Download or read book Religious Literacy written by Stephen Prothero and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States is one of the most religious places on earth, but it is also a nation of shocking religious illiteracy. Only 10 percent of American teenagers can name all five major world religions and 15 percent cannot name any. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to all or most of life's basic questions, yet only half of American adults can name even one of the four gospels and most Americans cannot name the first book of the Bible. Despite this lack of basic knowledge, politicians and pundits continue to root public policy arguments in religious rhetoric whose meanings are missed—or misinterpreted—by the vast majority of Americans. "We have a major civic problem on our hands," says religion scholar Stephen Prothero. He makes the provocative case that to remedy this problem, we should return to teaching religion in the public schools. Alongside "reading, writing, and arithmetic," religion ought to become the "Fourth R" of American education. Many believe that America's descent into religious illiteracy was the doing of activist judges and secularists hell-bent on banishing religion from the public square. Prothero reveals that this is a profound misunderstanding. "In one of the great ironies of American religious history," Prothero writes, "it was the nation's most fervent people of faith who steered us down the road to religious illiteracy. Just how that happened is one of the stories this book has to tell." Prothero avoids the trap of religious relativism by addressing both the core tenets of the world's major religions and the real differences among them. Complete with a dictionary of the key beliefs, characters, and stories of Christianity, Islam, and other religions, Religious Literacy reveals what every American needs to know in order to confront the domestic and foreign challenges facing this country today.

Download or read book Religious Literacy written by Stephen R. Prothero and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States is one of the most religious societies, but it is also a nation of religious illiteracy. Only 10 percent of American teenagers can name all five major world religions and 15 percent cannot name any. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to life's basic questions, yet only half of American adults can name even one of the four gospels. Politicians and pundits continue to root public policy arguments in religious rhetoric whose meanings are missed--or misinterpreted--by most Americans. Scholar Prothero makes the provocative case that to remedy this problem, we should return to teaching religion in the public schools. "In one of the great ironies of American religious history," he writes, "it was the nation's most fervent people of faith who steered us down the road to religious illiteracy. Just how that happened is one of the stories this book has to tell." He also offers practical solutions, including a Dictionary of Religious Literacy--key terms, beliefs, characters, and stories that every American should understand.--From publisher description

Download or read book Religious Literacy written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States is one of the most religious societies, but it is also a nation of religious illiteracy. Only 10 percent of American teenagers can name all five major world religions and 15 percent cannot name any. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to life's basic questions, yet only half of American adults can name even one of the four gospels. Politicians and pundits continue to root public policy arguments in religious rhetoric whose meanings are missed--or misinterpreted--by most Americans. Scholar Prothero makes the provocative case that to remedy this problem, we should return to teaching religion in the public schools. "In one of the great ironies of American religious history," he writes, "it was the nation's most fervent people of faith who steered us down the road to religious illiteracy. Just how that happened is one of the stories this book has to tell." He also offers practical solutions, including a Dictionary of Religious Literacy--key terms, beliefs, characters, and stories that every American should understand.--From publisher description.

Download or read book Religion Matters written by Prothero, Stephen and published by W.W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2020-07-01 with total page 11 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A religion is a system of stories, and there is no better way to engage with the worldÕs religions than through the stories that animate their beliefs and practices. Through the exploration of these ancient stories and contemporary practices, Stephen Prothero, a New York TimesÐbestselling author and gifted storyteller, helps students better grasp the role of religion in our fractured world and to develop greater religious literacy. Videos and an award-winning adaptive learning tool, InQuizitive, further engage students and help them master core objectives and develop their own religious literacy.

Download or read book Introducing American Religion written by Charles H. Lippy and published by JBE Online Books. This book was released on 2009 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Santeria written by Miguel A. De La Torre and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2004-08-23 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book by Miguel De La Torre offers a fascinating guide to the history, beliefs, rituals, and culture of Santería — a religious tradition that, despite persecution, suppression, and its own secretive nature, has close to a million adherents in the United States alone. Santería is a religion with Afro-Cuban roots, rising out of the cultural clash between the Yoruba people of West Africa and the Spanish Catholics who brought them to the Americas as slaves. As a faith of the marginalized and persecuted, it gave oppressed men and women strength and the will to survive. With the exile of thousands of Cubans in the wake of Castro's revolution in 1959, Santería came to the United States, where it is gradually coming to be recognized as a legitimate faith tradition. Apart from vague suspicions that Santería's rituals include animal sacrifice and notions that it is a “syncretistic” form of Catholicism, most people in America's cultural and religious mainstream know very little about this rich faith tradition — in fact, many have never heard of it at all. De La Torre, who was reared in Santería, sets out in this book to provide a basic understanding of its inner workings. He clearly explains the particular worldview, myths, rituals, and practices of Santería, and he discusses what role the religion typically plays in the life of its practitioners as well as the cultural influence it continues to exert in Latin American communities today. In offering a balanced, informed survey of Santería from his unique “insider-outsider” perspective, De La Torre also provides insight into how Christianity and Santería can enter into dialogue — a dialogue that will challenge Christians to consider what this emerging faith tradition can teach them about their own. Enhanced with illustrations, tables, and a glossary, De La Torre's Santería sheds light on a religion all too often shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding.

Download or read book American Jesus written by Stephen Prothero and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2004-09-18 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Deep Dive into America's Complex Relationship with Jesus There's no denying America's rich religious background–belief is woven into daily life. But as Stephen Prothero argues in American Jesus, many of the most interesting appraisals of Jesus have emerged outside the churches: in music, film, and popular culture; and among Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and people of no religion at all. Delve into this compelling chronicle as it explores how Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, has been refashioned into distinctly American identities over the centuries. From his enlistment as a beacon of hope for abolitionists to his appropriation as a figurehead for Klansmen, the image of Jesus has been as mercurial as it is influential. In this diverse and conflicted scene, American Jesus stands as a testament to the peculiar fusion of the temporal and divine in contemporary America. Equal parts enlightening and entertaining, American Jesus goes beyond being simply a work of history. It’s an intricate mirror, reflecting the American spirit while questioning the nation's socio-cultural fabric.

Download or read book God Is Not One written by Stephen Prothero and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-04-20 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World, New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and religion scholar Stephen Prothero argues that persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same God overlook the distinct problem that each tradition seeks to solve. Delving into the different problems and solutions that Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Yoruba Religion, Daoism and Atheism strive to combat, God is Not One is an indispensable guide to the questions human beings have asked for millennia—and to the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today. Readers of Huston Smith and Karen Armstrong will find much to ponder in God is Not One.

Download or read book Between Church and State written by James W. Fraser and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2000-09-02 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, the ongoing battle between religion and public education is once again a burning issue in the United States. Prayer in the classroom, the teaching of creationism, the representation of sexuality in the classroom, and the teaching of morals are just a few of the subjects over which these institutions are skirmishing. James Fraser shows that though these battles have been going on for as long as there have been public schools, there has never been any consensus about the proper relationship between religion and public education. Looking at the most difficult question of how private issues of faith can be reconciled with the very public nature of schooling, Fraser paints a picture of our multicultural society that takes our relationship with God into account.

Download or read book Religious Literacy in Policy and Practice written by Dinham, Adam and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2015-03-18 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although we often assume religion is in decline in the West, it continues to have an important yet contested role in individual lives and in society at large. And after half a century in which religion and belief were barely talked about in the public sphere, we face a pressing lack of religious literacy. Many are now ill-equipped to engage with religion and belief when they encounter them in their daily lives--in relationships, law, media, professions, business, and politics, among other venues. This valuable book is the first to bring together theory and policy with analysis and expertise to explore what religious literacy is, why it is needed, and what might be done about it. Its contributors make the case for a public realm that is well-equipped to engage with the plurality and pervasiveness of religion and belief, whatever an individual participant's own stance. It will be of great importance to academics, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the manifold implications of the continued presence of religion and belief in the public sphere.

Download or read book Remedial Christianity written by Paul A. Laughlin and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remedial Christianity places Christianity among the world's major religions and contrasts and compares its doctrine and practice with those of other great religions. It further examines not only the distinctively Christian beliefs, but the breadth of Christianities within Christianity. Written clearly and with humor, Remedial Christianity provides a valuable tool for everyone seeking to understand the Christian tradition.

Download or read book Unscientific America written by Chris Mooney and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2009-07-14 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change, the energy crisis, nuclear proliferation—many of the most urgent problems of the twenty-first century require scientific solutions, yet America is paying less and less attention to scientists. For every five hours of cable news, less than one minute is devoted to science, and the number of newspapers with science sections has shrunk from ninety-five to thirty-three in the last twenty years. In Unscientific America, journalist and best-selling author Chris Mooney and scientist Sheril Kirshenbaum explain this dangerous state of affairs, proposing a broad array of initiatives that could reverse the current trend. An impassioned call to arms, Unscientific America exhorts Americans to reintegrate science into public discourse—before it is too late.

Download or read book America s Religions written by Peter W. Williams and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2015-11-15 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A classroom perennial and comprehensive guide, America's Religions lays out the background, beliefs, practices, and leaders of the nation's religious movements and denominations. The fourth edition, thoroughly revised and updated by Peter W. Williams, draws on the latest scholarship. In addition to reconsidering the history of America's mainline faiths, it delves into contemporary issues like religion's impact on politics and commerce; the increasingly high profile of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam; Mormonism's entry into the mainstream; and battles over gay marriage and ordination.

Download or read book Thy Kingdom Come written by Randall Balmer and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2007-03-09 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes. Nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform. Abortion, gay marriage, intelligent design -- the Religious Right is fighting, and winning, some of the most important political battles of the twenty-first century. How has evangelical Christianity become so entrenched in partisan politics? Randall Balmer is both an evangelical Christian and a historian of American religion. Struggling to reconcile the contemporary state of evangelical faith in America with its proud tradition of progressivism, Balmer has headed to the frontlines of some of the most powerful and controversial organizations tied to the Religious Right. With a skillful combination of grassroots organization, ideological conviction, and media savvy, the leaders of the movement have mobilized millions of American evangelical Christians behind George W. Bush's hard-right political agenda. Deftly combining ethnographic research, theological reflections, and historical context, Balmer laments the trivialization of Christianity -- and offers a rallying cry for liberal Christians to reclaim the noble traditions of their faith.

Download or read book Lit written by Tony Reinke and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2011-09-09 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I love to read. I hate to read. I don’t have time to read. I only read Christian books. I’m not good at reading. There’s too much to read. Chances are, you’ve thought or said one of these exact phrases before because reading is important and in many ways unavoidable. Learn how to better read, what to read, when to read, and why you should read with this helpful guide from accomplished reader Tony Reinke. Offered here is a theology for reading and practical suggestions for reading widely, reading well, and for making it all worthwhile.

Download or read book Overcoming Religious Illiteracy written by D. Moore and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-10-02 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Overcoming Religious Illiteracy, Harvard professor and Phillips Academy teacher Diane L. Moore argues that though the United States is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, the vast majority of citizens are woefully ignorant about religion itself and the basic tenets of the world's major religious traditions. The consequences of this religious illiteracy are profound and include fueling the culture wars, curtailing historical understanding and promoting religious and racial bigotry. In this volume, Moore combines theory with practice to articulate how to incorporate the study of religion into the schools in ways that will invigorate classrooms and enhance democratic discourse in the public sphere.

Download or read book Cultural Literacy written by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1988-04-12 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A must-read for parents and teachers, this major bestseller reveals how cultural literacy is the hidden key to effective education and presents 5000 facts that every literate American should know. In this forceful manifesto Professor E. D. Hirsch, Jr., argues that children in the United States are being deprived of the basic knowledge that would enable them to function in contemporary society. They lack cultural literacy: a grasp of background information that writers and speakers assume their audience already has. Even if a student has a basic competence in the English language, he or she has little chance of entering the American mainstream without knowing what a silicon chip is, or when the Civil War was fought. An important work that has engendered a nationwide debate on our educational standards, Cultural Literacy is a required reading for anyone concerned with our future as a literate nation.