Teaching About Religion

In "A Nation of Faith and Religious Illiterates," Stephen Prothero nails what the faulty separation of church and state interpretations have done to our schools, and more importantly, to our nation. Kudos to the LATimes for running it and displaying it prominently across the top of the op/ed page.

Prothero's position is that while Europe is more secular than America, its people are more educated about religion, and that because we aren't educated well, we can't discern truth in statements like, "Islam is a religion of peace." I don't believe any European common religion education would be particularly deep or balanced, but I do believe Prothero is right about the consequences of removing religion from school curricula.

Some of the "scareys" he includes from a 1997 poll (methodology and sample size unknown):

• Only one out of three US citizens could name the four books of the Gospel
• 12% think Noah's wife was Joan of Arc

We can't rest until we make it clear to educators and electeds that Prothero is right when he says:

Because of misunderstandings about the 1st Amendment, religious studies are seldom taught in public schools. When they are, instruction typically begins only in high school and with teachers not trained in the subtle distinction between teaching religion (unconstitutional) and teaching about religion (essential).