Why Do People Need To Become A Religious Literate?

When I first read Stephen Prothero’s comments, I was appalled. However, after rereading the line, I sort of agree with him. Most people actually don’t know very much about their religion. Most wouldn’t know how it started, the ideas/philosophies behind it, and what the goals of the religion are. I think that more people need to become “religious literate” and come to learn about their religion more. Although, I do feel like it isn’t fair to call out all Americans. Some actually do know lots about their religion and are informed about other ones.

I found the “Notable Definitions” of religion very interesting. From Thomas Edison’s “All bunk” to Ambrose Bierce’s “The daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the unknowable”, each and every quote gave us a different perspective on religion. I think the quote that best explained religion was by Robert Bellah. He said that religion is, “A set of symbolic forms and acts which relate man to the ultimate conditions of his existence.” Some of these quotes were more serious and some (like Mark Twain’s) were more sarcastic. I found reading these was actually entertaining as I found how different people viewed religion. Some take it seriously and some

I have never thought of religion as a pattern before. However, after reading this section, I think this definition is very well thought out. Religion is a pattern. Different religions answer questions (Like the ones at the top of page 7) differently based on what they practice. Whether they believe in multiple, one, or no God(s); a religion changes the way you practice that religion or the morals/beliefs you share. It also expresses what a community regards as sacred and/or ultimate about life. Christianity (The community) says that Sunday is a holy day. So, many churches hold services on Sunday, and some people that own shops/stores who are very religious even close down on Sunday, like