While 44% of Americans speak frequently with friends and family about religion,
•only 71% could name the place of Jesus birth
•67% inaccurately believe that public school teachers are forbidden to “read from the Bible as an example of literature”
•only 63% could name the first book of the Bible
•only 54% could name the Muslim holy book
•52% of Americans think that Catholics believe that “the bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ,” while 45% say that Catholics believe that “the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ”
•only 46% could name Martin Luther as “the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation”
•only 45% could name the four Gospels
•more Americans (28%) believe that Billy Graham participated in the First Great Awakening than that Jonathan Edwards did (11%)
•more Americans (36%) believe that Brown v. Board of Education case-- which ended segregation in public schools-- focused on evolution than believes that the Scopes trial (which actually focused on evolution) did (31%)
The survey also found that:
•69% are “absolutely certain” that God or a universal spirit exists, while 17% are “fairly certain” and 6% are atheists
•48% read Scripture at least monthly
•only 59% of Americans know that the vice president of the United States is Joe Biden
Perhaps worst is who knew what. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics.
Read more here from the Pew Forum...if you can take it.
Many US Bishops refuse to encourage their own Flocks in their own Diocese to read the "CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition".
ReplyDeleteThey refuse to insist that Catholic Universities and Seminiaries in their own Diocese use the CCC as student texts as part of the core ciriculum.
They refuse to use the CCC as student texts in 11th and 12 grades in Catholic High Schools in their Diocese.
They refuse to insist that their Parish Priests promote the CCC on parish web sites, parish bulletins and from the pulpit.
If the teachers (Bishops) aren't teaching, what can we expect in today's society?
The CCC is easy to understand for anyone over age 15.
The CCC makes a great birthday or Christmas gift too.