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May 9, 2007 - "Religious
Literacy" is all over the airwaves
and publications these days, spurred
by the success of the most recent
book from Boston University Department
of Religion Chair Stephen Prothero.
Prothero's Religious Literacy:
What Every American Needs To Know
- and Doesn't is on the New York
Times Bestseller List. In it, 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 speak about the need for
religious literacy Sept. 7 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 to improve understanding of
religion by professionals. The event
is open to the public and all who
are interested in hearing Prothero
and meeting others interested in religion
and public life.
"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.
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
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."
The Center hopes the Open House is
a setting in which community members,
academics, students and religious
leaders can meet and generate ideas
for research, programs and teaching
based on common interests.
Check the Center's Web site,
contact the Center at (573) 882-2770
or e-mail whiteab@missouri.edu
for more information.
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