An Educated Faithful?

Paul’s admonished Timothy to “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15. It seems that there is a growing call for religious people to come out of their state of ignorance regarding the scriptures and the major religious traditions of the world and to aspire to a greater understanding of holy texts and its content.

A Boston University religious studies professor cites a quiz of his students regarding simple facts from general religious knowledge. He asked students to list the four Gospels, to name Roman Catholicism’s seven sacraments, and the Ten Commandments. He also asked them to name the holy book of Islam. Over the past two years fewer than 17% of his students could pass the quiz. He cites a Hindu student who could not name one Hindu scripture, a Baptist student that did not recognize “Blessed are the poor in spirit” as a bible quotation, and a Catholic student unfamiliar with the golden rule.

While many suggest there is a serious lack of cultural literacy in terms of knowledge, religious illiteracy is perhaps even greater and possibly more dangerous. When we make assumptions about religion from ignorance, we generate the possibilities of grave misunderstanding, serious misuse of religious texts, and ultimately a disaster in terms of application. If most American adults, as recent polls indicate cannot name even one of the four Gospels, we have a serious information gap to overcome. If we expect those who share in our culture to understand the meaning of much of the Bible and in fact they don’t, then vast aspects of communication are meaningless or grossly subject to misrepresentation. Religious ignorance plays havoc with public policy, ethics, law, and is linked to all types of general knowledge from literature, history, sociology, and science.

Interestingly, more and more thinkers of our time are suggesting we do a better job of teaching religion in public life. Attempts to be religiously neutral in public education have been misapplications of law against state mandated religious practices. Religion is a key element of our shared experience in every generation. To discount or neglect its study is to create gross ignorance that tragically affects our capacities for relationship on many levels. Religious literacy is well-advised for an educated people.
The capacities of our culture to derive meaning and to share experiences of faith through religious study will likely be documented, but to ignore religion is to ignore our minds necessity for responding to the human condition with the perspective of the divine that so addresses the needs of our time.

For Christians, perhaps we should remind ourselves that Christian devotion should include our minds engagement and our willingness to study and learn and teach. We should not forget the reminders of Jesus to instruct others in all the things he taught us. We have a new opportunity to relate biblical knowledge in a positive and influential way. Let’s encourage the possibilities, for the sake of world that needs to know who Jesus is.