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 Sept.
7, 2007 - 6:30 p.m.
Reynolds Alumni Center, The Columns Room
University of Missouri-Columbia
Free admission
Author and scholar
Stephen Prothero
speaks on religion
and politics
Aug. 19, 2007 - Stephen
Prothero, author of Religious Literacy:
What Every American Needs To Know - and
Doesn't, will speak at MU on Sept. 7,
2007, about "Religious Literacy and
American Politics."
• Read
article in The Maneater
• Read
article in The Missourian
Read articles in MyMissourian:
• "Speech
on Religious Ignorance"
• "Is
America Religiously Ignorant?"
• Event
flier
Prothero asserts that while
the U.S. is one of the most religious places
on earth, many people know very little about
religion. He will talk about the crisis
in religious illiteracy in the United States,
and how it imperils the nation's politics.
"Religious literacy
is a civic necessity, something we all need
in order to participate fully in politics
at home and to understand the global world
in which we live," Prothero said. He
also challenges voters to hold elected officials
to a higher standard in terms of knowledge
of Christianity and other world religions.
"We need a religious test for the U.S.
presidency," he argued. "Not that
someone adheres to a specific faith but
that they understand many of them."
Prothero's presentation
is part of a yearlong theme of events on
"Religion & Politics" hosted
by MU's Center on Religion & the Professions.
Events include lectures, faculty forums
and a film series.
"Stephen Prothero
has put his finger on one of the greatest
educational failures of our time: a devastating
lack of religious literacy across the country,"
said Dr. Debra Mason, director of the Center
on Religion & the Professions. "Although
religious turmoil has plagued us for both
this century and last, our basic knowledge
of our own faith and that of our neighbors
is embarrassing."
In his book, Prothero points
out that only 10 percent of American teen-agers
can name the five major world religions
and that 15 percent can't name any. Though
nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the
Bible is the source of answers to life's
basic questions, only half can name one
of the four gospels.
Prothero believes illiteracy
of religion is a pressing civic problem.
For example, how can people understand the
religious rhetoric used in political speeches
and arguments if they do not grasp its source
and meaning? How can Americans comprehend
what is happening in the war in Iraq without
a basic knowledge of Islam? Religious literacy
also informs debates over stem-cell research
and gay marriage. Knowledge of the religious
overtones of civic affairs empowers citizens
- both religious and non-religious - Prothero
says.
Prothero argues that because
Americans know little about their own faiths
and others, religion should become the "fourth
R" of education. He takes the sometimes
controversial view that academic study of
the Bible and the world's religions be mandatory
in high school and higher education.
In 2007, Religious Literacy
was named an Editor's Choice in the New
York Times Book Review, was nominated for
a Quill Book Award, and was on the Publishers
Weekly Bestseller List, Catholic Bestseller
List and New York Times Bestseller List.
Publishers Weekly
deems Prothero's book a "valuable primer...
a must-read not only for educators, clergy
and government officials but for all adults
in a culture where, as Prothero puts it,
'faith without understanding is the standard'
and 'religious ignorance is bliss.' "
"Prothero's book is
appropriate (to our Center) given the Center's
mission of improving the understanding of
religion among professionals, students and
the public," Mason said. "Religious
Literacy even gives us a roadmap showing
the basics of the major faiths that everyone
should know."
Articles by and featuring
Prothero have appeared in Newsweek, Time
Magazine, The New York Times, Los Angeles
Times, Chronicle of Higher Education and
USA Today. Prothero's TV appearances
include The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,
the Oprah Winfrey Show, Tavis Smiley Show
and BookTV on CSpan2. He also is a featured
panelist/blogger on The Washington Post/Newsweek's
"On Faith" Web site.
Prothero will speak in
the keynote address of an Open House hosted
by MU's Center on Religion & the Professions.
The Open House will introduce the Center's
recent work and familiarize attendees with
its mission. The event is at 6:30 p.m. Sept.,
7, 2007, at Reynolds Alumni Center at University
of Missouri-Columbia. The lecture will be
followed by a book signing and reception.
The event is open to the public and all
who are interested in hearing Prothero and
meeting others interested in religion and
public life.
More
about Stephen Prothero and Religious
Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
- and Doesn't
See
more information about the Center here.
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