliegance. To be un - Christian is to be pretty much un - American.
That said, it is surprising that such a Bible flogging nation should have failed to instruct Moderator cut: deleted in the basics of the Holy Book, even if religious instruction isn't allowed in government establishments such as schools.
Bill and Ted's excellent adventure is the source of that one I would guess.
Quote:
In any case though, you get a lot of people most anywhere who just kind of go with the flow, playing something of a game of follow the leader.
There are a lot of people who are taught that they are Christians pretty much at birth. For example, I was told for years that "we are Catholics" despite the fact that none of my immediate family was really a practicing Catholic at the time. Still, my mother always viewed it as something that was pretty much inherited. At the time I was an agnostic and after I asked her to describe her beliefs I pointed out that she was a deist, citing the fact that while she believed in a god, she knew and believed very little in the way of catholic teachings.
I think that is a big source of it. People get it in their heads that they are born to a particular religion and tend to put the word down on polls and such. They may often pay additional attention to leaders who make arguments in the name of their religion, but in the end, it isn't really what they think it is, though they may still hold it near and dear.
I notice this tends to change somewhat when people grow older and sense their own mortality looming.
"Cramming for the final." is the humorous way of putting it.
Honestly though, I have always viewed that sort of thing as moral cowardice.
'Census christianity' is something I became aware of as a schoolboy and was one of the first building - blocks in my atheism (1). It is a form of Hypocrisy but then, we need a dose of hypocrisy in our daily dealings. I only make a big deal about it when I find Christians doing it since the NT makes it such a cardinal misdemeanour.
I am pretty sure that the US populace also have - let's think about the way to put this... deep seated disbelief. As I have often said, if they really believed, they would not live as they do. They would not DARE. Thus, I believe that what they mean by believing in Christianity is that they believe in themselves as Americans.
I think this also extends to Evangelical Christians. As I have said when I find them taking it upon themselves to re-write God's job - description or fiddle Holy writ to suit themselves I cannot believe they would DARE if they really believed.
But if not in God, then what? I think it is their own street - cred. They argue to prove themselves right, not to prove God. It is about themselves and their particular Cult and their argument for the Flood, Hellfire or the resurrection is just the same as someone arguing for Bigfoot, Chupacabra or Atlantis. And sometimes we find the two in combination. It's one reason I find Campbell so interesting.
(1) One boy said he didn't believe in God. So the teacher asked 'what do you put down as 'religion' on your census - form?'
'C of E' replied the lad. Point apparently made. That only showed me that a lot of Census Christians don't actually believe and thus there are a lot more unbelievers than the surveys would suggest - they just haven't yet realised that they are in fact atheists.
Just as many Americans are ignorant of evolution, abortion, or homosexuality as they are of the Bible. Let's face it, there are a bunch of ignoramuses in this country.
I am of what I speak...
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Without the 7 Spirits of God = In the dark
