Not really. You are spreading a myth which has no historical or factual backing.
If it is as you suggest, the early Church should have taken it upon themselves to teach the early Christians to read the scriptures. But it is rather astonishing that Peter, who by all accounts was "uneducated", yet he still seems to be able to have read Paul's writings. I wonder if the Roman Catholics would like to think of their first Pope as someone who was illiterate. It would make writing all those early papal decrees questionable since Peter wouldn't have been able to read what was written. It is a historical fact that Protestants labored to get Bibles into the hands of their people, Catholics and Orthodox did not. I know we've discussed this a while back, perhaps on a different thread. I believe the first Orthodox bible is due for release very soon. Well, at least they have the New Testament and Psalms available.
Any day now, after 2100 years, the Orthodox are about to catch up with the rest of us. Of course see how you don't believe in much of the Old Testament, Paul's writings, or Peter's writings one has to wonder what's the point?
In fact, it seems we are reversing the trend, as the literacy rates appear to be declining.
I'm a little confused. From the title of your chart, it shows the "illiteracy" rate declining, not the literacy rate.
It is a historical fact that Protestants labored to get Bibles into the hands of their people, Catholics and Orthodox did not.
Actually it's a hisotrical fact that the orthodox were the FIRST to translate the bible into local languages [in fact inventing alphabets for people in order to facilitate this] and West Europeons tried to jail them for this.
If it is as you suggest, the early Church should have taken it upon themselves to teach the early Christians to read the scriptures It did. SS Cyril and Methodius developed Glagolitic alphabet and Church Slavonic language based on the Old Slavonic spoken in and around Thessaloniki in the 9th century. The Glagolitic alphabet was replaced after St. Cyril's death by one of his disciples and was named ain honor of the saint — the Cyrillic alphabet used by Orthodox Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Serbs and Bulgarians) and numerous non-Slavic tribes in the former Soviet Union.
The Saint brothers Cyril and Methodius were commissioned to do so and obtrained permission by the Pope to evangelize Moravian Slavs (area currently part of the Czech Republic), but Frankish zealots complained as they saw only Latin as fit for liturgical use (thinking themselves more "Catholic" than the Pope!).
Thanks to the persistence and genius of these saints, the Slavs to this day have liturgical language and Holy Scriptures in a language that they can read and always have understood.
But it is rather astonishing that Peter, who by all accounts was "uneducated", yet he still seems to be able to have read Paul's writings
That's because Blessed Peter didn't read or write anything. The deutero-canonical works ascribed to him were intended to heal the rift that tore the Church between two irreconcilable camps: that of +Peter and +Paul, and +Peter's name was used to make those works acceptable.
I believe the first Orthodox bible is due for release very soon
The Serbs had their Orthodox Bible by the 11th century; the oldest surviving copy is from the early 1100's.
The english language Orthodox Study Bible is not an official Orthodox Bible. it would require a pan-Orthodox Synod's consensus to make it such.
I'm a little confused. From the title of your chart, it shows the "illiteracy" rate declining, not the literacy rate
My mistake. You are right. I was reading about college grad literacy rates and misread.
