Religious Illiteracy in America

Stephen Prothero is one of the world's leading experts on religion and the author of three bestselling books. In this speech, Stephen Prothero discusses the issue of religious illiteracy and how it is currently plaguing American society. He begins his speech by sharing some shocking statistics that specifically highlight this problem. According to Prothero, most Americans are unable to name one of the four gospels, and a shocking 10% believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.

While this may be shocking to many, Stephen Prothero sees this as a major problem. He sees this as a threat for parents hoping to raise their children under particular religious traditions and for liberal arts students studying the history of Western art. More importantly, he sees this as an extremely pressing civic problem and proposes religion as a mandatory component in a child's education.