Religious Literacy Reading Prothero

1. America is both religious and secular

  • The United States has both religious and nonreligious people.

  • The government is legally secular, meaning it is not supposed to be controlled by a religion.

  • The First Amendment protects religious freedom.

  • At the same time, religion has always been an important part of American society and public life.

  • The author argues that calling America either completely “secular America” or “Christian America” is too simple.

  • Religion and politics have historically been connected in the United States.

2. Americans are very religious compared with many Europeans

  • The author says Americans are generally more religious than Europeans.

  • Many Americans believe in things such as:

    • God

    • Heaven and hell

    • Angels

    • The devil

  • Many Americans also say that religion is personally important to them and that they pray regularly.

  • Americans also give large amounts of money to religious organizations.

3. America has a lot of religious diversity

  • The United States contains many different religions and religious groups.

  • The PDF mentions communities of:

    • Christians

    • Jews

    • Muslims

    • Hindus

    • Buddhists

    • Sikhs

    • Mormons

    • Protestants

    • and others

  • Because so many religions exist in America, people need to understand religions beyond their own.

  • The author argues that Americans often do not understand even the basic beliefs and traditions of other religions.

4. Religious literacy is a problem

  • Religious literacy means having enough knowledge about religion to understand religious beliefs, traditions, texts, and practices.

  • The author argues that Americans have a low level of religious knowledge.

  • Many people may identify with a religion without knowing much about its teachings.

  • People can also misunderstand religions because they lack basic knowledge about them.

5. Americans often lack basic Bible knowledge

The PDF gives examples of Americans not knowing basic information from the Bible.

Some examples include confusion about:

  • Who wrote or appeared in different parts of the Bible

  • Stories involving people such as Moses, Noah, Jonah, and Abraham

  • The Ten Commandments

  • The Four Gospels

  • Basic biblical teachings

The author uses these examples to show that owning or identifying with the Bible does not necessarily mean knowing what it contains.

6. Young people have particularly low religious knowledge

  • The author discusses studies showing that young Americans often have limited Bible knowledge.

  • There was little difference in Bible knowledge between some younger and older high-school students.

  • This suggests that students were not necessarily gaining much additional Bible knowledge during high school.

  • The author also says that young people are not learning enough about religion either at home, in religious communities, or in school.

7. Religion is often not taught much in public schools

  • The PDF discusses how little Bible-related material is taught in public-school English classes.

  • The author argues that students can study religion academically without being taught to practice a particular religion.

  • However, religion is often missing from education altogether.

  • This can make it harder for students to understand literature, history, politics, and other subjects that involve religion.

8. Religious groups also struggle with religious literacy

The problem is not limited to people who are nonreligious.

The PDF discusses problems within different religious communities:

Catholics

  • The author describes concerns about younger Catholics knowing less about Catholic traditions and teachings.

  • Some Catholic education has shifted away from memorizing basic teachings toward discussions about personal values.

Evangelicals

  • The author argues that many evangelicals strongly emphasize loving Jesus but may not spend enough time actually studying the Bible.

  • Some evangelical writers are concerned about declining theological knowledge.

Jews

  • The PDF also discusses concerns about Jewish religious knowledge.

  • Some Jewish organizations are trying to address a lack of knowledge about Judaism.

9. Religious illiteracy affects interreligious dialogue

  • People from different religions need some basic knowledge of one another's beliefs in order to have meaningful conversations.

  • The author says that interreligious dialogue assumes people already understand their own religion.

  • But that assumption is often incorrect.

  • For example, some Christians may not know basic Christian beliefs, while others may not understand Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism.

10. Religion matters in American public life

  • Religion continues to appear in American politics and public discussions.

  • The PDF gives examples involving presidents, political debates, and public ceremonies.

  • Even though the government is legally secular, religion has not disappeared from American public life.

  • The author argues that understanding religion is therefore important for understanding American society.