Our Christian Festival of Easter which many know so little
and some none.
In
the Daily Mail on Wednesday the 23rd of March, 2005 an article by
their reporter Dan Parkinson has revealed the ignorance of many to this most
important Festival in the Christian calendar and its influence during the long
history in our island home.
*
MYSTERY
OF
EASTER
In poll after poll, young and old have shown their
ignorance of history and its greatest figures.
Now
a survey reveals today that more than half the people in Britain don’t know the
meaning of Easter.
An
astonishing 52% of those asked why Easter is celebrated had no idea it was to
commemorate the Resurrection of Christ, the central part of the Christian
faith.
In
a wide-ranging survey of religious knowledge, 42% could not name Judas Iscariot
as the man who betrayed Jesus and two-thirds did not know Dr Rowan Williams is
the Archbishop of Canterbury, however can at least take heart from being better
known than Pope John Paul II.
Less
than one in ten people knew what Karlo Wojtyla is better known as.
The
16 to 24-age group fared worst on every question apart from one-30% knew that
Muslims eat halal food.
Despite
the lack of religious knowledge, the Reader’s Digest survey found that 64 % of
people believe in God.
The
findings echo a Daily Mail survey four years ago which found fewer than one in
five 18-30 year -olds could correctly answer eight basic questions on the
meaning of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
More
recent polls have shown a wider lack of knowledge, with a survey earlier this
year revealing that 15% of 15 year-olds did not know whom Sir
Winston Churchill
was.
The
latest findings will alarm Church leaders already concerned about the faltering
position of Christianity in national life and education in Britain.
Last
night, Church of England spokesman Lou Henderson said:
‘The survey shows there is a spiritual need in this
country but the decline of attending and engaging with churches is continuing.
‘That
is why we see people with this disappointing lack of knowledge.
‘There
needs to be a partnership between the Church and schools and that is what we
are working towards.’
The
survey also reveals that, as well as Christianity, Britons are also
ill-informed about the five other major faiths practiced in this country.
Less
than a quarter of the 1,001 adults interviewed associated the Torah with the
Jewish faith and only 40% knew Halal food was eaten by Muslims.
Less
than half knew that the cow is sacred to Hindus and just 41 % knew that the
Dalai Lama is the Buddhists’ spiritual leader.
A
little over half correctly answered Sikh when asked which religion they
associated the turban.
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[Font altered-bolding used-comments in brackets]
MARCH/05
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Christianity
is more than a Religion it is the main cultural force, which makes us what
we are.
*
Arthur - Christian King of the English
*
Home Rule
for
Scotland
WHY
NOT
HOME
RULE
for
ENGLAND
*
[All separate underlined words have a
separate bulletin]
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