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In order to begin, we must first learn what religious literacy means. This short article will help us educate ourselves on the definition.

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The following definition of religious literacy articulated by Diane L. Moore has been adopted by the American Academy of Religion to help educators understand what is required for a basic understanding of religion and its roles in human experience:

Religious literacy entails the ability to discern and analyze the fundamental intersections of religion and social/political/cultural life through multiple lenses. Specifically, a religiously literate person will possess:

1. A basic understanding of the history, central texts (where applicable), beliefs, practices, and contemporary manifestations of several of the world's religious traditions as they arose out of and continue to be shaped by particular social, historical, and cultural contexts.

2. The ability to discern and explore the religious dimensions of political, social and cultural expressions across time and place.

Critical to this definition is the importance of understanding religions and religious influences in context and as inextricably woven into all dimensions of human experience. Such an understanding highlights the inadequacy of understanding religions through common means such as learning about ritual practices or exploring "what scriptures say" about topics or questions.

Unfortunately, these are some of the most common approaches to engaging religions and lead to simplistic and inaccurate representations of the roles religions play in human agency and understanding-and ultimately in public life.

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The following definition of religious literacy articulated by Diane L. Moore has been adopted by the American Academy of Religion to help educators understand what is required for a basic understanding of religion and its roles in human experience: Religious literacy entails the ability to discern and analyze the fundamental intersections of religion and social/political/cultural life through multiple lenses.

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This video shows us a bit more about the first five major religions of the world.

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The five major world religions - John Bellaimey

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This article tackles religious illiteracy, and why it is important for us to be knowledgeable about religious literacy. It tells us why it is crucial for us to be studying these topics.

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The following excerpt is from Diane Moore's article, "Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Cultural Studies Approach."

Author's note: I have the privilege of working with secondary school teachers and teacher educators in several parts of world for over a decade regarding issues related to teaching about religion from a nonsectarian perspective. I have learned a tremendous amount from these dedicated professionals and continue to be inspired by their rich competences and shared commitments to empowering forms of education. I have also learned that many of the assumptions they bring and issues they face regarding teaching about religion in the schools are surprisingly similar to those of educators in the United States. Thus, although this article is essentially an overview of themes I address in more depth in my forthcoming book Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Multicultural Approach to Teaching About Religion in Secondary Schools (NY: Palgrave, 2007), I have tried to frame my presentation here in a way that I hope will also be relevant for colleagues outside of my own U.S. context.

The premises of this essay are threefold: First, there exists a widespread illiteracy about religion that spans the globe; second, one of the most troubling and urgent consequences of this illiteracy is that it often fuels prejudice and antagonism, thereby hindering efforts aimed at promoting respect for , peaceful coexistence and cooperative endeavors in local, national and global arenas; and third, it is possible to diminish religious illiteracy by teaching about religion from a nonsectarian perspective in primary and secondary schools.

By religious illiteracy, I mean the lack of understanding about 1) the basic tenets of the world's religious traditions; 2) the diversity of expressions and beliefs within traditions that emerge and evolve in relation to differing social/historical contexts; and 3) the profound role that religion plays in human social, cultural, and political life in both contemporary and historical contexts. Conversely, I define religious literacy in the following way:

Religious literacy entails the ability to discern and analyze the fundamental intersections of religion and social/political/cultural life through multiple lenses. Specifically, a religiously literate person will possess 1) a basic understanding of the history, central texts (where applicable), beliefs, practices and contemporary manifestations of several of the world's religious traditions as they arose out of and continue to be shaped by particular social, historical and cultural contexts; and 2) the ability to discern and explore the religious dimensions of political, social and cultural expressions across time and place.

These definitions presume that religion is a social/cultural phenomenon that is embedded in human political, social and cultural life. They also presume that religion shapes and is shaped by the social/historical contexts out of which particular religious expressions and influences emerge. Finally, these definitions presume that there is a difference between religion understood through the lens of personal devotional practice and the academic study of religion. One way to characterize this distinction is to recognize the difference between religious learning (or learning religion) through a devotional lens and learning about religion from an academic one. Both are legitimate enterprises that can serve complementary but distinctive ends.

In the following pages I offer a brief explanation of the three premises articulated above and then make a case for the importance of teaching about religion in schools from a nonsectarian perspective. I then offer an outline of both a theory and a method for how to teach about religion that can be incorporated in and adapted to diverse global contexts. I close with brief remarks summarizing a method for educating teachers about how to enhance their own religious literacy.

Premise Number One: There exists a widespread illiteracy about religion that spans the globe.

In my work with educators in East Africa, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and the United States, I have found that in spite of tremendous differences between and within these communities there is a marked similarity in their approach to and understanding of religion as represented the by the following shared practices and assumptions:

1. Religious traditions are often represented inaccurately by individuals who define themselves as "religious" as well as those who self-define as "non-religious." For those who define themselves as "religious," this inaccuracy often manifests itself in relationship to their own traditions as well as the faith traditions of others.

2. Religious traditions are often represented as internally uniform and static as opposed to diverse and evolving.

3. Religion is deeply and nearly exclusively equated with sectarianism in ways that render the study of religion a difficult concept to grasp and apply.

4. Practitioners of a given religious tradition are assumed to be the best sources of information about the tradition and are often looked to formally or informally as "experts." This fails to recognize the distinction between an academic study of religion and the devotional expression of a particular religious worldview.

5. In some contexts, religion is interpreted as a "private" affair distinct from the secular "public" sphere of political, economic and cultural life.

These common practices and assumptions expressed by educators about religion are widespread and often indicative of their fellow citizens. They are manifestations of the religious illiteracy that I define above and should not be interpreted as evidence of a lack of intellectual capability or awareness on the part of those who harbor these and similar assumptions. Given that the main sources of information about religion come from training in or about one's own religious tradition (or none) and the media, it should come as no surprise that these and other forms of religious illiteracy are widespread. Appropriately, individuals who are raised in or convert to a certain faith tradition will learn about that tradition within their faith communities or through sectarian forms of education in the schools aimed at promoting a particular religious worldview and values that are consonant with it. Individuals who are not religious also learn particular worldviews and associated values from family and/or community members. In relationship to religion, these values are often a-religious or anti-religious. The other main source of information about religion is the media whose coverage about religion is notoriously inconsistent at best and not a reliable source for representing the complexity of religious traditions and their diverse manifestations and influences. None of these sources expose individuals to a comprehensive study of religion whereby 1) the diversity within a given tradition is knowledgeably and sympathetically represented and 2) religion as a social/cultural phenomenon is explored and analyzed. Such an understanding requires an academic approach to the study of religion and although there are some schools that offer instruction representing this approach in primary and secondary education, relatively few citizens of the world have the opportunity to engage in this type of inquiry.

Premise Number Two: One of the most troubling and urgent consequences of religious illiteracy is that it often fuels prejudice and antagonism thereby hindering efforts aimed at promoting respect for pluralism, peaceful coexistence and cooperative endeavors in local, national, and global arenas.

I am certainly not suggesting that religious illiteracy is the sole or even primary cause of the heartbreaking violence that dominates local and global news stories. I do, however, believe that religious illiteracy is often a contributing factor in fostering a climate whereby certain forms of bigotry and misrepresentation can emerge unchallenged and thus serve as one form of justification for violence and marginalization. Many others share this concern as evidenced by a recent online consultation focusing on this topic that was sponsored by the United Nations. One well-studied example of the negative consequences of religious illiteracy is Christian forms of anti-Semitism that have been promoted wittingly and unwittingly and which have fueled countless atrocities against the Jewish people for centuries, including (but sadly not restricted to) the Holocaust. Another example in countries where Muslims are in the minority is the widespread association of Islam with terrorism and the consequent justification of individual hate crimes against those perceived to be Muslim as well as overt (or barely veiled) political rhetoric that lends justification for State sponsored acts of aggression, including war. A third example is the antagonisms that are fueled between different expressions of the same tradition (e.g. between Protestant and Roman Catholic Christians and between Sunni and Shi'i Muslims). A fourth and final example is when some dismiss religion altogether as obsolete, irrational and/or inherently oppressive thereby offending the dignity and sensibilities of people of faith everywhere.

Training in religious literacy provides citizens with the tools to better understand religion as a complex and sophisticated social/cultural phenomenon and individual religious traditions themselves as internally diverse and constantly evolving as opposed to uniform, absolute and ahistorical. Learning about religion as a social/cultural phenomenon also helps people recognize, understand and critically analyze how religion has been and will continue to be used to justify the full range of human agency from the heinous to the heroic. Finally, those trained in religious literacy learn to question the accuracy of universal claims such as "Islam is a religion of peace" or "Judaism and Islam are incompatible" thereby helping to deepen discourse about religion in the public sphere. Learning about religion is no guarantee that religious bigotry and chauvinism will cease, but it will make it more difficult for such bigotry and chauvinism to be unwittingly reproduced and promoted.

Premise Number Three: It is possible to diminish religious illiteracy by teaching about religion from a nonsectarian perspective in primary and secondary schools.

Given the prominence of religion in human history and contemporary affairs it would seem that education about religion from a nonsectarian perspective would be widespread and popular. This is unfortunately not the case. There are several reasons for this, but the most prominent and relevant for our discussion is that education about religion in the manner promoted here is not without controversy. Conservative religious practitioners from many faith traditions often oppose learning about religion in schools for they feel that it is the role of faith communities and families to teach about religion from their own theological perspectives. Learning about religion from an academic lens presumes the legitimacy of multiple religious worldviews which is theologically problematic in some circles. On the other hand, many others who identify as religious and non religious alike fear that if religion is introduced in the schools some teachers will inevitably proselytize either by intention or default due to a lack of adequate training and clear understanding of the distinction between an academic and devotional approach. These are legitimate concerns that merit attention and I offer the following two responses below.

First, it is important to note that religion is already being taught in classrooms across the globe in intentional and unintentional ways. Uninformed and often unconscious assumptions about religion are transmitted on a regular basis to students who, in turn, absorb these assumptions without interrogation. Teachers who have participated in training seminars about how to teach about religion commonly lament with chagrin the false and/or problematic assumptions regarding religion that they unwittingly promoted and reproduced prior to their training. For example, one teacher in Kenya spoke about how before participating in a seminar on Islam she wrongly interpreted Miriam Ba's text So Long a Letter as "an indictment against Islam as inherently oppressive to women." This is one of the texts approved for use in the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and she commented that her entire department made the same problematic assumptions about the text. There are dozens of other examples that I could offer along these lines. Given this reality, I believe it is better to educate about religion directly and to give teachers the training they need to do so more responsibly than they are often currently able to do.

Second, the objections cited above highlight an important point: this form of teaching about religion is not neutral and needs to be justified (or not) in light of the larger aims associated with the nature and purpose of the educational enterprise itself as defined in specific local contexts. Most schools and/or systems of education have articulated a statement of purpose or mission statement reflecting the vision of education they seek to promote. On a larger scale, many nations have imbedded in their own narrative histories the values they hope to instill in their citizens through education in the schools. In some cases, the larger educational values that are articulated may lead to a clear decision not to include the study of religion from a nonsectarian lens in the curricula. This would be true, for instance, in some (but not all) intentionally sectarian schools whose aim is to promote a particular theological worldview. For many others, however, the larger goals of education are quite compatible with learning about religion in this way. This is especially true in contexts where pluralism and the cultivation of respect for diversity are values explicitly articulated. For example, I make a case in my book for why teaching about religion in the United States is an important dimension of educating for democratic citizenship in the context of our own multicultural, multi-religious pluralism. The position I develop in the manuscript is too lengthy to reproduce here, but the point I want to emphasize is that education is never neutral and therefore all educational decisions (including content, pedagogical practices and assessment standards) need to be justified in light of a larger educational vision that is intentionally articulated and embraced. It is sound practice for any educator to consciously align beliefs with practices in this way, but especially important when engaging in potentially controversial issues such as teaching about religion. Being transparent about the larger goals of the educational enterprise also provides a forum for open deliberation about those goals in ways that will strengthen public discourse and accountability.

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The following excerpt is from Diane Moore's article, "Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Cultural Studies Approach." Author's note: I have the privilege of working with secondary school teachers and teacher educators in several parts of world for over a decade regarding issues related to teaching about religion from a nonsectarian perspective.

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Bringing Understanding of Religion to the World

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Bringing Understanding of Religion to the World

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This article has the four principles of religious literacy.

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BRINGING UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION TO THE WORLD

Harvard Divinity School's Religious Literacy Project (RLP) is at the forefront of the effort to increase global religious understanding through the revolution in digital technology and online education. Through massive open online courses produced for the HarvardX platform, the RLP brings deep knowledge of religion to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF RELIGIOUS LITERACY

1) RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION IS DISTINCT FROM THE CRITICAL STUDY OF RELIGION.

2) RELIGIONS ARE INTERNALLY DIVERSE.

3) RELIGIONS CHANGE AND EVOLVE OVER TIME.

4) RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES ARE EMBEDDED IN ALL AREAS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE PEACE

The Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative (RCPI) brings together scholars from the RLP and Harvard Kennedy School's Middle East Initiative to study the role that religious communities play in violent conflict-and in promoting sustainable peace. Part of the One Harvard Sustainable Peace Initiative, the RCPI's approach produces new insights for leaders in the field of conflict resolution.

ENABLING RELIGIOUSLY LITERATE LEADERS IN ALL FIELDS

The RLP established the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative (RLPI) to address this need for religious knowledge among leaders in critical fields. The RLPI hosts symposia that connect scholars of religion with practitioners in a range of important fields.

THE WORLD'S BIGGEST RELIGION COURSE

The massive open online course "World Religions Through Their Scriptures" brings together leading scholars in the world's major religions: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. After launch in 2016, the course attracted an international, multicultural audience of over 225,000 participants from 192 countries who examined sacred texts, considered their interpretation, and learned how religions influence-and are influenced by-the diverse political and cultural contexts in which they exist.

EMPOWERING EDUCATORS

One of the most effective ways to address the rise in social hostility is to foster religious literacy. And the most effective way to foster religious literacy is to provide K-12 and community college educators with the tools to help students think critically, creatively, and constructively about religion. The RLP's Religious Literacy and Education Initiative provides teachers throughout the country with the knowledge and resources they need to transform the way students understand how religions function in human experience in both historical and contemporary contexts.

RELIGIOUS LITERACY PROJECT BY THE NUMBERS

MORE THAN 225,000 PARTICIPANTS FROM 192 COUNTRIES ENROLLED IN HARVARDX MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE 'WORLD RELIGIONS THROUGH THEIR SCRIPTURES'

739K UNIQUE VISITORS TO RLP WEBSITE

55 MAJOR UNIVERSITIES, NEWS OUTLETS, NGOS, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES,AND MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES HAVE JOINED AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN RLPI SYMPOSIA

THE RLP ENGAGES WITH PROFESSIONALS FROM 60 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING: BORDER ACTION NETWORK, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, CATHOLIC CHARITIES BOSTON, CENTRO PRESENTE, CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY, HUMANE BORDERS,THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, MIT, NPR, OXFAM, UNICEF, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL, VIACOM, THE WASHINGTON POST

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Harvard Divinity School's Religious Literacy Project (RLP) is at the forefront of the effort to increase global religious understanding through the revolution in digital technology and online education. Through massive open online courses produced for the HarvardX platform, the RLP brings deep knowledge of religion to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

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This is related to the other article about religious illiteracy.

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Understanding our society requires knowledge of all religions

By Dr. Susan K. Wood, S.C.L., Professor of Theology
Question: What do the American dispute over an Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center, the war in Northern Ireland and a promotion for the television series Desperate Housewives have in common?

Answer: To understand them requires religious literacy.

The Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life disseminated the results of a survey on religious literacy that asked questions about knowledge of beliefs and practices of major religious traditions, as well as the role of religion in American history and public life. The results were dismal for a country that is among the most religious of the world's developed nations.

Nearly six in 10 U.S. adults said that religion is "very important" in their lives, and roughly four in 10 said they attend worship services at least once a week.

Yet on the average, only about half of those surveyed knew basic facts about the Bible, world religions and religion in civic life, such as:

The golden rule is not one of the Ten Commandments

The Qur'an is the Islamic holy book

Joseph Smith, Jr., was Mormon

The Dalai Lama is Buddhist

Martin Luther inspired the Protestant Reformation

The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday

The four Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

These are not obscure facts belonging to the upper echelon of university theology, but arguably elements of a basic knowledge of world culture.
One cannot understand Western Civilization - or any civilization, for that matter - without knowledge of religion.
When education and culture were nearly wiped out in Europe at the fall of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church became the stabilizing institution within society and the transmitter of culture and literacy. Buddhism influenced the caste system in India. The Hebrew religion and ethical system helped shape Western law. The map of Europe even today reflects religious affiliations and the results of religious wars at various points in history.

Why is the contrast between religious identity and the reality of our religious understanding important? Religious literacy can inoculate against fanaticism and prejudice.

Time magazine recently, " Is America Islamophobic?" We tend to fear the unknown. The antidote to ignorance about Islam is education.

The proposed Islamic center in New York City and also the construction of new mosques in other places in the country have drawn opposition and protests, and existing mosques have been subjected to arson and vandalism. In post-9/11 America, many associate terrorism with Islam. Yet Islam categorically rejects the killing of innocent people. Islamic charity is a core commitment of the faith.

Deep connections between religious coalitions and politics regularly play out in congressional campaigns. Debates in Kansas about teaching creationism in the schools pit fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible against scientific evolution theories.

Religious illiteracy may result in the view that all Christians believe in the literal interpretation of scripture or that religious faith is incompatible with scientific knowledge or that faith is incompatible with reason. To be religiously literate is to be aware of the great diversity among belief systems and the nuances within them.

Religious literacy is essential to understanding world conflicts and cultural dissent. Although the conflict in Northern Ireland is not entirely or even primarily about religion, it is incomprehensible without an awareness of the historical religious divide between Protestants and Catholics in Irish culture.

Christian protests against the imposition of Shariah law triggered the 2000 Kaduna riots in Nigeria. In Iraq, Islamic fundamentalists bomb Christian churches. In Turkey, an Islamic country, strict laws limit who can be elected the ecumenical patriarch, the archbishop of Constantinople, the most important person in Orthodoxy.

More: Take a tour of the Sacred Spaces on Marquette's campus

The Turkish requirement that he be subject to the authority of the Republic of Turkey and a citizen of Turkey considerably narrows the pool of available candidates within a shrinking Greek Orthodox community. The government has expropriated church property, and state control led to the closing in 1971 of the Orthodox seminary, the Theological School of Halki. Ironically, the Turkish laws leading to this situation were designed to limit Muslim radicals in the secular Turkish state. The gravity of this situation cannot be grasped apart from a knowledge of the role of the ecumenical patriarch within Orthodoxy.

The propaganda that accompanies political and religious conflict tends to demonize the opponent (religious allusion to the United States as Satan). The terrorist becomes the infidel (infidel meaning without religious faith). A cause becomes a crusade (allusion to the religious warfare when Christians attempted to regain the Holy Land, 1095-1291).

Basic religious knowledge is necessary to "get" religious references made in books, films or in politics. When President George W. Bush quoted the Bible in his 2001 inaugural address, saying, "When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side," how many knew he was referring to the New Testament story of the Good Samaritan?

How can one understand Martin Luther King's comparison of himself with Paul as someone imprisoned for his beliefs in his famous "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" or the many biblical allusions in his speeches? Other literary masterpieces are incomprehensible without an appreciation of religious symbolism. How can one fully understand Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy, the poetry of William Blake, the short stories of Flannery O'Connor, the plays of Shakespeare or Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick, to name but a few examples of literature imbued with religious themes or symbolism?

Religion also is pervasive in pop culture. The lead-in to the television series Desperate Housewives features an apple with flames fanning around the edges of the fruit. How many Americans grasp the religious symbolism in that image of Genesis, Eve, the fruit of the tree of good and evil, and the association of woman as temptress?

Religion is one of the major themes in the animated television series The Simpsons. An article published in 2009 in L'Osservatore Romano, the Holy See's official newspaper, praised The Simpsons for its "realistic" way of dealing with religion. The strongest religious influence on the movie Star Wars is, first, Taoist philosophy and, second, Zen Buddhism.

Some pop cultural icons raise questions that require religious analysis. Does Harry Potter draw kids to the occult as some Christian critics suggest? Gods, demons and the supernatural abound in the hit television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Is Buffy hostile to religion or hospitable to it?

More: Why a professor writes about Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Without religious literacy, how can one separate truth from fiction in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code? The best-seller draws on Gnostic scriptures and modern reinterpretations of those works, as well as an alternate history of Christian faith similar to the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln.

Brown's book suggests that the historical Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had one or more children, and that those children or their descendants emigrated to what is now southern France, where they eventually became the Merovingian Dynasty. Although professional historians have debunked the thesis, how many Americans learn the Christian narrative from Dan Brown rather than the Bible?

How can someone who hears the scriptures proclaimed every Sunday not know that the writers of the four Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? What does religious commitment mean apart from beliefs that have specific content regarding the nature of God, what is received in Eucharistic communion and how one accesses salvation? Knowledge about one's own faith is indispensable for meaningful adherence to it.

According to the Pew study, Jews, Mormons and atheists/agnostics have the highest level of religious knowledge. They are followed by evangelical Protestants, then by those who have no religion in particular and mainline Protestants. Catholics come in last. How can this be?

Source: http://www.pewforum.org/2010/09/28/us-religious-knowledge-an-overview-of-the-pew-forum-survey-results-and-implications/

Obviously there has been a breakdown in catechesis in the churches, but these statistics may also point to a more pervasive secular culture where religious adherence may be more nominal. Minority groups, as well as groups and individuals who take a stance against religion, seem to have a better religious knowledge than groups that were traditionally more dominant. This suggests complaisance rather than committed enthusiasm. Whatever the reason, this ignorance does not bode well for the continued vitality of the traditional churches.

The big question we have to ask ourselves is whether religion is a sideshow to political issues or intrinsic to the identity and motivations of the world's people. Is the answer to religious intolerance religious indifference? How do we negotiate the conflict of multiple religious absolutes in a pluralist world? How do we re-engage young people in learning about and appreciating the deep, wonderful and complex histories of world religions?

For that matter, how can we engage them in being more knowledgeable about the religious tradition that they themselves personally embrace? These are difficult but important questions for our time. Whatever the answers, and whether they issue from the perspective of a believer or a non-believer, they require religious literacy.

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By Dr. Susan K. Wood, S.C.L., Professor of Theology Question: What do the American dispute over an Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center, the war in Northern Ireland and a promotion for the television series Desperate Housewives have in common? Answer: To understand them requires religious literacy.

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Religious Literacy in Policy and Practice

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Religious Literacy in Policy and Practice

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This book is about the theory, policy, and practice of religious literacy.

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Religious Literacy in Policy and Practice

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It has long been assumed that religion is in decline in the West: however it continues to have an important yet contested role in individual lives and in society at large.

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This article talks about the important of religion education and why American students need to learn about it.

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Americans Score Low on Holy Matters in Recent Poll

Despite the fact that Americans claim to be a highly religious people-with 92 percent of Americans professing belief in God or a universal spirit-that belief does not seem to translate into knowledge of our own faith or that of others. A Pew Research Center poll released late in September reveals how little Americans know about religion.

This knowledge gap has real-world consequences, including a hindered ability to evaluate religious claims from political candidates or religious groups, a shallow view of world events, and a weakened capacity to critique the claims of those preaching religious intolerance and hate. Closing the religious knowledge gap is an important step in lessening these problems.

Americans need some religious schooling

Surprisingly, the Pew poll found that atheists and agnostics know the most about religion-particularly religion in public life. Mormons ranked highest on questions dealing with the Bible and Christianity. Jews ranked highest on questions dealing with world religions.

Many experts speculate as to why atheists and agnostics would know the most about religion. Alan Cooperman, associate director for research at the Pew Forum, suggested to the Los Angeles Times that "American atheists and agnostics tend to be people who grew up in a religious tradition and consciously gave it up, often after a great deal of reflection and study."

Pew's findings show that Americans have much to learn about the world's religions. Only 27 percent of Americans know that Indonesia is a primarily Muslim nation, for example. Less than half (47 percent) know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist. Out of 32 questions, atheists scored a high of 20.9 correct answers while Hispanic Catholics scored a low of 11.6. The average score was 16 correct answers.

Religion pervades politics

Given such dismal answers the question arises as to whether it is important for Americans to be well informed about our own religious traditions and those of others. After all, we're a nation founded on the separation of church and state. Why does it matter how much we know-or don't know-about religion?

It matters very much, in fact. Separation of church and state-which was written into the Constitution in order to protect religious liberty, not forbid religious practice-has encouraged a flourishing of religious belief and practice in this country over the centuries. Some of this belief is expressed in personal or private ways. But people of faith also participate in civic life and speak out in the public square.

Religious institutions serve their communities and advocate for social justice. People of faith work on poverty, immigration, the environment, and more. At times religious institutions and leaders are involved in politics, advocating for or against pieces of legislation including comprehensive immigration reform and same-sex marriage.

Additionally, polls show that Americans' religious beliefs are "highly influential in shaping their views about social issues." Some religious groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops oppose contraception, for example, while others, such as Catholics for Choice, support it.

The public needs to be well informed about the appropriate role of religion in a pluralistic democracy as well as the various teachings of diverse faiths. And as candidates increasingly tout their own religious beliefs-sometimes conflating religion with politics on issues such as global warming or Israel-it is important for people to be able to discern politics from theology as well as valid expressions of faith versus intrusions of doctrine on a diverse citizenry.

In sum, religion's prevalence in American politics makes it important for Americans to possess a solid grasp of diverse religious teaching and traditions so that they can determine the validity of religious claims-be it a faith group's support for one issue or a politician's religious rhetoric opposing another.

Understanding world religions

Likewise, it is important for Americans to have a basic understanding of religions and cultures of nations around the world. We live in a globalized community where borders are increasingly nonexistent and religion is often a powerful force for either violence and division or for social cohesion and good.

Stephen Prothero, a religion scholar at Boston University, writes: "From time immemorial, and for better or for worse, human beings have been motivated to act politically, economically and militarily by their gods, scriptures and priests. Without making sense of those motivations, we cannot make sense of the world."

This means that it is just as important to understand a nation's religion as an expression of its culture as it is to know that nation's geography or type of governance. Cathy Lynn recently emphasized this point in USA Today: "Can you take a stance of foreign affairs if you don't know that Indonesia, like Pakistan, is primarily Muslim?"

Islam in America

A lack of religious education can have serious consequences. This country has recently seen a dangerous surge in Islamophobia-much of it stoked by a well-orchestrated campaign of right-wing groups and leaders. But anti-Muslim hate speech has unfortunately gained traction partly because the public knows so little about Islam.

A Pew poll released in August shows that 55 percent of Americans "do not know very much" about Islam while 25 percent "know nothing at all." Despite this lack of knowledge 38 percent of Americans have an "unfavorable" view of Islam and 35 percent believe that Islam "is more likely to encourage violence than other [religions]."

Americans might have less negative views if they knew, for example, that Islam is compatible with Western values and democracy, that it teaches peace, and that Muslim Americans have been part of this country since before we were a nation.

The importance of religious literacy and education

September's Pew poll shows that less than a third (23 percent) of respondents know that the Bible can be taught in public school classrooms as a form of literature. The sacred texts of other faiths can be taught as well, providing children with a broader understanding of both Christianity and other world religions.

It's unfortunate, then, that the Texas State Board of Education recently squandered a valuable opportunity to educate the children of Texas about world religions and their history. According to NYDailyNews, school board member Randy Rives called for a resolution to reject social studies textbooks that "offend Texas law with respect to treatment of the world's major religious groups by significant inequalities of coverage space-wise and/or by demonizing or lionizing one or more of them over others."

The resolution stems from a claim that more sentences in social studies textbooks were pro-Islam or anti-Christian than pro-Christian or anti-Islam. The Texas school board approved the resolution by a 7-5 vote, urging textbook publishers to limit what they print about Islam in world history books.

This decision could have major repercussions. Since Texas is one of the largest clients of textbook publishers, content adopted in Texas schools often leads to the adoption of similar content across the country. This is likely to have national consequences. John L. Esposito, founding director for the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University writes: "Islam is not the enemy. Ignorance is. And educators-in Texas or any place else-should never endorse it."

But not all the news is bleak for religious education. American university students are increasingly recognizing the importance of understanding religious matters. Newsweek 's Lisa Miller describes religious studies at the university level as an "interdisciplinary major in which people study how religious beliefs and practices affect history, culture, politics, economies, and the world."

She explains how valuable an understanding of others' beliefs is in a world rife with religious conflict. "The number of bachelors' degrees conferred upon graduates in philosophy or religious studies has doubled since the 1970s to nearly 12,000 a year, and has been rising steadily since 9/11."

Moreover, some groups are concerned about Islamophobia's rise in the United States, and they're pushing back against intolerance. For instance, White Cloud Press, based in Ashland, Oregon, is offering a half-price sale on books it publishes about Islam.

According to the publisher's website, the promotion aims to "to help Americans better understand Islam and the Qur'an." The company hopes to spread rather than suffocate religious understanding: "Rather than burning a Qur'an we hope Americans will be learning about the Qur'an."
Brian Thorn is an intern with the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative. He is a senior at the University of New Hampshire.
Conclusion

Islam is the current target of religious intolerance. But it is not the first religion-and will probably not be the last-to face public opposition based on ignorance. Better understanding of religions-those at home and abroad-among Americans can help prevent intolerant speech and actions, enable citizens to discern religious claims on their own shores, give them a more nuanced view of foreign affairs, and make it more likely that we better practice the teachings of religions: respect for others, compassion, and goodwill.

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Why Religious Education Matters - Center for American Progress

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Americans Score Low on Holy Matters in Recent Poll Despite the fact that Americans claim to be a highly religious people-with 92 percent of Americans professing belief in God or a universal spirit-that belief does not seem to translate into knowledge of our own faith or that of others.

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Religious Literacy as the Significant Aspect 

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Religious Literacy as the Significant Aspect 

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This article involves having religion in the workplace.

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Most forward-thinking organizations encourage their employees to bring their "whole selves" to work and recognize that employees are happier and businesses perform better when they do. It stands to reason that an environment in which everyone feels valued, is valued and has their uniqueness acknowledged can benefit the business as a whole.

Yet, where religion and belief are concerned, most organizations have yet to scratch the surface of the journey toward inclusiveness. In many workplaces, it is generally accepted that religion is left at the door; it's private and not something to be discussed during working hours, or at least not openly and with ease. There is also a prevailing assumption that the workplace reflects a largely secular society.

Research tells a different story: Currently, 84 percent of the global population has a religious affiliation, and this number is on the rise. While today, seven of the G8 nations have Christian-majority populations, by 2050, only one of the five leading economies is projected to have a majority Christian population - the U.S. Indeed, a 2013 study highlighted multiple issues pertaining to a perceived stigma about religious belief in the workplace, finding that:

One-third of respondents have seen incidents of religious bias in the workplace or have personally experienced them.

More than half of American workers believe there is a lot of discrimination against Muslim workers.

Nearly six in 10 atheists say that people look down on their beliefs, as do nearly one-third of white evangelical Protestants and non-Christian religious workers.

It is clear there is a huge way to go in addressing religious literacy in the workplace. Training organizations are, however, well-positioned to make a meaningful impact on unhelpful practices and perceptions, and, in turn, to improve day-to-day employee culture - and even overall business performance.
Literacy, Not Education
A drive toward greater religious inclusion might naturally inspire organizations to consider educating employees about religion, such as briefing them on specific beliefs, festivals or dietary requirements. However, the spectrum of belief and practice is as diverse as the people who hold those beliefs, and organizations must adopt a more nuanced, flexible outlook in approaching matters of faith and religious belief. There is no one-size-fits-all.

This is where religious literacy - rather than education - is invaluable. Organizations need to reach a position where individuals feel that their beliefs are respected, so they are comfortable in openly discussing their beliefs and any issues of sensitivity that their employers might need to address. Diversity and inclusiveness training has a key role to play as part of this drive, and even small practical changes can have a positive impact on a business' diversity culture.
Moving Faith Forward
You can help your organization take effective steps toward religious literacy and its perceptions of religious diversity, starting from the observation that there is a lack of understanding about religion and belief in the workplace. However, it is not necessarily about introducing more religion into the workplace, but rather having the confidence and skills to effectively and positively respond to religion and belief as they arise.

Equip leaders with the mindset to consider matters relating to your business' approach to religion in the workplace, such as the following key questions:

Are employees using everyday language that some people may find offensive?

How can religious believers and nonbelievers be treated with equal respect?

Do travel requirements compromise an individual's ability to practice his or her faith, and how can you adjust them to accommodate it?

Do food options accommodate faith-related dietary needs?

Overall, religious literacy is about learning to sensitively approach the diversity of religion and beliefs already at large in the workplace. While we have come a long way in perspectives on workplace diversity in recent decades, it should now be a business imperative to ensure that religious literacy is addressed and embraced as part of the corporate equality agenda. Organizations that successfully and effectively build religious literacy into workplace culture can expect to improve staff cohesion, satisfaction and performance.

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Why Religious Literacy Might Be the Most Significant Aspect of Your Future Diversity Training - Training Industry

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Most forward-thinking organizations encourage their employees to bring their "whole selves" to work and recognize that employees are happier and businesses perform better when they do. It stands to reason that an environment in which everyone feels valued, is valued and has their uniqueness acknowledged can benefit the business as a whole.

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A video that covers how religious literacy is also a social issue.

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Schools in Improving Children's Religious Literacy

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Schools in Improving Children's Religious Literacy

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This discusses schools in the U.K. that plan to have higher levels of religious education.

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Compulsory lessons for modern Britain. ALMAGAMI/www.shutterstock.com

British society is in serious need of higher levels of religious literacy. The potential for misunderstanding, stereotyping and oversimplification based on ignorance is huge - and schools have a big part to play in putting this right.

Religion has dramatically changed in Britain. Fewer people profess Christianity, more profess a post-Christian spirituality, humanism or atheism, while Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish communities assert themselves in public and seek to play a role in shaping policies.

Yet the degree of understanding of these faith actors and of religion in general is low. The need for investment in religious literacy is one of the main themes of the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life (CORAB), which has just published a report called Living With Difference - in which I was involved as a member of the steering group. As religious literacy and experience of diversity begins at school, we have recommended some changes to the place of religion in state education.

The most important is that religious education should be a compulsory subject. We're not talking about instruction in a particular religion or secular beliefs - but religious education as a multi-disciplinary subject showing the nature and presence of religion and secular philosophies across time and across the world. It should be taught in classes comprising those of all faiths and none - and without exemptions - as part of the national curriculum. This knowledge, acquired in diverse classrooms, is essential for living together in mutual understanding and respect.

On the other hand, the existing law requiring all schools to hold assemblies of a broadly Christian character - largely honoured in the breach in secondary schools - should be repealed.

Schools should be free to be flexible: to have no assemblies or belief-specific instruction, to have several of them, or to have them only for those who ask for them. This could be achieved through discussions between parents, teachers, pupils and governors and could take place within the formal timetable or as extra-curricular activities. An option could be all-inclusive assemblies but no single template should be imposed. It's important to support a diversity achieved through dialogue and practiced on a voluntary basis.

SpeedKingz/www.shutterstock.com

Don't let faith schools segregate society

This same balance is to be found in the Commission's approach to state-funded faith schools. They constitute about a third of all state schools in England, with Church of England being most common at primary and Catholic at secondary level.

Among state-funded schools in England, 37% of primary and 19% of secondary schools have a designated religious character. Some academies also have a religious ethos but are not formally designated as such. In Wales, 16% of primary and 9% of secondary schools have a religious character.

Faith schools are popular with some parents and their numbers have been growing - an unprecedented half of all Jews are taught in state-funded Jewish schools, for example.

They are an important part of the diversity of the educational system but they also contribute to the segregating processes in society. Most educational segregation by religion and ethnicity, not to mention class, is primarily due to the neighbourhoods which feed into local state schools - and to parental choice. Nevertheless, faith schools should not ignore the goal of inclusivity and cohesion.

While CORAB does not recommend any kind of quota, we urge all faith schools to seek to offer an education not confined to those selected on the basis of faith. All bodies responsible for school admissions should be required to take measures to reduce selection on the grounds of religion.

A new conversation on British values

Another aspect of the balance between diversity and the common good, between cultivating a national story and ensuring that all can be participants in shaping it and including themselves within it, is that of " British values ".

Sparked by a generalised suspicion of the influence of Muslims upon some schools following a scandal in Birmingham in 2014, the current government instituted a statutory requirement for schools to teach "fundamental British values".

We do not reject the idea of an educational ethos grounded in national values. But we recommend an entirely different approach. A national conversation should be launched across the UK by leaders of faith communities and ethical traditions to create a shared understanding of the fundamental values underlying public life. It would take place at all levels and in all regions. The outcome might be a statement of the principles and values which foster the common good, and which should underpin and guide public life.

What it means to be British is an ongoing story. It is not fixed and final. People in the past understood the concept differently from the way it is seen today and everybody must be able to participate in shaping its meaning for the future. What we need now is a conception of Britain that is encompassing and welcoming of its religious and secular diversity.

There needs to be mutual respect between secular and religious people, where all are confident in helping to shape public policy and feel challenged to act together to respond to the many manifest ills in society. This is a vision that goes beyond recommendations for schooling, but the school is one of the important sites for its nurture and realisation.

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Schools need to do more to improve children's religious literacy

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British society is in serious need of higher levels of religious literacy. The potential for misunderstanding, stereotyping and oversimplification based on ignorance is huge - and schools have a big part to play in putting this right. Religion has dramatically changed in Britain.

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Constantine (2005) Official Trailer # 1 - Keanu Reeves Movie HD

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Devil's Advocate (1997) Official Trailer - Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves Drama Movie HD

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Good Omens | Official Trailer | Amazon Original