American's knowledge of religion shallow?
Stephen Prothero, author of the recently published Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- And Doesn't, agrees that the Good Samaritan story is germane to the immigration debate because it is all about how Jesus said we should treat strangers.
"First of all, how many Americans actually know the Good Samaritan story? I'm not sure many do," said Prof. Prothero, chairman of Boston University's religion department. "Second, should we be basing policy on biblical passages? If we're going to, how can we have any reasonable conversation if we don't know the story?"
Amazing -- I did twelve years of Catholic school and entirely missed the section where Jesus picked up a
half-dozen Samaritans to build him a new back porch so he could avoid paying the local Jewish boys the minimum wage he
otherwise strongly supports. What Gospel was that in again?