Religious Literacy What Every American Needs to Know–And Doesn’t
Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know–And Doesn’t by Stephen R. Prothero, published by Harper Collins on March 13, 2007, is a critical examination of the religious knowledge gap in the United States. This 296-page book highlights the surprising level of religious illiteracy among Americans, noting that a significant portion of the population struggles to identify basic tenets of major world religions. Prothero argues that this lack of understanding has serious implications for public discourse and policy, as many discussions are rooted in religious rhetoric that is often misinterpreted.
In this edition, Prothero advocates for the inclusion of religious education in public schools, proposing that it should be considered the “Fourth R” alongside traditional subjects. He explores the historical context of America’s religious landscape, revealing how even devout individuals have contributed to the current state of religious ignorance. The book provides insights into the core beliefs of various religions, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and includes a dictionary of key concepts and figures. Through this comprehensive approach, Religious Literacy aims to equip readers with the knowledge necessary to navigate both domestic and global challenges related to religion.
Official synopsis Publisher
The United States is one of the most religious places on earth, but it is also a nation of shocking religious illiteracy.
- Only 10 percent of American teenagers can name all five major world religions and 15 percent cannot name any.
- Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to all or most of life’s basic questions, yet only half of American adults can name even one of the four gospels and most Americans cannot name the first book of the Bible.
Despite this lack of basic knowledge, politicians and pundits continue to root public policy arguments in religious rhetoric whose meanings are missed—or misinterpreted—by the vast majority of Americans.
“We have a major civic problem on our hands,” says religion scholar Stephen Prothero. He makes the provocative case that to remedy this problem, we should return to teaching religion in the public schools. Alongside “reading, writing, and arithmetic,” religion ought to become the “Fourth R” of American education.
Many believe that America’s descent into religious illiteracy was the doing of activist judges and secularists hell-bent on banishing religion from the public square. Prothero reveals that this is a profound misunderstanding. “In one of the great ironies of American religious history,” Prothero writes, “it was the nation’s most fervent people of faith who steered us down the road to religious illiteracy. Just how that happened is one of the stories this book has to tell.”
Prothero avoids the trap of religious relativism by addressing both the core tenets of the world’s major religions and the real differences among them. Complete with a dictionary of the key beliefs, characters, and stories of Christianity, Islam, and other religions, Religious Literacy reveals what every American needs to know in order to confront the domestic and foreign challenges facing this country today.
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