Center
announces keynote speaker for September 2007 Open House
 Author and
scholar Stephen Prothero to speak
on "Religious Literacy"
6:30
p.m. Sept. 7,
Reynolds Alumni Center
May 9, 2007 - "Religious Literacy" is all over
the airwaves and publications these days, spurred by the success of
the most recent book from Boston University Department of Religion
Chair Stephen Prothero. Prothero's Religious Literacy: What Every
American Needs To Know - and Doesn't is on the New York Times
Bestseller List. In it, Prothero asserts that while the U.S. is one
of the most religious places on earth, many people know very little
about religion.
He will speak about the need for religious literacy Sept. 7 in the keynote
address of an Open House hosted by MU's Center on Religion & the
Professions. The Open House will introduce the Center's recent work and
familiarize attendees with its mission to improve understanding of religion
by professionals. The event is open to the public and all who are interested
in hearing Prothero and meeting others interested in religion and public
life.
"Stephen Prothero has put his finger on one of the greatest educational
failures of our time: a devastating lack of religious literacy across
the country," said Dr. Debra Mason, director of the Center on Religion &
the Professions.
"Although religious turmoil has plagued us for both this century
and last, our basic knowledge of our own faith and that of our neighbors
is embarrassing."
In his book, Prothero points out that
only 10 percent of American teen-agers can name the five major world
religions and that 15 percent can't name any. Though nearly two-thirds
of Americans believe the Bible is the source of answers to life's basic
questions, only half can name one of the four gospels.
Prothero believes illiteracy of religion is a pressing civic problem.
For example, how can people understand the religious rhetoric used in
political speeches and arguments if they do not grasp its source and
meaning? How can Americans comprehend what is happening in the war in
Iraq without a basic knowledge of Islam? Religious literacy also informs
debates over stem-cell research and gay marriage. Knowledge of the religious
overtones of civic affairs empowers citizens - both religious and non-religious
- Prothero says.
Prothero argues that because Americans know little about their own faiths
and others, religion should become the "fourth R" of education.
He takes the sometimes controversial view that academic study of the
Bible and the world's religions be mandatory in high school and higher
education.
Publishers Weekly deems
Prothero's book a “valuable
primer... a must-read not
only for educators, clergy
and government officials
but for all adults in a culture
where, as Prothero puts it, ‘faith
without understanding is
the standard’
and ‘religious ignorance is bliss.’ ”
"Prothero's book is appropriate given the Center's mission of
improving the understanding of religion among professionals, students
and the public,"
Mason said. "Religious Literacy even gives us a roadmap
showing the basics of the major faiths that everyone should know."
The Center hopes the Open House is a setting in which community members,
academics, students and religious leaders can meet and generate ideas
for research, programs and teaching based on common interests.
Center at (573) 882-2770 or e-mail whiteab@missouri.edu for
more information. |
