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.

Introduction -- pt. 1. The problem. ch. 1. A nation of religious illiterates ; ch. 2. Religion matters -- pt. 2. The past. ch. 3. Eden (what we once knew) ; ch. 4. The fall (how we forgot) -- pt. 3. The proposal. ch. 5. Redemption (what to do?) ; ch. 6. A dictionary of religious literacy ; Appendix. Religious literacy quiz -- Further reading -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.