Religious Illiteracy

Published May 26, 2007

IN THEORY

Religious Illiteracy

Q:

Boston University's religion department head Stephen Prothero's new book, "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- And Doesn't," reports that though most Americans say they are religious, they aren't very religiously literate. That is, according to Prothero, Americans lack critical knowledge about their own religions and of others. Surveys report that only half of adult Americans can name any of the four Gospels. And most Americans can't name the first book of the Bible. They also find that most Americans think Jesus was born in Jerusalem. Do you find this lack of religious literacy in the communities you live and work in? And what do you think it means?

A:

Religious illiteracy is only a small subset of the bigger problem of illiteracy in general. We operate with sound bites. The popularity of text messaging vouches for this. Internet resources and electronic libraries give us quick answers to rather large and complicated situations. We used to rely on "Cliff Notes" for books, now the "For Dummys" series allows us a bite size version of everything including religion. Even this column is a reflection of this crisis, by condensing issues into a few paragraphs, we appease an appetite for the knowledge, without the struggle to process it.

Religion has a cloud of mysticism circling it. For some, there is a comfort level in that mystery. For others, it is bothersome and their thirst for explanation needs to be quenched.

But reading books alone is not the answer, especially when it comes to a book such as the Bible or other scriptures which are deemed sacred by various traditions, e.g. the Bhagavad Gita or the "Diamond" Sutra, the Torah, or the Quoran.

I'm always wary as to who is teaching? Who is translating? Perspective can change things. Even in Orthodoxy, we're very cautious when it comes to Scripture. The Armenian word literally translates to the "Breath of God" because it is truly and wholly sacred. It is not something that should be rendered by personal interpretation, but has its place in the entirety of life. God, we believe, gave us something greater than written words, it is the life we each live and share, and in that life we enjoy the love that was manifest through Christ.

Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Armenian Church

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