Review by Choice Review
Here is a paradox: "Americans are both deeply religious and profoundly ignorant about religion." Prothero (Boston Univ.) sees this as more than just a problem for organized religion; in a world profoundly affected by religion, the lack of religious knowledge and education has deep implications for civic life and engagement. Prothero lays out the history of how this situation came to be in America, ironically titling his chapters "Eden," "Fall," and "Redemption." The best part of the book is his analysis of the decline of religious literacy in America, the blame for which he places both on the secularists and religious leaders themselves, who began in the 19th century to pull away from substantive religious education toward morality and conduct; this 60-page section is a great summary of American religious history. His modest "Proposal" for rectifying this problem is on target, but is only an outline of how educators and religious professionals might proceed. The book ends with an 85-page "Dictionary of Religious Literacy," a very helpful summation of terms and ideas from a variety of religious traditions, which every educated citizen ought to know. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. M. A. Granquist Gustavus Adolphus College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by New York Times Review
DECLINE-AND-FALL books, like E. D. Hirsch Jr.'s "Cultural Literacy" and Allan Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind," can leave the reader torn between depression and elation: by detailing how stupid everyone else is, the authors leave us feeling better about ourselves. ("I know which has more members, the Supreme Court or the Supremes!") So it was with smug anticipation that I opened "Religious Literacy," Stephen Prothero's jeremiad about declining religious knowledge. Most Americans "cannot name one of the four Gospels," Prothero writes, "and many high school seniors think that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife." Religious illiteracy cuts across generations, and the devout scarcely know more than the secular do. In one survey of high school students, most evangelicals did not recognize that "Blessed are the poor in spirit" is from the Sermon on the Mount. Alas, unlike Jay Leno humiliating an audience that can't name any of the Twelve Apostles, Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University and author of "American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon," does not simply let us enjoy this intellectual condescension. After all, he wants us to remember, it's the rare world crisis that is not at least partly rooted in religion - consider Sudan, Iraq, Israel. And because domestic controversies, like those over intelligent design or gay marriage, are also often bound up with religion, Prothero writes, "you need religious literacy in order to be an effective citizen." Raising the stakes further, he argues (as other scholars have before him) that the 1993 conflagration that killed the Branch Davidians at Waco might have been averted had the F.B.I, better understood David Koresh's apocalyptic theology. Prothero's corrective proceeds in two parts. First, he offers a diagnosis: a 100-page précis of American religious history that tells a familiar story, from the Puritans to today's pluralism, remarkably well. He also argues, persuasively, that both conservatives and liberals are to blame for American religious illiteracy. Beginning with 19th-century Unitarians, liberal Christiansdropped Bible learning for good deeds and progressive politics. But conservatives have also turned away from religious study. From Charles Finney in the second Great Awakening to contemporary megachurch preachers, evangelicals have won converts by advocating enthusiastic faith at the expense of religious study. For most American Christians, Prothero laments, catechisms, confessions and even reading the Bible itself are often Sunday-school afterthoughts. Conservative evangelicals, uniting in pursuit of political influence, played down old denominational differences. "Family values" became for the right what "justice" or "peace" was for the left - a catchphrase that obviates the need for religious literacy. The specifics of Prothero's thesis are not new, but his formulation makes the culture wars seem more misguided than ever. Left, right, ecumenical, evangelical - We all abandoned the Bible. I say "the Bible" because although Prothero gives generous space to Islam and other world religions, he is adamant, against multicultural pieties, that Americans most need to know Christianity. Prothero also risks angering liberals by dismissing popular writers like Karen Armstrong and Huston Smith, who "in the name of. pluralism" have furthered the view "that all religions were different paths up the same mountain." Prothero's admirably old-fashioned opinion is that to rebuild core knowledge we must resist comforting ecumenical myths. He. calls for requiring that all high schoolers take both a Bible class and a world religions class. The second half of the book is a glossary of religious terms that "Americans need to know." Prothero's judicious selection includes descriptions of the major world religions, the largest Christian denominations, key figures from the Bible (Abraham, Judas Iscariot, the prodigal son), various concepts (nonviolence, jihad) and several living figures (Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama). For a sense, here are the contents of a pair of facing pages, chosen at random: hijab, Hinduism, Holocaust, Holy Communion. I would have omitted Billy Graham, who's irrelevant today, and given Rick Warren his own entry. And I'd have avoided the cultural trivia: Hanukkah need not be defined with reference to Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song," and Moses does not, in fact, "figure in" William Faulkner's "Go Down, Moses." But the bigger problem is with Prothero's premise, that deeper religious knowledge would produce saner, wiser public discourse. Would wider knowledge of the Baltimore Catechism or New Testament stories really advance debates on, say, stem-cell research? Or would people find new reasons to cling to their old opinions? George W. Bush did say that Jesus Christ was his "favorite philosopher," but Susan Sontag was correct to point out that "Bush didn't mean, and was not understood to mean, that... his administration would actually feel bound by any of the precepts or social programs expounded by Jesus." Americans have crafted a religiosity that is more an idea of religiosity; together we have largely agreed to forgo its content. Prothero, raised Episcopal, loves doctrine and Scripture, and I sympathize. But with some exceptions - a grasp of the Sunni/Shia distinction comes to mind - religious knowledge is not necessary to be a good citizen. It's just necessary if one wants to be an educated person. It enriches our lives. That's blessing enough. Here's a sampling from Protheros need-to-know glossary: hijab, Hinduism, Holocaust, Holy Communion. Mark Oppenheimer is the author of "Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Booklist Review
The author of American Jesus0 (2003) opens this important book with a paradox. To wit, Americans are deeply religious and0 profoundly ignorant about religion; that is, one of the most religious countries is also a nation of "religious illiterates." Prothero calls religious illiteracy dangerous because religion is one of the greatest forces for good--as well as evil--in the world. Nowadays, standing on shaky religious ground can be literally a matter of life and death. To cite two brief examples of America's religious illiteracy: only half of American adults can name one of the four Gospels, and 10 percent of Americans believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Prothero defines religious literacy--what it is, and what it is not. He also discusses the two great religious revivals in U.S. history, the Second Great Awakening of the nineteenth century and the postwar revival of the 1940s and 1950s. He argues both the constitutionality and the necessity of teaching--with an emphasis on spreading knowledge, not inculcating values--about religion in public schools and higher education. He suggests that every U.S. public high school should require a course on the Bible and another on the religions of the world. And he devotes an entire chapter to "a modest list" of a hundred or so religious terms that he deems essential, from Abraham0 to Zionism, 0 to any American's religious knowledge. A must-read on its subject. --June Sawyers Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Prothero (American Jesus), chair of the religion department at Boston University, begins this valuable primer by noting that religious illiteracy is rampant in the United States, where most Americans, even Christians, cannot name even one of the four Gospels. Such ignorance is perilous because religion "is the most volatile constituent of culture" and, unfortunately, often "one of the greatest forces for evil" in the world, he writes. Prothero does more than diagnose the problem; he traces its surprising historic roots ("in one of the great ironies of...history, it was the nation's most fervent people of faith who steered Americans down the road to religious illiteracy") and prescribes concrete solutions that address religious education while preserving First Amendment boundaries about religion in the public square. Prothero also offers a dictionary of religious literacy and a quiz for readers to test their knowledge. This book is 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." (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Prothero (chair, religion department, Boston Univ.; American Jesus) first builds a case for, then makes recommendations for, the teaching of religion in public schools and in higher education. Citing example after example, he demonstrates that Americans lack even basic religious knowledge. He traces the decline of religious knowledge and then shows how this decline can be reversed, all in accordance with recent Supreme Court decisions. Prothero illustrates that, more than just for moral character, biblical literacy is important. There are, however, obstacles it faces, e.g., public opinion, the inability of the secular Left and religious Right to compromise. He then helps the reader get started with an 85-page "Dictionary of Religious Literacy." Prothero builds a convincing and important case. His book will probably not appeal to general readers, especially when they are reminded of their lack of religious knowledge for a good portion of the first third. But it is particularly recommended for academic institutions that train our future teachers.-George Westerlund, formerly with Providence P.L., Palmyra, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
