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Religious literacy not merely philosophical

It is imperative to encourage a multi-faith education, not merely philosophical or academic but one that results in a broader understanding of society.

By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | October 1, 2010; 6:45 PM ET | Comments (6)

Knowing beliefs of "others" important in global community

Life is getting complex and distractions are mounting, so religion appears to be slipping away from the priority list of many.

By Rajan Zed | October 1, 2010; 3:54 PM ET | Comments (0)

Catholicism's scandal of ignorance

As odd as it is to say such a thing, professed atheists tend to be passionate "non-believers." I wish everyone who calls himself "Catholic" would be as passionate.

By Danielle Bean | October 1, 2010; 12:58 PM ET | Comments (16)

A plea to Muslims: Join American Christians in supporting a free Iran

By Jordan Sekulow The Middle East is the center of three Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Over the centuries, conflicts have arisen between the people of these faiths, often violent. Separating out the element of faith -- religious...

By Jordan Sekulow | September 30, 2010; 4:07 PM ET | Comments (32)

A mosque, a temple and a court verdict in India

A muted judgement --that many will embrace as the road map to peace --the final order was a simple compromise: That the land should be divided equally between Hindu and Muslim plaintiffs so that Hindus could rebuild their temple and Muslims their mosque.

By Aseem Shukla | September 30, 2010; 3:19 PM ET | Comments (94)

Taste and See

The meaning of religion is not the ability to regurgitate facts, the meaning of religion is the ability to enter into an I-Thou relationship with the Divine and with the world around us.

By Valerie Elverton Dixon | September 30, 2010; 12:08 PM ET | Comments (9)

Religious illiteracy's win is pluralism's loss

Illiteracy has consequences. Academic illiteracy dulls a society's future; religious illiteracy stunts pluralism that is the cornerstone of a multi-religious society. And the nightmare scenario is with us today: witness the recent spate of violence against Muslims, Siikhs and Hindus.

By Aseem Shukla | September 30, 2010; 8:38 AM ET | Comments (18)

What does "knowing" mean?

The Pew survey, while not worthless, is easy to overvalue in that it is a product of the rational mind, which in the West is, among the ways of knowing, overvalued.

By Willis E. Elliott | September 29, 2010; 11:31 PM ET | Comments (23)

Atheism and ignorance

To be fair, active atheists and agnostics like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris (both of Jewish descent) present in fact quite the opposite of Jon Stewarts antics, indeed taking their studies of G-d very seriously.

By Shmully Hecht | September 29, 2010; 4:43 PM ET | Comments (47)

Trivia kings, but bad thinkers: understanding over facts

Pew has released a study that shows if the average atheist and the average theist appear on religious Jeopardy, the theist is in trouble. However, wisdom and understanding are different from "just the facts." It is good to know facts, but that doesn't mean you get it.

By John Mark Reynolds | September 29, 2010; 2:43 PM ET | Comments (67)

Lack of religious knowledge prevents true diversity

Lack of knowledge who the other keeps us bound by fear and ignorance, which are the fuel for hatred.

By Susan K. Smith | September 29, 2010; 2:37 PM ET | Comments (0)

Knowledge not the same as religious experience

Knowing about something isn't the same thing as experiencing it.

By Michael Otterson | September 29, 2010; 11:27 AM ET | Comments (24)

"The ignorant cannot be pious"

The decline in religious literacy may be symptomatic of other declines, but no less sad for that. Judaism elevates the ideal of study; indeed it is probably the only religious tradition that envisages God studying. A rabbinic legend has it that in heaven the blessed sit around God and study together.

By David Wolpe | September 28, 2010; 7:02 PM ET | Comments (6)

Forgetting God has eternal and earthly consequences

"God helps those who help themselves" has long been one of those sayings misinformed people think is in the Bible. Sadly, too many people who claim to believe in God think it is part of Scripture. Their ignorance about such ultimate issues is exposed in the latest survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

By Cal Thomas | September 28, 2010; 6:33 PM ET | Comments (6)

Ignorance and faith

Having faith in faith, as Eisenhower promoted, can be quite dangerous.

By Herb Silverman | September 28, 2010; 6:15 PM ET | Comments (17)

Studying about religion can help us all

Nearly everyone in America today understands the value and importance of education, but far too few of us understand the value and importance of studying about religion using a scholarly approach

By Ramdas Lamb | September 28, 2010; 6:06 PM ET | Comments (3)

Atheists: know thy enemy

Research suggests that conversions from religion to atheism are disproportionately likely to be largely cognitive in nature, while conversions from atheism to religion tend to be more emotional. In addition, as adherents of an often-unpopular worldview, atheists and agnostics are frequently challenged to defend their position.

By Tom Flynn | September 28, 2010; 5:42 PM ET | Comments (16)

Ignorance is not bliss

Over the years, I have come to believe that the study of religion is a way to seek God, though not always to find God. Of course, I include agnosticism and atheism as part of the uniquely human search for God that sometimes, even for a life-time, entails silence and not communion. It is all one journey.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | September 28, 2010; 4:57 PM ET | Comments (8)

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Archive: September 26, 2010 - October 2, 2010