How much Christians know about Bible? What about Muslims?

**Muslim Woman** · 03-31-2007

I seek refuge in Allah (The One God) from the Satan (devil) the cursed, the rejected

With the name of ALLAH (swt) -The Bestower Of Unlimited Mercy, The Continously Merciful

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh (May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you)

&&

Is there any survey that showed how ignorant/knowledgeable Muslims are about Islam/Quran ? If anyone knows , pl. post it here.

I just saw a ' funny'(??) or pathetic survey about Americans on religion /holy books. U may visit the links to read the full report.

few funny lines: More than 10 percent think that Noah's wife was Joan of Arc. Only half can name even one of the four Gospels, and -- a finding that will surprise many -- evangelical Christians are only slightly more knowledgeable than their non-evangelical counterparts.

Widespread Ignorance About Religion Among Americans

USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/ 2007-03-07-teaching-religion-cover_N.htm

Sometimes dumb sounds cute: Sixty percent of Americans can't name five of the Ten Commandments, and 50 percent of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married.

Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University, isn't laughing. Americans' deep ignorance of world religions — their own, their neighbors' or the combatants in Iraq, Darfur or Kashmir — is dangerous, he says.

His new book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn't, argues that everyone needs to grasp Bible basics, as well as the core beliefs, stories, symbols and heroes of other faiths...

New Book Examines American Ignorance About Religion
The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2007/03/01/AR2007030102073.html

The United States is the most religious nation in the developed world if religiosity is measured by belief in all things supernatural, from God and the Virgin Birth to the humbler workings of angels and demons.

Americans are also the most religiously ignorant people in the Western world. Fewer than half of us can identify Genesis as the first book of the Bible, and only one-third know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

These are just two of the depressing statistics in Stephen Prothero's provocative and timely Religious Literacy.

Americans get an 'F' in religion

TEST YOUR RELIGIOUS LITERACY

DIRECTIONS: Scroll over the question to see the answer. Tally your points and multiply by two to get your score out of 100.

1 point each: Name the Four Gospels.

MORE 1 POINT EACH

Answer: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Close X

1 point: Name a sacred text of Hinduism

MORE 1 POINT
Answer: Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Yoga Sutras, Laws of Manu, or Kama Sutra

Close X

1 point: What is the name of the holy book of Islam?
MORE 1 POINT
Answer: Quran

Close X

1 point: Where according to the Bible was Jesus born?

1 point: President George W. Bush spoke in his first inaugural address of the Jericho road. What Bible story was he invoking?

1 point each: What are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Old Testament?
1 point: What is the Golden Rule?

2 points: "God helps those who help themselves." Is this in the Bible? If so, where?

2 points: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." Does this appear in the Bible?

10 points: Name the Ten Commandments.

4 points: Name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.

7 points: What are the Seven Sacraments of Catholicism?

1 point each: The First Amendment says two things about religion, each in its own "clause." What are its two religion clauses?

2 points: What is Ramadan? In what religion is it celebrated?

7 points: Match the Bible characters with the stories in which they appear. Some characters may be matched with more than one story or vice versa.

CHARACTERS: Adam and Eve, Noah, Paul, Moses, Jesus, Abraham, Serpent. STORIES: Exodus, Binding of Isaac, Olive Branch, Garden of Eden, Parting of the Red Sea, Road to Damascus, Garden of Gethsemane

MORE 7 POINTS

Answer: Adam and Eve + Garden of Eden; Serpent + Garden of Eden; Abraham + Binding of Isaac; Moses + Exodus or Parting of the Red Sea; Noah + Olive Branch; Jesus + Garden of Gethsemane; Paul + Road to Damascus

Close X
SOURCE: 'Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know' by Stephen Prothero, published by HarperSanFrancisco, March 2007.

**Pygoscelis** · 04-27-2007

You are correct that Canada is in general less religious than northern USA

However, being an outspoken christian and having read the bible and knowing it are two differnt things.

I have done this experiment online, with people who claim to be southern baptists even, and have found them lacking in ther knowledge of their own holy book. They know the gospels, some highlights from the OT (like noah and adam and eve and job) and they know parts of revelations. They often don't know much else.

**thirdwatch512** · 04-27-2007

Originally Posted by Pygoscelis

You are correct that Canada is in general less religious than northern USA

However, being an outspoken christian and having read the bible and knowing it are two differnt things.

I have done this experiment online, with people who claim to be southern baptists even, and have found them lacking in ther knowledge of their own holy book. They know the gospels, some highlights from the OT (like noah and adam and eve and job) and they know parts of revelations. They often don't know much else.

haha i know what you mean. on youtube, there was a member who recently converted to islam, and shared his story on audio. he said that he was formerly a very religious christian, and that he took his Faith very seriously. then, he said that he read the Bible, and changed his mind. so he says he took his Faith seriously, yet he hadn't even read the Bible!!!! what a double standard!!

and i tell fellow Christians all the time that I have read the Bible several times, and they're all like "the whole thing!" and these are people who I go to Church with, and who are religious people!! and they haven't even read the whole Bible!! ridiculous!!!! personally, I think that before any Catholic (that's my denomination) can be confirmed in the Church, they should have to read the entire Bible first. it is only understandable there are so many ignorant Christians lol

Jews typically read the Torah at least once a month, and read the entire Tanakh all the time. lots of muslims read the qu'ran once a month or something. yet my fellow Christian friends don't even read their Bible!! now reading the entire Bible.. yeah, it would be impossible to read that in an entire month. it would take at least a year. but someone could read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John within a month. and it's not about reading the entire Bible in a certain time as much as it is about just simply reading the Bible, and at least striving to read the entire Book. then people say "it's too long for me to read" and i just simply say "if you won't read the Bible because it's too long, then you obviously don't love God enough, so why do you even call yourself a Christian? lol, but i typically don't tell them that, but i think it in my head. but only God can judge that.

**جوري** · 04-27-2007

there are 114 chapters 6236 verses in the Quran whilst there are 260 chapters 7958 verses in the NT... go ahead and confirm that for yourself... So I fail to see why it should take years to read the NT whereas the Quran or the OT can be covered in a shorter span of time say a (month)?... it is also one thing to read the book and a whole other thing to discern and understand what you are reading...

I can cover Marker a 672 page book by Robin Cook in as much time as it took me to board from London Heathrow to New York JFK, and it will be satisfactory read--whereas a comparable book in thickness--like Wheater's Functional Histology (413 pages) slightly less page wise ( would take me 3 months to read-- & a life time's experience to implement and become familiar with its contents as relates to my every day needs-- and maybe even supplement it with Robbins Review of Pathology) for the whole picture to be adequate! .... compare that analogy to reading the Quran before stating, look at the double standards of that convert

The Quran isn't about reading parables, and having a strict or loose interpretation every century as per whims; The Quran is about implementing morality into your every day, and supplementing with the hadiths.. it is in fact a way of life.. a Constant as it has been since first revealed. I will not turn this into another ugly debate... I am glad you love Christianity but stop these infantile & obscene comparisons ... You are not in every household to see who has learned what or who has converted due to what reasons.

Enough!...

peace

**Muslim Woman** · 04-28-2007

Salaam/peace ,

Originally Posted by thirdwatch512

.... he says he took his Faith seriously, yet he hadn't even read the Bible!!!! what a double standard!!.

to be a Christian , it's not a must to read the whole Bible including OT. At least , that what i understood from various posts.

So , if a Christian goes to Church regularly , reads selected parts of Bible daily , does nt commit any major sins ......is it ok for him /her to claim that s/he took faith seriously ?

**Fr0mHim** · 04-28-2007

Originally Posted by Muslim Woman

Salaam/peace ,

to be a Christian , it's not a must to read the whole Bible including OT. At least , that what i understood from various posts.

So , if a Christian goes to Church regularly , reads selected parts of Bible daily , does nt commit any major sins ......is it ok for him /her to claim that s/he took faith seriously ?

I would say yeah/and no. it doesn't matter about how much you attend church or if you read the Bible regularly... its the heart that needs to be checked... I guess if you say he attends Church regularly and does not have the decipline to read the Bible and Pray as much as he probally should... then I would have to go with I can't tell... since I honestly dont know his heart.. but if the person you are describing is me... then I honestly still can't tell since its hard to recognize my heart and my perpose at times.. I take my faith very seriously... I just dont have the discipline to read the Bible all the time... though when I do I enjoy it a lot.. but its something that I have to force myself to read... I would call it a dose of APATHY... since life troubles has caused it.. but its still something that both I and the Lord is working..

**thirdwatch512** · 04-28-2007

Originally Posted by Muslim Woman

Salaam/peace ,

to be a Christian , it's not a must to read the whole Bible including OT. At least , that what i understood from various posts.

So , if a Christian goes to Church regularly , reads selected parts of Bible daily , does nt commit any major sins ......is it ok for him /her to claim that s/he took faith seriously ?

there are some Churches out there that teach only the NT.. which is just ridiculous. how can someone call themselves a Christian and not read about the events at Sinai, the parting of the Red Sea, Noah's Ark, and so forth! if one doesn't read the OT, they miss sooo much.

if they go to Chruch regularly, and read those parts of the Bible at Church, then yes, that's great, and salut to them. but Worship doesn't stop after Church. people should read the Bible daily. God should be in our lives daily. not just for an hour a week! so yeah, one could be a Christian and jsut read the Bible at Church, but in my opinion, they seem to only go to Church because they feel they should or something, but not because they love God to a great extent.

that's one thing i like about the Catholic Church.. we have Mass daily. Church isn't just on one specific day. granted, Sunday is more important, and we have an extra reading on Sunday, but we still can go to Mass daily.

Originally Posted by PurestAmbrosia

there are 114 chapters 6236 verses in the Quran whilst there are 260 chapters 7958 verses in the NT... go ahead and confirm that for yourself... So I fail to see why it should take years to read the NT whereas the Quran or the OT can be covered in a shorter span of time say a (month)?... it is also one thing to read the book and a whole other thing to discern and understand what you are reading...

I can cover Marker a 672 page book by Robin Cook in as much time as it took me to board from London Heathrow to New York JFK, and it will be satisfactory read--whereas a comparable book in thickness--like Wheater's Functional Histology (413 pages) slightly less page wise ( would take me 3 months to read-- & a life time's experience to implement and become familiar with its contents as relates to my every day needs-- and maybe even supplement it with Robbins Review of Pathology) for the whole picture to be adequate! .... compare that analogy to reading the Quran before stating, look at the double standards of that convert

The Quran isn't about reading parables, and having a strict or loose interpretation every century as per whims; The Quran is about implementing morality into your every day, and supplementing with the hadiths.. it is in fact a way of life.. a Constant as it has been since first revealed. I will not turn this into another ugly debate... I am glad you love Christianity but stop these infantile & obscene comparisons ... You are not in every household to see who has learned what or who has converted due to what reasons.

Enough!...

peace

i wasn't saying about just reading the entire NT.. because i could read all the NT in 2 days if i tried. I'm talking about the ENTIRE BIBLE. hah, i actually think Psalms alone is bigger then the NT, although i can't confirm that lol.

the views on the qu'ran has changed over time too btw.. islam used to be a much more spiritual religion rather then literal as it is today. although I think mohammad was literal (we can see that many times), Islam for a long, long period of time was a very spiritual, even mystial religion. not for nothing, but i would prefer the islam of the 11th century over the Islam today. but then again, i would prefer Christianity from the 1st or 2nd centuries then i would today too.

**Grace Seeker** · 04-28-2007

Originally Posted by PurestAmbrosia

there are 114 chapters 6236 verses in the Quran whilst there are 260 chapters 7958 verses in the NT... go ahead and confirm that for yourself... So I fail to see why it should take years to read the NT whereas the Quran or the OT can be covered in a shorter span of time say a (month)?... it is also one thing to read the book and a whole other thing to discern and understand what you are reading...

I can cover Marker a 672 page book by Robin Cook in as much time as it took me to board from London Heathrow to New York JFK, and it will be satisfactory read--whereas a comparable book in thickness--like Wheater's Functional Histology (413 pages) slightly less page wise ( would take me 3 months to read-- & a life time's experience to implement and become familiar with its contents as relates to my every day needs-- and maybe even supplement it with Robbins Review of Pathology) for the whole picture to be adequate! .... compare that analogy to reading the Quran before stating, look at the double standards of that convert

The Quran isn't about reading parables, and having a strict or loose interpretation every century as per whims; The Quran is about implementing morality into your every day, and supplementing with the hadiths.. it is in fact a way of life.. a Constant as it has been since first revealed. I will not turn this into another ugly debate... I am glad you love Christianity but stop these infantile & obscene comparisons ... You are not in every household to see who has learned what or who has converted due to what reasons.

Enough!...

peace

As you say, different types of material will be read at different speeds. Also, comparing numbers of chapters really doesn't tell one much. Some chapters are but a few lines, others might be pages in length. So most of the ways people have suggested comparing what it takes to read the Bible vs. the Quran don't make much sense to me. However, I can say this. There isn't a book of the Bible which is so long that most people couldn't read the longest of them in less than two hours. I also understand that reading just 15 minutes a day for a year is considered enough to completely read the entire Bible in one year. I had a youth group do a Bible-read-a-thon as fund raiser once; as a group, they managed to completely read through the Bible in about 4 days.

Oh, and btw, the Christianity isn't about reading the Bible anymore than the Quran is about reading parables. Christianity is also about implementing morality from God into one's everyday life. That is what one is supposed to pick up on if one reads the Bible.

**Grace Seeker** · 04-28-2007

I got this article on Scripture Saturation in my mail today, and thought that some here might find it interesting.

A little-known monk living in the Egyptian desert at the end of the fourth century provided one of the most durable interpretive keys in the history of Bible study. The monk, named Nesteros, proposed that all of Holy Scripture is to be understood in four ways or "senses."

He explained this paradigm by examining the various meanings of "Jerusalem" in the Bible....

Some other thoughts taken from the article:

the ascetics of old, when they read the Bible, perceived it to be a divine word directed to them in the concrete circumstances of their relationship to the Lord. They would have been shocked to hear Scripture described in modern terms as a "record of God's word."

All Bible reading was perceived to be, of its very nature, a true proclamation of God's word.

Origen exhorted such Christians to go to the well of the Scriptures every day in order to draw the living water.

Without great ascetic effort, the Bible reader's understanding would remain at the level of the "letter," and we have it on good authority that "the letter kills" (Rom. 3:6). What was needed, then, was an ever deeper conversion of heart, a removal of the soul's veil, in order to disclose the inner Spirit of the Holy Scriptures (2 Cor. 3:12-4:6). Only the pure of heart could penetrate to this more profound level of biblical understanding, for only they can see God (Matt. 5:8).

Some monks literally learned the entire Bible "by heart," not only in the simple sense of memorizing it, but also in the richer sense of putting the whole content of the Scriptures into the treasury of his heart. Day by day, as he chanted the Psalms with his brothers in church, the monk's conversation with the Lord continued, employing God's own inspired expressions in order to speak to Him. Praying through the entire Book of Psalms in this way each week, as the Rule of St. Benedict required, the monk kneaded the leaven of the Psalter into his mind.

the monk of old avoided those dichotomies that have become such distractions in modern life, like the separation of worship from study (especially theological study!) and the alienation of prayer from moral striving. Such dichotomies are clearly neither necessary nor especially healthy.

Much has changed in the practice of Christians today from these monks of old. We might have lost more than we realize along the way.

**Hemoo** · 04-28-2007

Originally Posted by thirdwatch512

1. i know four or five people who have the Bible memorized.

many Jews have the Torah memorized.

as for Christians memorizing it in the original language.. prolly a few million

do you have an evidence of what you said?

do you have recorded videos of those christians reciting the bible from their memorization?

or jews reciting the torah from their memorization?

or a contest between those memorizers?

**Muslim Woman** · 04-28-2007

Salaam/peace;

Originally Posted by hemoo

[B].........or a contest
....

I never heard of Bible or Torah reciting contest from memory like we have on Quran each yr. .

I saw a video of 5 yrs. old Irani kid who is a Qurani Hafiz......Alhamdulillah .

It's really surprising how worldwide so many non-Arabs have Quran in hearts without even understanding the language .

I don't know if any non-Arab can recite the whole translation of the Quran in his/her own language.

It's hard to remember so many verses even in mother tongue while Allah made it possible for us to have Quran in memory

so far , nobody posted any survey result about how much Muslims know about Quran ....eagerly waiting

**Muslim Woman** · 04-29-2007

Salaam/peace;

Originally Posted by duskiness

Hi Muslim Woman.
i never came across interpretation of this story as an excuse to commit sin.

No , it was not the interpretation .....few gay Christians whom i met online mentioned this story to me.

i told them Bible does not approve of gayism & they must not take Jesus's (p) love as for granted & will expect that as Jesus (p) forgave that woman , all sinners if intentionally commit sins day after day will be forgiven.

This story is not about justifying our sinful acts but about our relationship to other sinners. We usually quote this this whenever someone feels so good and so moral to pass judgements and punishment on others sinners.

I know , it's up to God who will be forgiven but from our sides , should not we be careful not to commit sins ? If we don't punish sinners , then it will encourage them to spread the sins .

If Bible does not allow to punish the sinners , why so many punishments are mentioned there ?

As Christians we believe that we are all sinners. There is the same weakness in us all, only the way it manifests itself is different. how can we condom others when we are (more or less) the same?

-- those who commit sin intentionally & those who commit mistakes & repent sincerely......how these 2 people can be same ?

Have mercy while speaking about shortcomings of others, be strict with yourself.

--can u explain this comment , pl ?

**Grace Seeker** · 04-30-2007

Originally Posted by Muslim Woman

-- those who commit sin intentionally & those who commit mistakes & repent sincerely......how these 2 people can be same ?

They aren't. That is not what Duskiness was saying.

**yahia12** · 04-30-2007

Is it haram to read the bible?

**thirdwatch512** · 04-30-2007

Originally Posted by Serdar

Is it haram to read the bible?

nope. i believe that Muslims are actually told to read the Injeel.

**Keltoi** · 04-30-2007

My grandmother read the Bible daily, for an hour or two each morning, and she could usually read the whole thing in less than a month.

**Muslim Woman** · 04-30-2007

Salaam/peace;

Originally Posted by Serdar

Is it haram to read the bible?

I don't think so . To get guidance , we will read Quran , for comparison purposes , I believe Muslims should read Torah , Bible , Hindus holy books .

If we don't read other holy books , how can we know about other religions or compare those with Quran ?

Media won't give u any clear idea ....I got ideas from media that only Quran has verses on war , polygamy , slavery etc.

So , after studying the Quran , i support Muslims reading other holy books.

P.S. it's not a fatwa......my personal opinion.

**yahia12** · 04-30-2007

"you dont think so"? what if someone converts to christianity?

Any bible pages on interneT (the holy bible)?

**Woodrow** · 04-30-2007

Originally Posted by Serdar

"you dont think so"? what if someone converts to christianity?

Any bible pages on interneT (the holy bible)?

There are many. However most that I find are on sites that preach a doctrine contrary to Islam and for that reason as a mod I would delete the link to it. I would suggest to any Muslim desiring to read the Bible for reference and comparative purposes to either buy a copy at a book store or check it out at a local library.

**Muslim Woman** · 04-30-2007

Salaam/peace;

Originally Posted by Serdar

"you dont think so"? what if someone converts to christianity?

LOL , don't say that u r planning to do so

That's why i suggested after reading/studying Quran , one will read other holy books.

In my case , reading other holy books strengthened my faith

.....Alhamdulillah.

I m sure , Insha Allah , it will happen to other Muslims , too.

Any bible pages on interneT (the holy bible)?[/QUOTE]

yes , a lot. It's better if Christians give u link. I don't know which one is a better translated one.

**Grace Seeker** · 04-30-2007

Originally Posted by Woodrow

There are many. However most that I find are on sites that preach a doctrine contrary to Islam and for that reason as a mod I would delete the link to it. I would suggest to any Muslim desiring to read the Bible for reference and comparative purposes to either buy a copy at a book store or check it out at a local library.

http://www.biblegateway.com/ will give you access to the text of the Christian bible online without any commentary, and therefore without any articulated doctrine. Depending on your preference you can set it to search through bibles that do or do not include the deuterocanonical books that are included in Catholic and Greek Orthodox bibles, but are not included in Protestant bibles. In English you have access to dozens of different translations. You can also read the bible in the following languages:
العربية (AR)
Български (BG)
Kreyol (CPF)
Čeština (CS)
Dansk (DA)
Deutsch (DE)
English (EN)
Español (ES)
Français (FR)
Κοινη (GRC)
תירביע (HE)
Ilonggo (HIL)
Hrvatski (HR)
Magyar (HU)
Íslenska (IS)
Italiano (IT)
한국어 (KO)
Māori (MI)
Plautdietsch (NDS)
Nederlands (NL)
Norsk (NO)
Português (PT)
Română (RO)
Русский (RU)
Slovenčina (SK)
Shqip (SQ)
Svenska (SV)
Kiswahili (SW)
Tagalog (TL)
Tiêng Viêt (VI)
汉语 (ZH)

The interface language for the site is limited to either English or Spanish.

Now with so many choices available to you, you might be lost as to which one(s) you want to check out. I would give you some guidelines that I use in making my choice, but doing so might be seen as presenting doctrine, so I'll not put that on the open forum. Certainly PM me if you really have questions.