Religious literacy and its discontents: a critical review

Abstract

Religious literacy is a ‘hot’ topic in twenty-first century study of religion and more broadly. But what do we talk about when we talk about religious literacy? To answer this question, we conducted a systematic review of English-language scholarly publications from 1989 to 2023 that utilize the concept (n = 233). Much of the discussion is best characterized as ideological-normative: Religious literacy is claimed to be the answer to multiple social challenges arising from religious diversity and there is an overwhelming consensus that we need more religious literacy. We conclude that whatever the ethical grounds for promoting religious literacy, the concept is severely understudied empirically. Most importantly, the common claim that knowledge and understanding of religious traditions increases tolerance and acceptance of religious diversity is virtually unexamined. As conclusion, we argue that before promoting it, scholarship should empirically assess whether the claims about religious literacy are viable to begin with.