Despite this lack of basic knowledge, politicians and pundits continue to root public policy arguments in religious rhetoric whose meanings are missed-or misinterpreted-by the vast majority of Americans. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to all or most of life's basic questions, yet only half of American adults can name even one of the four gospels and most Americans cannot name the first book of the Bible. Only 10 percent of American teenagers can name all five major world religions and 15 percent cannot name any.
The United States is one of the most religious places on earth, but it is also a nation of shocking religious illiteracy.
