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 | About half of all U.S. marriages have ended in divorce. A commonly cited figure is that 50% of all marriages will eventually end in divorce. But the percentage of marriages which have already failed is considerably less than 50%. A poll showed that, among Christians, non-denominational churches -- typically fundamentalist congregations with no affiliation to a Christian denomination -- had the highest percentage of persons who have been divorced (30%). Baptists are next at 29%; Catholics and Lutherans are tied at 21%. 21% of Atheists and Agnostics have been divorced. |
Common misunderstandings about religion in general:
| The U.S. is a Christian nation: There are many ways of
defining whether a country follows a specific religion. By some
criteria, the U.S. is a Christian nation:
On the other hand, if other criteria are used, it may be argued that the U.S. is not a Christian nation:
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| Christian prayer in public schools: Many Americans believe that the U.S.
Supreme Court banned prayer in public schools. They did not. The
court merely declared that prayer, as an integral part of the
classroom day, was unconstitutional, both because:
Students can:
Of course, some school officials are ignorant of the law and may attempt to infringe upon rights guaranteed to students' under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Their current favorite technique is to claim that certain religious jewelry (cross, crucifix, star of David, pentacle) are gang symbols and thus prohibited. Fortunately, there are legal groups who can come to the aid of students. Usually a brief conversation between a lawyer and school principal is sufficient to restore students' constitutional rights. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bibles in the public schools: Many people believe that
students are not allowed to bring their Bibles into public schools.
Others believe that they can have a Bible, but are not allowed to read
it. In fact, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees
that:
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Common misunderstandings about Christianity:
| Christianity is growing: Worldwide, the percentage of people who identify themselves as Christians has been stuck at about 33% for decades. It may actually be shrinking as a percentage of the total population even as its total numbers are increasing. Islam is growing rapidly. Some observers expected it to surpass Christianity in total numbers later in this century, perhaps in the 2030s if current trends hold. |
| The Ten Commandments: There is a very common belief that the Ten Commandments are a set of rules of behavior that everyone should feel comfortable following. In fact, the first five Commandments (or four, depending upon which translation that you use), are purely theological in nature, require people to worship Yahweh, provide curses for the children, grand children and great grand children of anyone who refuses to worship Yahweh. The Commandments are thus quite unacceptable to followers of religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) |
| The Immaculate Conception: This is a mainly Roman Catholic doctrine. Most people seem to believe that it refers to Jesus being without original sin when he was conceived circa 6 BCE by Mary and the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Immaculate Conception refers to the belief that in about 20 BCE when Mary herself was conceived, that she was without original sin. |
Common misunderstandings about Islam:
| Female genital mutilation: This is often seen as a religious ritual act, promoted by Islam. However, it is apparent that female genital mutilation is an African tradition that is grounded in cultural practice, not religious belief. In those countries where it is practiced, it is done by followers of all religions. In many Muslim countries, it is an unknown practice. |
| Jihad: This is often translated as "holy war" -- a call to fight against non-Muslims in the defense of Islam. This meaning is particularly common in the western press. In reality, it means "struggle." The vast majority of Muslims view it as a personal, internal struggle with one's self. The goal may be achievement in a profession, self-purification, the conquering of primitive instincts or the attainment of some other noble accomplishment. |
Common misunderstandings about Neopaganism:
| Witchcraft: This term has so many mutually
exclusive and variant meanings that we recommend it never be used.
Two opposing meanings are:
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| Wicca: This is viewed by many as a form of Satanism. In reality, Satan is largely a Christian quasi-deity whose existence is not recognized by Wiccans. Wicca is a modern religion, created partly from ancient Pagan Celtic symbols, holy-days, deities and beliefs. They worship a God and a Goddess, and do not have an all-evil entity such as Satan in their pantheon of deities. |
Common misunderstandings about New Religious Movements:
New Religious Movements (NRMs) are often called "cults." We recommend that the latter term never be used, unless it is carefully pre-defined, because it has so many mutually exclusive and variant meanings.
| Cults are dangerous: A handful have proven themselves to be hazardous to the health or lives of their members. But of the thousands of religious organizations in the U.S., only a very small number fall into that category. Almost all religious groups are benign. New religious movements are simply the beginning stage by which new faith groups are organized. Christianity itself was a new religious movement in the 1st and 2nd century CE. In the 19th century, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Christian Science were two new religious movement. |
| Millions of people are unethically recruited by and brainwashed in cults: Many groups in the anti-cult movement teach that new religious movements capture followers by deceptive techniques and reduce their critical faculties through mind-control techniques -- some almost to zombie-like status. Other groups in the counter-cult movement teach that any group which deviates from traditional Christian theology is a cult. By including such large, established Christian groups as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists, Unification Church, Christian Science, etc., they can legitimately claim that "cults" number in the millions. |
Common misunderstandings about Satanism:
| Satanic Ritual Abuse: During the 1980s and early 1990s, a Satanic Panic swept across much of the English speaking world. Many feminists, therapists, police officers, conservative Christian leaders and the public itself believed that Satanists were kidnapping, abusing and killing infants and children in human sacrifices. Estimates ranged to 50,000 annually or more. This belief was partly fueled by false memories derived from recovered memory therapy used on adults. False memories were implanted in young children through the use of direct and repetitive questioning. Lack of hard evidence finally caused most to abandon their beliefs. Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) is now mainly promoted by a diminishing percentage of feminists and conservative Christians. |
| Worship of Satan: Most people believe that Satanists worship Satan. By "Satan" they are referring to concept of the Devil as an all-evil, living quasi-deity. This view of Satan developed during the Middle Ages within Christianity. The two largest groups within religious Satanism are the Church of Satan (whose members view Satan as a pre-Christian, pagan principle, not a living entity) and the Temple of Set (whose members worship Set, a pre-Christian deity from Ancient Egypt -- a predecessor of the Satan of the Bible). However, some small Satanic groups do worship Satan as a living entity. |
Related essays on this web site:
Copyright © 2000 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-MAR-9
Latest update: 2007-AUG-24
Author: B.A. Robinson
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