Americans get an 'F' in religion

Religion News Blog ^ | 03/07/2007 | Cathy Lynn Grossman

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it? -- Ben Franklin

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I am impelled to write you concerning the responsibilities laid upon you to live as Christians in the midst of an unChristian world. That is what I had to do. That is what every Christian has to do. But I understand that there are many Christians in America who give their ultimate allegiance to man-made systems and customs. They are afraid to be different. Their great concern is to be accepted socially. They live by some such principle as this: "everybody is doing it, so it must be alright." For so many of you Morality is merely group consensus. In your modern sociological lingo, the mores are accepted as the right ways. You have unconsciously come to believe that right is discovered by taking a sort of Gallup poll of the majority opinion. How many are giving their ultimate allegiance to this way.

But American Christians, I must say to you as I said to the Roman Christians years ago, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Or, as I said to the Phillipian Christians, "Ye are a colony of heaven." This means that although you live in the colony of time, your ultimate allegiance is to the empire of eternity. You have a dual citizenry. You live both in time and eternity; both in heaven and earth. Therefore, your ultimate allegiance is not to the government, not to the state, not to nation, not to any man-made institution. The Christian owes his ultimate allegiance to God, and if any earthly institution conflicts with God's will it is your Christian duty to take a stand against it. You must never allow the transitory evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (from his St. Paul's letter to America speech)

[highball]

Religion, like the arts, has become an afterthought in an education climate driven by “the fixation on literacy and numeracy — math and reading,”

An education lacking in the classics is unworthy of the name. One cannot be a well-rounded adult without them.

That having been said, where are these kids' parents?

[Hi Heels]

“confused Christian.”

Yes, isn't just EVERYONE a confused Christian now days..../sarc

[TommyDale]

Since the "Purpose Driven" Movement, the Ten Commandments are now known as the "few suggestions".

[Sopater]

Related story: Georgia Close to Approving Bible Classes in Public Schools

This would be a good start, but in teaching the Bible as literature, I'm sure the school systems will also teach it as myth.

[Salvation]

If Americans get a failing grade, I wonder what the rest of the world gets?

[dan1123]

Since the "Purpose Driven" Movement, the Ten Commandments are now known as the "few suggestions".

Wow. The ACLU brings lawsuits against any mention of Jesus in schools or public displays of Christianity. People for the Separation of Church and State go after every public Christian expression (while leaving other religions alone for some reason). Popular media denigrates Christians, Protestant and Catholic alike. And you blame Biblical illiteracy on a recent evangelism movement?

[dan1123]

I think Bible as literature classes in schools should be supported by all Christians. I have found most people who are hostile to Christianity have worse than zero Bible knowledge. They have popular misconceptions of the Bible as their only Biblical knowledge.

[Between the Lines]

Hollywood is the Main Reason Why Americans Get an F For Religion Cites Christian Filmmaker

[BritExPatInFla]

This would be a good start, but in teaching the Bible as literature, I'm sure the school systems will also teach it as myth.

Some people actually see it as that, which is their right to believe or not. That's why the schools have no business in teaching it. That's the parents' or churches' job.

[Stone Mountain]

This would be a good start, but in teaching the Bible as literature, I'm sure the school systems will also teach it as myth.

You would rather the school system teach a particular version of religion as fact?

[Sopater]

Some people actually see it as that, which is their right to believe or not.

Correct, but it's no better to teach it as myth than it is to teach it as fact. If it's a "Bible as Literature" class, then just teach it as literature. Teachers should leave their opinions at the door.

[dan1123]

That's why the schools have no business in teaching it. That's the parents' or churches' job.

So Biblical literacy basics that are alluded to in much of western literature is unimportant for schools to teach? Or are you proposing that atheist and agnostic parents teach Biblical literacy to their children?

I don't even see a problem with asking whether Adam and Eve got a fair deal as in the objection in the article. If they just teach the book with similarly to the works of Sophocles, Mark Twain, or Arthur Miller, then it would be a huge improvement to the current state of affairs.

[Sopater]

You would rather the school system teach a particular version of religion as fact?

See post 13

[TommyDale]

"And you blame Biblical illiteracy on a recent evangelism movement?"

No, that is ridiculous. These new movements have compromised Christianity to the point where no one even knows the difference! Their theme is to "make the church appear as the world, so the world will come to the church" instead of separating themselves FROM the world and letting God bring the people in.

[Between the Lines]

Here is an article about how our local school district is doing Bible classes:

S.C. clears way for religion courses

[Stone Mountain]

Correct, but it's no better to teach it as myth than it is to teach it as fact.

I disagree. Treating any religious text as fact is ridiculous in (non-religious) schools. Most Christians don't even believe in a completely literal translation of the bible and that everything in it is fact. Stories evolve, translations alter and memories fade. The bible should be treated as a book that is greatly significant to a large percentage of the population and important because of that. But not as a textbook that states facts.

[dan1123]

"separating themselves FROM the world and letting God bring the people in."

You're not too big on evangelism are you?

[TommyDale]

Actually I'm quite large on it. Just not in the phony stuff you see on TV or read about in a Rick Warren book.