Introduction
Choice of religion is a deeply personal matter, and individuals’ religious beliefs should always be treated with respect and understanding. However, religious literacy is not a skill that many people possess due to a lack of formal education on the religions of the world and a lack of interest in other creeds. It is crucial to develop religious literacy as numerous faiths prescribe varying rules of behavior to people in society, and a lack of knowledge of different faiths can translate into prejudices being indoctrinated in society.
Main body
Religious literacy can be defined as the awareness and understanding of the facts of other religions. According to Walker et al. (2021, p. 1), it can also be viewed as a skill and civic competency that equips people “with knowledge of how religion and spirituality inform everyday life.” Awareness of the doctrines of other religions is crucial on the personal level. Different individuals manifest their identities in varying ways, and their religious and spiritual beliefs affect how they present themselves to others in society (Walker et al., 2021). Therefore, it is important to be aware of different religions in order to understand the behavior of others and accurately interpret it.
Knowing other faiths can help individuals be more respectful towards people with beliefs that vary from their own. In addition, mutual understanding among individuals can help prevent conflict when different religions interpret certain contexts and religious holidays contradictorily. Religious literacy is a highly beneficial skill for individuals as it can help them effectively navigate interactions with others.
Furthermore, it is crucial to strive for religious literacy on the societal level. According to Walker et al. (2021), understanding is needed in all spheres of society, and religiously literate leaders should work towards making those sectors more accepting of people with different beliefs. Meanwhile, Moore et al. (2018) note that religious frameworks, faith leaders, and people of faith are present in all sectors of society.
Therefore, it is necessary for persons actively engaged in those sectors to possess the skill of religious literacy and be aware of the doctrines of different beliefs. On the societal level, religious literacy can help such sectors of society as education, health, economics, communication, and media, and the public sphere functions more efficiently and cater to the needs of different communities. Overall, religious literacy is needed to prevent discrimination, bias, and misunderstandings from occurring in vital sectors of society.
Religious literacy on the political level is critical as leaders in the public sphere have legislative power and influence how different religious communities are considered and addressed. The voters endow political authorities with the ability to institutionalize attitudes and behaviors towards religious and cultural minorities (Walker et al., 2021). This is exemplified by the past treatment of the Indigenous tribes in the United States and Canada (Walker et al., 2021). The inconsiderate and often degrading treatment of religious communities and lack of education on different religions can contribute to preconceptions becoming ingrained in society and adversely affecting individuals belonging to religious groups. Thus, it is crucially important to promote religious literacy on the political level.
Summary
In summary, religious literacy is a highly beneficial skill and should be considered a necessary civic competency. It is highly beneficial on individual, societal, and political levels as it facilitates a deeper understanding of persons from different religious backgrounds and promotes equality and acceptance of various faiths. Literacy in the public sphere is vital as political leadership is instrumental in systemizing thinking about different communities in broader society.
References
Moore, D. L., Pandith, F., & Seiple, C. (2018). Religious literacy in global affairs. Council on Foreign Relations. Web.
Walker, N. C., Chan, W. Y., & McEver, H. B. (2021). Religious literacy: Civic education for a common good. Religion & Education, 48(1), 1–16. Web.