Game On!

Ordinarily, I am not a competitive person. Quite frankly, any kind of rivalry rarely piques my interest. My family is filled with sports fanatics and competition can originate from almost any venue. From athletic exhibitions to grades to how much one can devour in a single meal. You name it and it can turn into a challenge of Olympic sized proportions. When these kinds of events start up, I generally shake my head and seek out a safe quiet place away from the bedlam. You can imagine my surprise when after reading an article last week in USA Today, that I felt the lure of the contest rise up in me.

There was an article that reported the results of a survey birthed by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. It was a test that measured the level of religious knowledge in the U.S, (September 28, 2010) and it was given to 3,412 adults with questions relative to the Bible, major religious figures, practices and beliefs. There were 32 questions on the exam and the average score was 16 correct.

Here are the test results for some of the major religious groups:
Atheist/Agnostic 20.9
Jewish 20.5
Mormon 20.3
White Evangelical
Protestant 17.6
White Catholic 16.o
White mainline
Protestant 15.8
Nothing in
Particular 15.2
Black Protestant 13.4

Did you notice who number 1 is? It seems that Atheists and Agnostics know more about the fundamental beliefs of most religions then we do. I thought to myself, how can I expect to reach people for Christ unless I am aware of what other belief systems are teaching?

Someone brought up an important point. They said that the Atheists/Agnostics are probably seeking and have studied and concluded that no religion (atheists) or all religion (agnostics) appeal to them. I have to be honest, I don’t like that this religious group knows more then I do about spiritual matters.

We as Christians are called to love God with our whole hearts, souls and minds. I was convicted by this article, in my pursuit to love God with my whole heart and soul have I neglected to give Him my mind as well? Have I yielded it to Him completely? Have I allowed Him to teach the things that He wants me to know so I would be better equipped as His servant? Or am I primarily focused on the things that minister to me alone? Both are important, but I need to keep it in balance.

Not long ago, I was praying and I felt God point me to a particular area that He wanted me to study in the Jewish faith. It would be hard and grueling and to be honest the thought of it left me exhausted. I didn’t tell anyone because they might, you know, keep me accountable. I put it on the shelf and never did anything about it. Last week, a friend of mine, who had no knowledge of this, invited me to a class on that very thing. Obviously, God was serious.

I will be taking that class. I think I want to be smarter then the average atheist/agnostic about other’s belief systems. I am feeling that competitive urge stirring up in me again as I write this article. Right now for me, faced with this kind of challenge, there can only be one response ‘Game On!’

Here are some sample questions from the test.
1) Mother Teresa was…Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Mormon or Hindu?
2) Vishnu and Shiva are central figures in …Islam, Hinduism or Taoism?
3) The Bible figure most closely associated with remaining obedient to God despite suffering is…Job, Elijah, Moses or Abraham?
4) The person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation was …Martin Luther, Thomas Aquinas or John Wesley?
5) The religion that aims at nirvana, the state of being free from suffering, is …Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism?

The answers will be left by me as a comment.