RELIGIOUS LITERACY
Just as schools teach reading, writing and arithmetic, Boston University's Stephen Prothero thinks religion ought to become the "4th R" of American education. He notes although 90% of people in the U.S. claim they are Christian, only a few know anything about religion. Only 10% of American teens can name all five major world religions, while 15% cannot name even one. About two-thirds of adult Americans believe the Bible holds the answers to all or most of life's basic questions, yet, only half can name one of the four gospels, and most do not know the first book in the Bible is Genesis. Prothero stresses the importance of having at least a general knowledge of religion to better confront the domestic and foreign challenges facing the U.S. (Religious Liberty, Stephen Prothero, Harper Collins, 2007)