“Not sure what I think. The book opened well, but Prothero's arguments seemed to go off track a bit at the end. While he stated his own personal views up front, and promised that the discussion would not ba about furthering his own views, I kind of think that's where he ended up going.
The general premise of religious literacy is a good one. I attended a Jesuit-run high school, and aside from Analytical Geometry I have to admit that the classes I enjoyed the most were the philosophy and religion classes. Of course, these were right in line with the goals of the school, but I don't think anything similar would be appropriate for a public school curriculum.
Instead of separate, mandatory religious studies classes, perhaps it would be better to expand the current history texts to include the role that religion has played in history, in much the same way the roles of the political parties and labor unions - or any other powerful groups or individuals - have affected history. The role of religion in history can only be understood in the context of the times being studied. For instance, any discussion of the Protestant Reformation or the Church of England is nearly meaningless without an understanding of the events that caused them to come about.
Also, a nice try at the end with the glossary of terms, but I think he falls short in many of his explanations. It might have been better to use the model of Cultural Literacy, which Prothero cites as a key model for this book, and simply list the things that people should know, letting people learn it for themselves (or give parents a guide to what they should teach their children).
All in all, a great book. It may not give you actual Religious Literacy, but it lets you know what you need to know and gives you a good first step on the journey.”
