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sarasvatiReligious Literacy in America - Not doing too well.
Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism.
... Meanwhile, Rei and I have amusing conversations regarding someone saying something completely moronic about the Hindu pantheon (I only wish I could remember what the comment was, but rest assured, it was painful to hear):
Me - Ugh, and now millions of Hindus are rolling in their graves!
Rei - ...No there aren't.
It isn't that a lot of people are idiots, really. It's just that a lot of them are sadly ignorant to not only the ways of the world, but the ways they openly claim to follow. For every person who goes around spouting out crap about how "God hates fags", I can come up with ten passages from the Bible that teaches that God values love and tolerance. And I don't claim to hold the Bible up as the definitive book of the religion I follow! Makes me sad that so few people actually want to take a look at the meaning behind what they say and do.
It also makes me thankful that I know a good number of people who are very intelligent when it comes to religion, not only their own but the religions of others.
...Unlike these people.
Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism.
... Meanwhile, Rei and I have amusing conversations regarding someone saying something completely moronic about the Hindu pantheon (I only wish I could remember what the comment was, but rest assured, it was painful to hear):
Me - Ugh, and now millions of Hindus are rolling in their graves!
Rei - ...No there aren't.
It isn't that a lot of people are idiots, really. It's just that a lot of them are sadly ignorant to not only the ways of the world, but the ways they openly claim to follow. For every person who goes around spouting out crap about how "God hates fags", I can come up with ten passages from the Bible that teaches that God values love and tolerance. And I don't claim to hold the Bible up as the definitive book of the religion I follow! Makes me sad that so few people actually want to take a look at the meaning behind what they say and do.
It also makes me thankful that I know a good number of people who are very intelligent when it comes to religion, not only their own but the religions of others.
...Unlike these people.
