The U.S. is one of the most religious places on Earth, but it is also a nation of shocking religious illiteracy. Religion scholar Prothero makes th...
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Nov 10, 2008
Jason
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(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
I had been really looking forward to reading this book ever since first hearing about it; it's a supposed beginner's guide to the world's major religions, explaining to us stupid Americans the basic tenets behind such complicated subjects as the gods of Hinduism, the morality of Islam, the More...
I had been really looking forward to reading this book ever since first hearing about it; it's a supposed beginner's guide to the world's major religions, explaining to us stupid Americans the basic tenets behind such complicated subjects as the gods of Hinduism, the morality of Islam, the More...
5 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Jun 16, 2008
Marla
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This book is plagued with subtle biases and statements about religious communities and cultures with very little support. He ranks Protestants as being the most biblically literate next to Catholics and Evangelists. He also asserts (ridiculously enough) that if he'd ONLY been able to get in touch with the Feds during Waco, he could have helped prevent the mass suicide by not invading the compound based on a strategy from the Book of Revelation.
A professor pointed out that his recomm More...
A professor pointed out that his recomm More...
4 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Dec 15, 2007
Eric
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Once, I (a Buddhist) had to explain to my Christian co-worker that the movie "Babel" referred to the Old Testament tale of the Tower of Babel and the origin of languages. We've gotten ignorant in the US, and Mr. Prothero shows us the dangers and some of the causes of our religious ignorance.
The book is divided into four parts. The first, an essay on what's wrong presently with the state of our religious education. Second, a detailed and interesting study of religious lea More...
The book is divided into four parts. The first, an essay on what's wrong presently with the state of our religious education. Second, a detailed and interesting study of religious lea More...
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(4 people liked it)
Nov 05, 2007
Marissa
rated it:
Another listened-to-in-the-car-book, and a pretty good one, too, if you're at all interested in religion and especially if you aren't for, as the author explains, Americans are woefully ignorant about religion in general even as they claim to be a religious nation.
He begins the book by explaining just how ignorant we are in the world of religion and gives a quiz which, by the way, I failed (but did get more right than the average American.) The best statistic he gave was that 10% of More...
He begins the book by explaining just how ignorant we are in the world of religion and gives a quiz which, by the way, I failed (but did get more right than the average American.) The best statistic he gave was that 10% of More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Adam
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This book offers an interesting take on the existence of religious knowledge (or the apparent lack there-of) in society today. Essentially, Prothero has identified religious literacy as an important issue facing the United States today as it plagues all levels of society. In order to correct these issues, the author calls for the creation of a Biblical studies class and a world religion class within the public high school system in order to improve general religious literacy. In making his ar
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 18, 2011
Allie
rated it: 
I have high hopes for this.
Edit (8/16/11): I will categorize myself as disappointed. I think the problem began with the idea that this book was going to provide some of that Religious Literacy (what every american needs to know-- and doesn't). Instead, the majority was spent arguing why Religious literacy was important-- something I was already on-board with. Damn.
The sections titled "Eden (What We Once Knew)" and "The Fall (How We Forgot)" were off an More...
Edit (8/16/11): I will categorize myself as disappointed. I think the problem began with the idea that this book was going to provide some of that Religious Literacy (what every american needs to know-- and doesn't). Instead, the majority was spent arguing why Religious literacy was important-- something I was already on-board with. Damn.
The sections titled "Eden (What We Once Knew)" and "The Fall (How We Forgot)" were off an More...
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Aug 01, 2008
Mike
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Prothero makes a compelling case for why we need to be educated about the worlds religions. It is a great book to get discussion going with believers and nonbelievers alike. He focuses on Christianity since, he argues, it is by far the most prevalent and influential in American culture.
He covers how Americans used to be better educated about religion, why this has changed, and he offers solutions to the problem. The main section of the book is 148 pages. The last 80 pages a More...
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May 28, 2008
Dan
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I'm inclined to say this is a must read but I say that about every book (almost) that I read. But this is a heckuva good book. Explains how American Protestants actually sacrificed religious studies in public schools when confronted by the Catholic menace in the second half of the nineteenth century. More important, argues that we need to return religious studies to the public schools. Not religious indoctrination, but religious studies ... students need to understand religion and religious
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 15, 2008
Mark
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Prothero makes the argument for teaching religion (in a comparative fashion) in public schools. As it turns out, it wasn't the left/liberals/ACLU that removed the teaching of religion in public schools, it was a combination of two factors: the religious right didn't want other religions taught alongside and given equal weight to their own and secondly, religious teachings went through a 100 year long process whereby various faiths (mainly Protestant Christian faiths) agreed, in an attempt to ke
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 08, 2009
m
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The front cover of this book entices you with the symbols of many world religions, making you think you may get a comparative-religion primer. What you really get is a treatise on how the U.S. has gone on a slide since the Protestant Bible was removed from the schools, and offers as a solution its reintroduction as a central part of the curriculum, with the smallest of fig leaves thrown to other world religions.
You won't learn much of substance about non-Christian religions from thi More...
You won't learn much of substance about non-Christian religions from thi More...
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Jan 18, 2009
Kirsti
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Prothero gives a quiz about world religions to his new students, which he reproduces in this book. The point is not to humiliate people who think Joan of Arc is Noah's wife or that Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple. Instead, he wants to prove how little that just about everyone knows about other people's religions and about their own religion (if they are religious). Religion and religious history figure into many important political issues today, from terrorism to freedom of speech to fr
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Nov 10, 2011
***Dave
rated it:
(Original review Jan 2008)
Prothero (who also reads this unabridged audio-book) provides a history of religion and religious education in the US, building a case that while we cannot understand our nation’s history (social, political, or literary) or our current society, or even modern geopolitics, without knowing about the religion in general, and (for the US) about Christianity specifically.
He also traces how religious illiteracy — lack of knowledge of this history, of More...
Prothero (who also reads this unabridged audio-book) provides a history of religion and religious education in the US, building a case that while we cannot understand our nation’s history (social, political, or literary) or our current society, or even modern geopolitics, without knowing about the religion in general, and (for the US) about Christianity specifically.
He also traces how religious illiteracy — lack of knowledge of this history, of More...
Aug 20, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Prothero provides a good overview of the history of religious literacy - most notably, its importance in early American life and it's decline in the name preserving religion. He argues that religious literacy - not only of Christianity, but of all of the world's religions - is necessary to be a strong, educated citizen.
As such, he argues that two mandatory courses be included in high school curriculum: Bible 101 (as the world's most influential piece of literature in history and curren More...
As such, he argues that two mandatory courses be included in high school curriculum: Bible 101 (as the world's most influential piece of literature in history and curren More...
Apr 05, 2011
Crystal
rated it:
As others have mentioned, this is not what I expected.
I wanted to learn about religions, not find out about how I'm much more of an idiot than originally thought, and then get a historical background on Christianity in the United States. Oh, and secular schools never used to exist? I garnered from his tone that he thinks their current existence is BAD, and schools need to spend more time talking about religion (it sounded to me he exclusively meant Christianity, seeing as half-way thro More...
I wanted to learn about religions, not find out about how I'm much more of an idiot than originally thought, and then get a historical background on Christianity in the United States. Oh, and secular schools never used to exist? I garnered from his tone that he thinks their current existence is BAD, and schools need to spend more time talking about religion (it sounded to me he exclusively meant Christianity, seeing as half-way thro More...
Aug 11, 2009
Paul
rated it:
My 3 star rating might be deceptive. Though this book was decent, it could be a tad misleading. The cover has various symbols from world religions and claims to provide every American literacy in world religions. Rather, the book is mainly a history of the role religious knowledge has played in American history, tracing it's rise, fall, and what can be done for a redemption. The last chapter is a kind of dictionary offering short blurbs on some popular religious concepts one might run into in da
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Jan 09, 2012
Melissa
rated it:
The first time that I realized that religious illiteracy was a problem was when I was student teaching in a high school English classroom. Between reading Beowulf and various plays by Shakespeare, a basic understanding of the Christian Bible was necessary to understand the context of some of these stories, and I found that even the most vocal of Christian students were unaware of the stories to which these great works referred. Growing up, I learned all of the the most common Bible stories from
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Aug 20, 2009
Cappy
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Though sometimes reading like thinly veiled conservatism, this book is still a welcome rallying point for those in the field of religious education.
"When it comes to understanding the Islamic tradition, most Americans are kindertners at best." (pg. 4)
"Catholics may find it reassuring to learn that the average American Protestant knows very little about the bible." (pg. 19)
"High school and college graduates who have not taken a single c More...
"When it comes to understanding the Islamic tradition, most Americans are kindertners at best." (pg. 4)
"Catholics may find it reassuring to learn that the average American Protestant knows very little about the bible." (pg. 19)
"High school and college graduates who have not taken a single c More...
Jul 31, 2011
Hansen
rated it:
Data is clear that Americans “are very religious, but they know next to nothing about religion.” (1) Prothero usually writes about the first less controversial part, focusing on the very many, very faithful US citizens, who commit time to worship, give money for the less fortunate, and assent to belief as strongly as the people of any country. In this book, however, his research on the second part, about our religious illiteracy, shows that even the most certain believers among us have a stunnin
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Mar 11, 2011
Jenn
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This book was recommended in another one I'm reading, Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief. It was touted there just as the title makes it appear: a sort of religious primer. It is not. Not at all. Instead, what it is is a 304 page long indictment on how we know nothing about religion. Really? Wasn't that summed up in the introduction? It doesn't take an entire book to let us know that we're religiously ignorant and need to know more. With the title of th
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Apr 14, 2008
Malcolm
rated it:
The central thesis of this book, that Americans would do well to know a bit more about religion than they do, considering the importance of it in the modern world, I agree with. The presentation was cogent, but not very deep. The majority of the book was essentially a glossary of religious terms, which was also shallow. Somewhat comprehensive, but lacking in the connective tissue that would allow some real understanding to emerge.
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Dec 22, 2008
Sharon
rated it:
The title of the book caught my eye. I did well enough on his "Religious Literacy Quiz" in the first chapter that I wasn't intimidated but I also missed enough on the quiz that I thought I could benefit from continuing to read the book.
Prothero suggests that Americans have lost a basic knowledge of religion. While knowledge of Christianity at least was a standard part of American education in the early years of this country, it has essentially disappeared from our educatio More...
Prothero suggests that Americans have lost a basic knowledge of religion. While knowledge of Christianity at least was a standard part of American education in the early years of this country, it has essentially disappeared from our educatio More...
Mar 15, 2011
Qi
rated it:
This is an excellent book on how to grasp the basic religious literacy in the present time. It does not mean to give any indepth understanding of any theological strand, just the basics so we can have some background to the debates and disputes in politics and cultural lives. For any topic covered in this book, there is no pretention or ambition to give it a fair and unbiased treatment; it only highlights the issues and encourages the readers to explore furthuer.
Plainly written with More...
Plainly written with More...
Jul 13, 2011
Valerie
rated it:
First, let me say that I agree with the author’s premise: religious literacy is a necessary component of a complete education. Children should have an understanding of all major religions, and comparative religion should be taught in public schools. Prothero gives a detailed history of religious education in the United States (the period of time he refers to as “Eden”) and how it declined (“The Fall”). He then offers recommendations for remedying the problem, followed by a concise dictionary
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Sep 12, 2010
Terence
rated it:
I've been looking for something to listen to on the drive to work and this is just the ticket.
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I listened to the audio version of this book so, as usual, I wasn't able to take notes and succeeded only in jotting down some thoughts when I got to work or back home from the drive but I'm minded to track down the hardcopy version of this book and give it a proper read.
I often listen to radio programs or visit websites where evange More...
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I listened to the audio version of this book so, as usual, I wasn't able to take notes and succeeded only in jotting down some thoughts when I got to work or back home from the drive but I'm minded to track down the hardcopy version of this book and give it a proper read.
I often listen to radio programs or visit websites where evange More...
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 07, 2010
Lynne
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The historical overview of the way theology turned into morality in American religious culture in response to needs for tolerance and inclusion was interesting. However, the author's recurring, plaintive refrain that religious people have lost the "chain of memory" of their ancestral theology was off-putting. For most American's the "ancestral chain of memory" is not in our ancestral religion but in our DNA. From an atheist's point of view, the documented turn from dogmatic t
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Aug 01, 2010
I read an interview with Prothero in our local paper and was intrigued by the premise of this book: that in order to fully engage in civic discourse, one must have a basic understanding of religions, religious terms, and stories. In this book, he argues for religious studies courses in school because "in today's world, it is irresponsible to use the word 'educated' to descirbe high school or college graduates who are ifnoarant of the ancient stories that continue to motivate the beliefs an
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Jul 31, 2010
Monica
rated it:
According to Stephen Prothero's book, 10% of Americans believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. For a country that is mostly Protestant very few know the basics of their own religion. Christianity isn't the only one that suffers though, and the author provides a dictionary of terms for the world's major religions.
The book is partly historical reference and details how we got from where we were at the beginning of our nation's history to our present state of ignorance. The other par More...
The book is partly historical reference and details how we got from where we were at the beginning of our nation's history to our present state of ignorance. The other par More...
Sep 07, 2008
Jean
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I'm biased on this issue, since it's very important to me that people know something about all religions. You'll laugh, but one of the major reasons I wanted to homeschool was so that we could understand the proper role of religion in history, and learn a lot about other faiths. So I'm really enjoying this book!
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Oct 23, 2010
Mary
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This isn't a book to make you become religious literate by any means. Instead it is a historical account of how we became a religious illiterate nation. In saying religious illiterate, meaning that religion is a powerful factor underlying ever aspect of our history and modern world; however, most Americans can't tell you basic knowledge about other religions, and very often their own! In understanding the back story, it sheds light on why we are like we are today. In the back there is a rel
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Jun 24, 2010
Emily
rated it:
Apparently, I'm fairly well versed in religion. At least, according to Prothero's little quiz, I'm among the top percentage of Americans when it comes to recognizing, identifying and defining some basic religious terms and characters. That's something to be proud of, I suppose.
But the shocking level of ignorance among many Americans today is not. I can almost understand some lack of knowledge about Hinduism or Taoism, neither of which most Americans have much contact with, but n More...
But the shocking level of ignorance among many Americans today is not. I can almost understand some lack of knowledge about Hinduism or Taoism, neither of which most Americans have much contact with, but n More...
