Talking Stick - March/April 2011 - 30

Where to Begin?
Acquiring religious literacy begins with understanding a campus, its culture, and its students. Utilize admission statistics in order to understand the makeup of the student body. If it is diverse both in terms of ethnicity and of religion, understanding the basics of many different religions may be most appropriate. If the campus is more homogeneous, or even faith-based, a greater depth of knowledge in one area may be required. Understanding the campus culture as it relates to religion is also important. Mission and vision statements can be helpful resources in revealing the role of religion and spirituality in the institution. Campus ministry and religious life offices can also offer insight by providing information about the type of chaplains, worship services, and campus organizations available to students. The next step is to understand the basic tenets of major religious traditions. This includes important figures, texts, holidays, and traditions. Having religious holiday calendars available to staff can keep them aware of major holidays as well as those that are lesser known. History, narrative, and ritual all play out in the lives of students, and understanding them is important in building a strong community. Start with traditions that are prevalent on your campus and go from there. Many great resources are available to assist professionals in learning more about religion and religious traditions. Utilize the faculty, departments, research centers, and campus offices. Get a group of colleagues together for a book group around a religious book or topic. Have lunch with a faculty member who focuses on religious studies. There are many ways to further your professional development while also increasing your religious literacy. Professionals should look for resources that provide different viewpoints. From historical to ethnographic, sources should be examined for their purpose. Not every source on one religious tradition represents the voice of every believer in that tradition. Religious literacy means looking at information in many different sources and from many different angles.

resources, and better support them through their collegiate journey. There is no question that religion is an important part of many students’ lives. According to UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute’s 2003 national study, “Spirituality in Higher Education: Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose,” 78 percent of respondents said they talk about religion and spirituality with their friends, 74 percent indicated that spiritual and religious beliefs provide them with support or strength, and 73 percent said that spiritual and religious beliefs helped them develop their identity. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Religion noted a 22 percent increase in religion majors from 1997 to 2007. In his book Religious Literacy, Stephen Prothero defines religious literacy as the “ability to understand and use in one’s day-today life the basic building blocks of religious traditions.” This includes knowing and being able to appropriately use “terms, symbols, images, beliefs, practices, scriptures, heroes, and themes.” An individual who is literate in religion has a conceptual recognition of an individual’s or group’s religious worldview and tradition. This basic understanding of various concepts about religion should complement an understanding of the theories of spiritual and faith development. At the same time, religious literacy is also defined in part by what it is not. Religious literacy is not religious education. It is not knowledge used to foster a belief or faith in a particular religious tradition. It is not an argument for or against a particular worldview; it is a conceptual recognition of an individual’s or group’s religious worldview and tradition. Considering the potentially delicate nature of religious discussions, one might wonder how to acquire the requisite knowledge about religious beliefs. A basic principle of religious literacy is to understand the difference between talking about religion and talking of religion, a distinction similar to the one made in the Supreme Court decision Abington School District v. Schempp (which concerned Bible reading in public schools), which concludes that Americans “must inevitably take cognizance of the existence of religion. . . . and of the teaching about religion, as distinguished from the teaching of religion. . .” Talking about religion means discussing topics in a secular

Resources
• On Common Ground: World Religions in America by Diana L. Eck and the Pluralism Project • Public Religions in the Modern World by José Casanova • Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know – And Doesn't by Stephen Prothero • Journal of Religion and Education (http://www.uni.edu/coe/jrae/) • American Academy of Religion (www.aarweb.org) • Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, Rice University (http:// cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/ boniuk/index.cfm) • Center on Religion & the Professions, University of Missouri (http://rpp.missouri.edu/about. shtml) • Center for Spirituality in Higher Education (http://www.spirituality. ucla.edu/) • Institute of Interfaith Dialogue (http://www.interfaithdialog.org/) • Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion (http://www.wabashcenter. wabash.edu/home/default.aspx) • First Amendment Center (www. firstamendment.org) • BeliefNet (www.beliefnet.com)

TALKING STICK

http://rpp.missouri.edu/about.shtml http://www.spirituality.ucla.edu/ http://www.spirituality.ucla.edu/ http://www.interfaithdialog.org/ http://www.uni.edu/coe/jrae/ http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/home/default.aspx http://www.aarweb.org http://www.firstamendment.org http://www.firstamendment.org http://cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/boniuk/index.cfm http://cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/boniuk/index.cfm http://www.beliefnet.com

Talking Stick - March/April 2011

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