Test Your Religious Literacy
SECOND UPDATE: Stephen Prothero has an article on religious illiteracy in the Christian Science Monitor. For the most part, he's on the money.
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UPDATED: Another great video from August: Lewis Black on Religion.
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A Boston University Professor claims (and I heartily agree) that despite Americans' faith, most Americans are ignorant about religion. However, he would rectify this by teaching religion in school, and he has some weird ideas about atheists.
"The hard-core atheist," Prothero writes, "once a stock figure in American life, has gone the way of the freak show." Well, except for Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, whose books on atheism have topped the best-seller lists for two years.
Really? Take the quiz (it's pathetically easy) and then write to Newsweek with your scores and show this guy who the freaks aren't. (I got 100%.)
Oh, and the next time someone pleads with you to believe both science and religion, ask them why fellow Christians are crucifying Edward O. Wilson. Talk about freaks, going after someone of the caliber of Wilson. Happy Easter, and ecologists are the antiChrist, so may your soul rot in hell! But then, as Dawkins writes in his book, they went after Einstein, too. (Of course, as these same nutjobs keep reminding us, Dawkins "caricatures" religion.)
Shimmies to Pharyngula
---
UPDATED: Another great video from August: Lewis Black on Religion.
---
A Boston University Professor claims (and I heartily agree) that despite Americans' faith, most Americans are ignorant about religion. However, he would rectify this by teaching religion in school, and he has some weird ideas about atheists.
"The hard-core atheist," Prothero writes, "once a stock figure in American life, has gone the way of the freak show." Well, except for Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, whose books on atheism have topped the best-seller lists for two years.
Really? Take the quiz (it's pathetically easy) and then write to Newsweek with your scores and show this guy who the freaks aren't. (I got 100%.)
Oh, and the next time someone pleads with you to believe both science and religion, ask them why fellow Christians are crucifying Edward O. Wilson. Talk about freaks, going after someone of the caliber of Wilson. Happy Easter, and ecologists are the antiChrist, so may your soul rot in hell! But then, as Dawkins writes in his book, they went after Einstein, too. (Of course, as these same nutjobs keep reminding us, Dawkins "caricatures" religion.)
Shimmies to Pharyngula
Labels: atheism, Edward Wilson, religion, science
posted by Kristine | Sunday, March 04, 2007
14 Comments:
As a BU alum, I apologise for that Prothero silly person. I never had any classes with him, so I can't say what he's actually like, but still.
Little does he know, but not only do atheists still exist, but at least two (the other being Rebecca!) went to his school. Le gasp!
That must be one of the easiest tests I have ever taken.
Atheists seem to know the claims, they just don't believe that the claims are true.
That must be one of the easiest tests I have ever taken.
My thought exactly. Crap, if most Americans don't even know this stuff, what is it that they would teach us, then?
As a BU alum, I apologise for that Prothero silly person.
You know, I read the article again, and I don't think he's calling atheists "freaks," I think he's saying that there aren't any more, just like freak shows in circuses--but that's still a pretty ignorant statement!
Everyone, remember to send in your feedback.
I nailed 100% too.
I always liked the question, "How many animals of each type did Moses take aboard the Ark?"
Scotius
The old Roman's definition of a good Christian: one that the lions are eating.
Scotius
Ewwww, Scotius! I hate that practice, I hate late ancient Rome, I hate violence and cruelty. Yucky joke!
Then I won't tell you what the medieval Church thought was a good heretic.
The gross and vile excesses of the Roman Catholic Church over the centuries is one reason I am not Catholic.
Scotius
Well, I don't let the Catholic church off either, do I? ("The smell of burning heretics as of incense to the Lord..." Ick!)
I hate injustice and cruelty. I'm a lone wolf, a solitary superheroine, a rogue ninja!
(See post above this one.)
I too loath injustice and cruelty. But what I consider justice involves some very painful punishment for the malefactors. What should be done to pedophile rapists is not for polite eyes to read about, let alone see.
Scotius
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Ah, the persian method. I see.
How did we go from discussion religious literacy to punishing rapists? (I should talk, I'm the queen of off-topic.)
Have you ever seen the film Yojimbo?
Ain't seen "Yojimbo." That sounds like a greeting I might give my ol' shootin' buddy Jim. What's it about?
Persian method? Can't say that I'am familiar with it. Viggo Mortenson's character in "Hidalgo" came close to losing his manhood by a method that the Arabs favored as punishment for trifling with their women. Could be they are the same thing.
Religious literacy!!! My work involves working with college students, and I'm appalled by their illiteracy in many subjects.
Ya buy 'em books 'n' ya buy 'em books. Ah done taught 'em ever'thang Ah know, 'n' they's still stupid.
Scotius
Yojimbo, the film by Akira Kurosawa, is the story upon which A Fistful of Dollars is based. John and I saw that it was on one late Friday night, so we sat up to watch it and were blown away! I highly recommend it - and anything by Kurosawa.
The Persian method was to put out the eyes with a hot poker. (Glad you asked?)
I don't work with students, but I can sympathize with you - you tell people that there's something else besides googling, and they reply, "Huh?" Oh, yes! Oh, yes! There are wonderful sources out thar!
You know, depending on what your students are studying I'll bet if you turned your students on to some of the cool online databases to be had (JSTOR, LexisNexis, Books in Print, Google Scholar, WorldCat, etc.) they would also look at the print versions.
I'd be willing to post about these if you need info on this.
My method of dealing with pedophiles does involve incandescent pokers, but they are applied to other parts of the body, to make damn sure the villains never rape again. I recall reading that Byzantine emperors often had their predecessors blinded with glowing needles before sending them to monestaries.
"Fistful of Dollars!!!" I've seen all the Clint Eastwood Italian Oaters. Loved 'em, and Ennio Morricone's music is something else. "Fistful-" "Don't laugh at my mule."
Although I prefer the American version, "The Magnificent Seven," I have seen "The Seven Samurai" directed by Kurosawa. Good, but too long.
I teach college algebra and the liberal arts course in mathematics. Surprising how many college students have no clue as to how to think logically. They can't identify a fallacy even if it comes up and masticates their posteriors.
Scotius
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