Posted on 09/29/2010 3:05:05 PM PDT by zippythepinhead
Atheists and agnostics know more about major world religions than many people of faith, while Mormons can answer more Bible questions than their Catholic and mainline Protestant counterparts.
Those are among the somewhat startling conclusions about religious literacy in America the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life drew after surveying 3,412 Americans.
Some of the multiple-choice questions were relatively simple: Where was Jesus born and who led the exodus from Egypt? What religion was Mother Teresa, what day does the Jewish Sabbath begin and what is the name of Islam’s holy book?
Others were more obscure: What is Indonesia’s dominant religion? Which Christians teach that salvation comes through faith alone?
About half the Protestants (53 percent) couldn’t correctly identify Martin Luther as the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation. Fewer than half of Americans (47 percent) knew the Dalai Lama is Buddhist and only 38 percent correctly associated Vishnu and Shiva with Hinduism.
John Morehead, director of the Western Institute for Intercultural Studies in Salt Lake City, had already noted religious illiteracy in the general population as well as in the evangelical community. But he did not expect Mormons to top them in their biblical fluency.
“Mormons tend to emphasize Mormon scriptures like the Book of Mormon rather than the Bible in their devotional life,” Morehead said in an e-mail.
Even some LDS scholars were surprised to find Mormons at the top.
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
AMPU no offense here but I am putting myself out of your misery by ending this sensless debate. You think I am a cult following loon and you are a “true Christian.”
Please accept my withdraw not as an admission of loss, but a valuation of my time.
I accept the Book of Mormon on faith. Ever heard of that term?
AMPU the answer may surprise you. I have morphed both “Jesus” into one with a one word answer to your question. Yes.
AMPU have you ever heard of “sarcasm?” Look it up.
Yes. I am a J. Golden Kimball type Mormon. Damn.
It’s cryptic code.
To quote Bugs Bunny “could be?” Resty my apologies.
Actually I have been sleeping. Took a long nap from Freeper land and now I have decided to become active.
A sleeper account? Is that like a sleeper cell? Quick Ahmed! They are on to us.
Nope still here. I think I will retire shortly though. Really, lets chat some more over my caffeine laced Coke.
Oh?
Prove it to WHOM?
Ah...
Relativism pops it's head up...
It is a recorded FACT that JS made 'prophecies' that did NOT come true.
What say ye?
The FACT that the original papyrus (from which the Book ABRAHAM was 'translated') has been found, and shown by Egyptian language experts that it says NOTHING that even comes close to what Joseph Smith claimed it did.
How can you accept IT as scripture?
The perspective you ought to consider is that which you must have, your own difference between alive in the body and dead in tresspasses and sins. While in your body, you do not see the 'other side' so you can exercise faith, faithing in Jesus as the only means of deliverance from your sinful state ... not your sin nature which came with your human condition, but your sinful state which cannot enter into God's presence.
When you see/enter the 'other side' there is no longer room to exercise faith. Jesus taught this with His lesson to Thomas, 'blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.'
If you try, as Mormonism teaches, to total up works in anticipation of the day you see Him face to face, you will find He is afar off when you try to cast your works before His judgment seat. He addressed this condition and proclaimed that in that day He will say, 'Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I never knew you.' And are you familiar with what these workers claimed at the judgment seat?
BTW, your posting style is a smartass attempt to be clever. It also slides into mind reading at times, which is a no no at FR, on any thread, but especially in the religion threads. That is one of the posting characteristics you mormon apologists have in common. Your eternal destiny is a bit more important than the snarky smartaleck games.
Hm. I think that’s dangerous. We should not consider a document as sacred without careful evaluation. We should not simply consider a particular document to be sacred text based merely on “faith.” Christ is trustworthy, but Joseph Smith’s work of fiction is absolutely not trustworthy. I pray you come to see the Book of Mormon as a lie, sooner rather that later. Scripture is sufficient.
“AMPU no offense here but I am putting myself out of your misery by ending this sensless debate. You think I am a cult following loon and you are a “true Christian.””
No, I know I am a follower of the Biblical Jesus Christ, who
is a different person than the created spirit being mormon jesus. If you believe in the teaching of mormonism, than you are indeed in a cult. The good news is there’s nothing wrong with finding out you are wrong. There is something wrong with staying wrong.
“Please accept my withdraw not as an admission of loss, but a valuation of my time.”
Great spin as you flee the battlefield of Truth. Your backside says a lot about how mormonism fairs in the marketplace of ideas. On sale, cheap.
“AMPU the answer may surprise you. I have morphed both “Jesus” into one with a one word answer to your question. Yes.”
I suspect this means you also believe in dark light and light darkness?
“AMPU have you ever heard of “sarcasm?” Look it up.”
Yes I have indeed. I’d like to introduce you to truth, also.
Brigham Young was not a racist and a bigot.
Thanks-
1000
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