Religion

cbayer

(146,218 posts) Thu Oct 4, 2012, 12:59 PM Oct 2012

Paying the price for religious illiteracy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/paying-the-price-for-religious-illiteracy/2012/10/03/51a35092-0d96-11e2-bd1a-b868e65d57eb_blog.html

Posted at 04:23 PM ET, 10/03/2012
Paying the price for religious illiteracy
By Charles C. Haynes

In Judge Joseph Sheeran’s courtroom, religious literacy is seen as an antidote to intolerance and hate.

Last week, the Michigan judge gave Delane Bell two years of probation for attacking two men Bell thought were Muslims. But the judge conditioned the sentence on Bell’s completing a ten-page paper on Hinduism, the actual faith of the assault victims.

This was Sheeran’s second attempt to educate Bell about religions. At his plea hearing, Bell was ordered to write a paper on the cultural contributions of Islam, presumably to help him stop viewing all Muslims as terrorists.

As much as I admire the judge’s optimism about the power of learning, it’s probably naïve to hope that writing a paper will inspire remorse in people who beat up Muslims, spray paint synagogues with swastikas, burn down black churches or – as we saw this past summer – gun down Sikhs.

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4 replies

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Paying the price for religious illiteracy (Original Post) cbayer Oct 2012 OP

That's kinda like political and historical illiteracy... joycejnr Oct 2012 #1

The biggest problem... rexcat Oct 2012 #2

I agree with the idea of rehabilitation instead of prison. Jim__ Oct 2012 #3

I think the point here is that broader education is what is needed. cbayer Oct 2012 #4

joycejnr

(326 posts)

1. That's kinda like political and historical illiteracy...

Reply to cbayer (Original post)

Thu Oct 4, 2012, 01:01 PM

Oct 2012

...it makes it easy for the Conservative leaders and propagandists to mislead the sheeple and confuse the "uninformed voter."

rexcat

(3,622 posts)

2. The biggest problem...

Reply to cbayer (Original post)

Thu Oct 4, 2012, 01:20 PM

Oct 2012

with having a comparative religion course in the high school setting is having an objective teaching environment. As long as the class setting is objective a course like this would be great. If the course is not objective it would be a total disaster and there are some regions of the country where objectivity would not be the intent.

Jim__

(14,083 posts)

3. I agree with the idea of rehabilitation instead of prison.

Reply to cbayer (Original post)

Thu Oct 4, 2012, 03:58 PM

Oct 2012

But, I don't think writing a paper is rehab; and in this case, given that the judge has tried this with this defendant before, I'd say it definitely won't work.

If Sheeran could find a Hindu congregation that would accept it, I think it would be more effective to have him work with people from the congregation. Getting to know people is a good remedy for ignorant bigotry.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

4. I think the point here is that broader education is what is needed.

Reply to Jim__ (Reply #3)

Thu Oct 4, 2012, 04:08 PM

Oct 2012

I agree that exposure to the *other* is the best remedy for ignorance, and the earlier that exposure takes place, the better.

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