No, Susie, Joan of Arc WASN'T Noah's wife. . .

 

Professor preaches a 4th R

 

From the man who brought us the “American Jesus” -- a book examining how American Christians have molded the Son of God into an icon of their own choosing -- comes a new tome that suggests those Christians should learn a thing or two about Christianity and other religions as well.

 

In his new book "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—And Doesn’t," Boston University professor Stephen Prothero makes an important distinction. Americans are a religious people but know shockingly little about religion. Meanwhile, Europeans have become increasingly secular. But at least they know the facts. According to Prothero, derogatory remarks and acts of violence against Muslims, Sikhs, Jews and evangelical Christians stem just as much from ignorance as they do from intolerance.

 

He supports his argument with polls and statistics. Only 10 percent of American teenagers can list all five major world religions and 15 percent can’t name any. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the key to all or most of life’s basic questions. But only half of American adults can name one of the four Gospels and most Americans can’t name the first book of the Bible.

 

Twelve percent of American teenagers think Joan of Arc is Noah's wife. A good number can't attribute common quotes.

 

Prothero blames the Second Great Awakening for forcing religious literacy into hibernation. The religious renewal that swept the nation in the 19th Century coincided with a bevy of new religious movements. The American experience was no longer rooted in stories of the Bible and no longer part of the nation’s collective memory.

 

The author also blames a basic misunderstanding of the First Amendment for dumbing down our citizens and blotting out religion from public schools. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Those two clauses—the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause—say nothing about banning courses about religion from public schools or expressions in the public square.

 

He says when religious studies are taught in public schools, teachers often fail to draw a line between inculcating faith (bad) and educating about religions (good). If we stick to the facts, we stick to the constitution. Better yet, Prothero argues, we fulfill our civic duty.

 

Prothero calls for at least one mandatory course on Bible 101 and another on world religions. The Bible, he says, is a useful guidebook to understanding American history, literature and current events throughout the Middle East. After all, the United States is a Christian nation—both in the past and the present. It was the narrative of Exodus that guided colonists to the New World. And it was President George W. Bush who called Jesus his favorite philosopher and steered us up (or down, depending on your perspective) the road to Jericho in his first inaugural address.

 

Prothero’s book, on bookshelves today, arrives at an opportune time. It comes just one week after the state of Georgia began considering a Bible course for its public schools and a textbook in California incorrectly and offensively depicted the founder of the Sikh faith. It comes in the middle of Lent, right before Passover and a year before a presidential election where candidates might be forced kicking and screaming into a national religious discourse.

 

Those candidates might want to take a look at Prothero’s book and its helpful glossary of religious terms. They also might want to grab a Bible before they pull a Howard Dean. Remember? He was the 2004 candidate from Vermont who, when asked to name his favorite character in the New Testament, replied Job.

If you teach it from a historical perspective (and not faith) and also discuss how the other major world religions differ, I think this is a good idea. Maybe after a generation or two, some of the ignorance and hate could be limited?

Seeing those kind of numbers in print is staggering, and yet not surprising. We as American's make no effort to see the world through anyone else's eyes, and on top of it, we don't even understand our own history, or the forces that shaped it. Its just sad.

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concur

Seeing those kind of numbers in print is staggering, and yet not surprising. We as American's make no effort to see the world through anyone else's eyes, and on top of it, we don't even understand our own history, or the forces that shaped it. Its just sad.

 

Agreed. We've focused our attention on sterilizing all religious thought in this country as opposed to fostering a more inviting and accepting forum for religous discussion.

 

He supports his argument with polls and statistics. Only 10 percent of American teenagers can list all five major world religions and 15 percent can’t name any. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the key to all or most of life’s basic questions. But only half of American adults can name one of the four Gospels and most Americans can’t name the first book of the Bible.

 

How is it even possible for someone not to be able to name Christinianity, Judaism, or Islam?

 

 

If that number really is true, I think that there's a much larger problem then religious knowledge in our public schools.

If you teach it from a historical perspective (and not faith) and also discuss how the other major world religions differ, I think this is a good idea. Maybe after a generation or two, some of the ignorance and hate could be limited?

 

I agree - I would have liked learning about different religions in school.

No, Susie, Joan of Arc WASN'T Noah's wife. . .

 

Prothero calls for at least one mandatory course on Bible 101 and another on world religions. The Bible, he says, is a useful guidebook to understanding American history, literature and current events throughout the Middle East. After all, the United States is a Christian nation—both in the past and the present. It was the narrative of Exodus that guided colonists to the New World. And it was President George W. Bush who called Jesus his favorite philosopher and steered us up (or down, depending on your perspective) the road to Jericho in his first inaugural address.

 

 

And does anyone have any idea what the writer is referring to here? Since when did Exodus guide the colonists to "The New World"?

How is it even possible for someone not to be able to name Christinianity, Judaism, or Islam?

If that number really is true, I think that there's a much larger problem then religious knowledge in our public schools.

The thing that strikes me, and I know this is bad statistical analysis, but 15% of the kids don't know one major religion, but only 13% don't know about global warming, are kids more aware of global warming than the religions around them? That's kinda interesting.

I think an elective world religion class would be a perfectly appropriate offering within the framework of any public school social studies program.

 

Bible as literature would be less appropriate at the K-12 public school level and I think you could take issue with federal funds going toward any course offering that seems to give a preferential treatment to the written works of a single religion, but it would bean interesting elective offering from a college literature department.

I think an elective world religion class would be a perfectly appropriate offering within the framework of any public school social studies program.

 

Bible as literature would be less appropriate at the K-12 public school level and I think you could take issue with federal funds going toward any course offering that seems to give a preferential treatment to the written works of a single religion, but it would bean interesting elective offering from a college literature department.

That's a good point. It is probably something you don't want to make mandatory. That line starts to blur right there, probably.

That's a good point. It is probably something you don't want to make mandatory. That line starts to blur right there, probably.

 

I guess it depends on your interpretation of the first amendment. That is the first time I have read someone take it like that, and that puts a whole new spin on things. I always had that kind of a feeling about the right to bear arms, but had not thought of religious freedom in that respect.

I think a comparative world religions class, as an elective and probably at the secondary level (maybe junior high or early high school), is an excellent idea. Religion is such an important piece to understanding history, politics, etc. I'd even be OK with it being mandatory, as long as it was a truly comparative class, not one particular religious agenda (or an anti-religion agenda, equally bad).

That's a good point. It is probably something you don't want to make mandatory. That line starts to blur right there, probably.

If they were done correctly as fact-based courses and not as "this is the right faith and all the other ones are going to Hell", then I could understand either of them being made mandatory in some districts and wouldn't object except in those cases where the teacher decided to be a preacher (which you just know would happen all over the place). Of course, that would probably take away some of the time spent on other subjects, but Hell, I spent most of that government course I took in high school reading through an expansive history of the first World War anyway.

Hell, I spent most of that government course I took in high school reading through an expansive history of the first World War anyway.

 

rebel...

I think that a mandatory course in understanding what people believe should occur. We never take enough time to understand where other people are coming from, and I think that is one of the biggest problems we face.

 

Let's teach our young what other people believe. That way, they can actually respect their beliefs through understanding.

 

We usually get the lip service of "I respect whatever it is you believe." How is that even possible without even knowing what it is?

Was I the only one here who had a "Social Studies" class in I think 6th grade that spent at least a month or so actually going through the beliefs & practices of something like 7 major religions?

I had social studies from 5th - 8th but I don't recall any coverage of religions. Then again I went to a Catholic school so I am not sure if they would have - but it was covered to some degree when I was in high school (again a Catholic school).

The thing that strikes me, and I know this is bad statistical analysis, but 15% of the kids don't know one major religion, but only 13% don't know about global warming, are kids more aware of global warming than the religions around them? That's kinda interesting.

 

 

To me, it raises a ton of red flags that the stats in the article are seriously misleading or manipulated. I just can't believe 15% can't name one. I just can't.

Was I the only one here who had a "Social Studies" class in I think 6th grade that spent at least a month or so actually going through the beliefs & practices of something like 7 major religions?

 

I had an arse-load of comparative religion in history as well as theological departmental offerings, but I was raised by wolves and taught by Jesuits so I'm not a good basis for comparison.

Was I the only one here who had a "Social Studies" class in I think 6th grade that spent at least a month or so actually going through the beliefs & practices of something like 7 major religions?

 

 

In the World History class I took in high school, we touched on them briefly from what I remember. It was nothing major or in-depth, though.

Was I the only one here who had a "Social Studies" class in I think 6th grade that spent at least a month or so actually going through the beliefs & practices of something like 7 major religions?

 

I went through the Public system, and we never studied anything with religion. It may have been that particular teacher for you who took the onus upon his/her self to teach the class about the major religions.

To me, it raises a ton of red flags that the stats in the article are seriously misleading or manipulated. I just can't believe 15% can't name one. I just can't.

 

You ever see the Jaywalking segments on Leno? After that, nothing about the depths of American ignorance surprises me anymore.

i wouldn't be against something like this, but i think it would be difficult in practice. to me the best approach would not be religion, per se, but a discussion of faith and spirituality. the discussion would have to include all religions and all belief systems, imo, including atheism and agnosticism.

 

unfortunately i doubt it could be pulled off. is a christian teacher going to feel comfortable relating the tenets of the koran? would a muslim be comfortable explaining a belief system that does not include a higher power? i doubt it.

 

most often i think the class would be colored by the teacher's individual views and that's dangerous.