Sam Han | Eportfolio

“Knowledge” is an already secular term. Would there be a story if 86% of people who believed there was such a thing as oxygen could not detail the scientific process by which oxygen was produced?

Religious faith and scientific knowledge have always had a differantial (Derrida) relationship. Would the principal investigators of this Pew poll have any idea that there was a major Renaissance theologian, Nicholas of Cusa, who actually advocated what he called “docta ignorantia”? Or, would they know of one of the major Enlightenment treatises on the issue of religion and knowledge by Kant called “Religion within the bounds of Reason”?

Look. I get it. “Christian” American actually doesn’t know a damn thing about Christianity. The hypocrisy! I tend to agree with this sentiment. But I don’t think one needs a Pew Research poll to catch wind of this. Look at the un-Christian behavior carried out on behalf of God.

I believe there needs to be greater awareness of various religious traditions, including one’s own, but the purpose of this article is to paint all people of faith as ignorant fanatics.