ABSTRACT
Many in the international field contend that what some have recently termed religious literacy ought to be a focus and goal of the academic study of religion—whether carried out in its classrooms or in its wider public outreach. However, many works promoting religious literacy often seem to assume a fairly static notion of history, presuming that religious ideas and practices exist in a manner that is somehow immune from historical change and regional variation. Certainly, religious literacy initiatives, and the result of having more self-identified religious actors talk to one another in forms of interfaith dialogue, has a place in our increasing small, globalized world, including in the daily life of a liberal democratic nation. Religious literacy initiatives may certainly help citizens to better understand and inhabit the worlds in which they live, thereby allowing them to conclude that they now better understand their Shinto neighbor and their Greek orthodox classmate.
