Journal Entry # 206
September 29th, 2010
I feel it is very important to be able to understand another person’s perspective and the subject matter in regards to a conversation or argument you are engaged in. Sadly in this world it appears that most are not willing to acquire the knowledge before they offer an opinion. I run into this often and have learned to quickly weed out those that are not knowledgeable about the subject we are engaged in.
Below is a test that one can take to demonstrate a persons knowledge on religion. I have taken the test. I got 9/10. The results from the survey of the test are very revealing. It appears that in regards to religion most people especially the religious have no idea what their own faith is even about. So how can they even begin to properly discuss it. I find they can’t and that is why I only hear comments like “You just have to believe” or “ god is the one true god’ or anything that requires little knowledge and evidence. They are quick to give bold statements without really understanding what those statements actually mean.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/28/dont-know-much-about-religion-youre-not-alone-study-finds
Click on this link and it will take you to the test. Find out what the test scores have revealed and how good your general knowledge is on religion.
Excerpt from the article. I urge you to go to the site and take the test. And read the full article.
Don’t know much about religion? You’re not alone, study finds
Odds are that you know Mother Teresa was Catholic, but what religion is the Dalai Lama?
How about Maimonides?
And – no Googling – what’s the first book of the Bible? How about the first four books of the New Testament?
Americans who can answer all of those questions are relatively rare, a huge new study has found.
In fact, although the United States is one of the most religious developed countries in the world, most Americans scored 50 percent or less on a quiz measuring knowledge of the Bible, world religions and what the Constitution says about religion in public life.
The survey is full of surprising findings.
For example, it’s not evangelicals or Catholics who did best – it’s atheists and agnostics.
It’s not Bible-belt Southerners who scored highest – they came at the bottom.
Those who believe the Bible is the literal word of God did slightly worse than average, while those who say it is not the word of God scored slightly better.
Barely half of all Catholics know that when they take communion, the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ, according to Catholic doctrine.
And only about one in three know that a public school teacher is allowed to teach a comparative religion class – although nine out of 10 know that teacher isn’t allowed by the Supreme Court to lead a class in prayer.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is behind the 32-question quiz, polling more than 3,400 Americans by telephone to gauge the depth of the country’s religious knowledge.
