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PAGE 1'1 // WEDNESDAY, CX^TOBER 6, 2010 1
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Blind belief: Religious believers fail simple tests of faith
Ashley Fahey
Columnist
Atheists and
agnostics take
the gold medal
when it comes
to knowledge of
religion.
After a
recent survey
conducted by
the independent
Pew Forum
on Religion
and Public
Life, it was
found that on
average, half the questions about basic
religion fundamentals were answered
incorrectly by the more than 3,000
Americans polled. Even after external
factors such as education and age
were taken into consideration, atheists
and agnostics, followed by Jews and
Mormons, scored the highest on the
survey.
Questions that were asked included
Jesus’ birthplace and the Dalai Lama’s
religion, and most were formatted in a
multiple choice format.
An interesting conclusion that was
derived from the survey dealt with
confusion in regards to religion and
the classroom. Only approximately
one-third of the individuals surveyed
knew that public schools were allowed
to offer a world religions course and
less than one fourth knew that a
teacher could read from the Bible in
the classroom if it is used in a literary
context.
There were many ironic results
from the survey as well. For instance,
53 percent of Protestants could not
accurately identify the man who
started the Protestant Reformation.
Forty-five percent of Catholics did not
know that, according to the Catholic
doctrine, the sacramental bread and
wine of communion represents the
body and blood of Christ.
It is unfathomable that people call
themselves true followers of a religion
if they are unable to identify basic
fundamentals of the said religion.
Sure, a Christian isn’t expected to have
every verse of the Bible memorized,
but having knowledge of the basics is
a necessity.
Although this survey should
not label or brand those who are
devout followers or have an enriched
knowledge of religion, it is interesting
to note that atheists and agnostics
scored higher than religiously-
affiliated individuals. Many atheists
and agnostics identify themselves as
such because they have drawn their
own conclusions about religion after
educating themselves about it.
I think it is completely fine to be
spiritual and to believe in a deity
(or multiple deities) if that is one’s
wholehearted belief. But in order to
be considered a follower of a specific
religion, education and examination of
that religion is pertinent. Otherwise,
one would essentially be claiming they
believe in something that they either
are ignorant to or have misconceptions
about.
Also, there needs to be clearer lines
as to what the boundaries are between
“teaching and preaching.” As the survey
illustrated, there is much confusion
and a few misconceptions about how
religion can be approached in the
classroom. In fact, perhaps this is a root
for the results of this survey. A lack of
religion education about Christianity
and world religions in schools could be
causing Americans to be confused or
simply ignorant to the basic principles
of the world’s most popular religions.
And while world religions courses are
commonly offered at public and private
schools alike, this survey illustrates that
not many people are aware that these
courses are available.
Perhaps there needs to be a bigger
emphasis on basic religion education
in the classroom. Perhaps religiously-
affiliated individuals should pay closer
attention to the doctrines that make
up what they claim to believe in. But
no matter what, one thing remains
constant: education and religion are
perpetually intertwined and in order to
understand religion, understanding the
principles is essential.
Responsible upbringing
creates secure, socially
conscious young adults
Parenting can affect students’ world views
Rachel South mayd
Columnist
In my
first week
at Elon
University,
a professor
warned my
class that
in college,
C’s were
comparable
to high
school A’s,
and we
needed to
adjust our
expectations because no one would
be there to hold our hand. This
past weekend, many of these hand-
holders roamed across the campus:
parents.
Parents come in many forms.
There are the helicopters, the
naggers, the “best friends,” the
absentees, the “let them figure it out
on their own”-ers. But then there are
the ones that fall somewhere in the
middle. Those guardians who know
when to hold on and when to let go.
The best sort of parenting occurs
when children are given realistic
expectations, but are never limited
in their attempts to reach for
extraordinary goals. Praise is given
when earned, but not in excess,
because that is not the case in real
life. Children don’t walk on water,
but then again, neither do parents.
By keeping commendation in check,
children are taught to keep their
expectations within normal limits
and to hold themselves to a higher
standard.
But good parenting isn’t about
letting your kids run free and make
their own mistakes — rules and
consequences for breaking those
rules are vital elements of the
parenting experience. If a kid never
touches a garbage can at home,
what makes you think he or she will
be inclined to do so in college? If
Peter breaks Mom’s favorite vase,
he should be the one to compensate
for it, whether it’s picking up extra
chores or simply shelling out the
cash to replace it.
But the punishment should
fit the crime, and circumstances
should be taken into account. I don’t
think any child can flourish under
the iron fist of tyrannous parents,
nor do I think a kid who gets a
mere slap on the wrist for racking
up a $1,000 cell phone bill will be
inclined to stop texting every joke
from “The Office” to each of his 400
contacts.
I grew up with parents who fit
most of the positive descriptions
I've given. I am not trying to say
they raised a perfect kid, by any
means. What I do mean is that I
think I’m better off for the approach
they took during my adolescence.
At times, it’s easy to mistake
their distance for coldness, or
lack of caring, but its really just
the opposite. They wanted to raise
children who could think for
themselves, who work to please
themselves, not others and realize
that the greatest self-image one can
achieve is one that is self-attained
and self-assured.
They taught me that
irresponsibility and complete
dependency on others is a weakness
that will inevitably pile up,
manifesting itself like the stench
of three-week old Cookout in the
bottom of an un-emptied dorm
room trash can.
Music content-tells story
about relevant social issues
Jennifer McAllister
Guest Columnist
The chorus
from Rhianna
and Eminem’s
chart topping
song “Love
the Way You
Lie” is a song
that makes
me, well,
quite frankly,
extremely
irritated.
“Just gonna
stand there
and watch
me burn/But
that’s alright because I like the way
it hurts/ Just gonna stand there
and hear me cry/ But that’s alright
because I love the way you lie.”
When I watch the music video,
which portrays a passionate and
violent fight between two lovers,
and hear the lyrics, which describe
acts such as tying someone to a
bed and throwing someone to the
floor, I become enraged, upset
and thoroughly shocked. When I
continue to listen to the song, I
sink even further into disbelief
when I realize Rhianna, a survivor
of domestic abuse, and Eminem,
who allegedly took part in domestic
violence disputes, collaborated on
this song. And you know what? The
fact that I get so angry is OK; that’s
the whole point of this video.
But I disagree completely with
the people who say this song is
“glamorizing" and making the
horrific realities of domestic abuse
seem normal. On the contrary, I
believe it’s finally bringing into
light an issue that has plagued
many women for centuries.
By talking about this issue in
such a public forum and bringing
to the forefront of Americans
minds an issue that is very often
overlooked, the video is finally
encouraging all of us to confront
and help defeat this problem. 1
also think that in many ways, it is
encouraging and assisting many
current victims of domestic violence
to come forward and get help.
When an issue seems taboo in the
minds of Americans, like domestic
violence, many are afraid to step
forward, even if it’s purely because
they don’t know where to get the
support they need.
This video, or any video that
addresses these controversial and
avoided topics, helps victims realize
it is not OK to be living like this,
and that they are not alone. Other
people across the globe experience
the same thing daily, and more
people are abused and die from
something that can be largely
prevented if people had the courage
to speak up. This video is supposed
to spark controversial debates and
heated arguments. That is the only
way for people to realize the very
real horrors of this frighteningly
common circumstance.
In this way, it is the media’s
responsibility to play a part in
helping people realize that this
behavior is not acceptable or
normal, but that it is unfortunately
common. The media needs to open
Pandora’s Box and reveal to society
that these problems are becoming
too much a part of the typical
American life. The media needs
to promote changes in people’s
thinking, and therefore needs to
also directly help raise awareness.
If used in the right way, the media
is the most powerful tool we have to
help others.
I do not think “Love the Way You
Lie” was supposed to encourage
the younger generation to beat
their wives or hurt their loved ones
because Eminem and Rhianna make
it sound good. The fact that Rhianna
was the singer of these deep lyrics
should be a direct signal that this
music video was not supposed to
make abuse look cool. It’s not a
publicity stunt. This video helps
legitimize the actual feelings that
someone in this position has felt to
the mass majority who have no idea
of how much domestic abuse the
victims have to suffer.
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