The Official Website of his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

In a Pew Forum survey released Tuesday, atheists and agnostic surpass all other groups in their knowledge of religion. How do you explain this? Educational level? That they have given more consideration to the religions they have rejected?

Is knowledge of religion important? Why?

Human beings, unlike other species in nature, are born in religion. They are named and then married as per religious ceremonies. When they die, even their final farewell is a religious sacrament. Though one may claim to be non-religious, one's name (even if one did not choose it) indicates affiliation to one religion or another. We grow into agnostics and forty years of denying religion did not help the erstwhile communist countries.

This being the case, whether someone is a believer or an atheist is a passing phase. Inside a believer there is an atheist and vice-versa. Believers with a strong conviction tend to be more emotional than intellectual in nature. They operate more from their feelings using the right brain more. The thirst to know, which is driven by the left brain, is not very intense in them. Since religion satisfies their emotional need, they do not probe deeper.

By contrast, agnostics have a strong spirit of enquiry. The quest to know something completely is central which takes them deep into knowledge. In this sense, agnostics make better seekers. They do not stop probing until they get to the very root. However, for the quest to be a healthy one, it is vital not to be blinded by either beliefs or opinions.
The Buddha was once sitting among his devotees when a man walked in and exclaimed that God exists. The Buddha nodded quietly in agreement. The man left happy having received the Buddha's approval. Later in the afternoon, another man declared that God does not exist and looked expectantly at Buddha, who simply nodded again. He, too, went out joyfully at the Buddha's consent and left a confused lot of devotees behind.
That night another man came and told Buddha, "I don't know whether God exists or not, but I would like to find out", to which the Buddha answered, "Then you have come to the right place. You stay here and we will discover." The devotees were completely bewildered - such contrary responses in just a matter of a day. The Buddha explained, "The first two who came - the believer and the atheist, were opinionated. They were not seekers. The last one, who came with the acknowledgement of his ignorance and an open mind, is a sincere seeker. He would attain the truth."

Knowledge of the religion you are born into is forced upon you while ignorance of other religions often arises out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to one religion. Either one or both can make you narrow minded and fanatic in interaction with other groups. Religion is not just personal but it also has social significance. It is proving to be more an identity than an ideology, especially in the global environment prevailing today. America is a society of many faiths and also has a large agnostic community. Therefore, it is imperative to encourage a multi-faith education, not merely philosophical or academic but one that results in a broader understanding of society.

Read the article on The Washington Post.