Religious Literacy in Modern Europe, in Religious Literacy, Law and History: perspectives on European Pluralist Societies

This chapter has two substantive sections. The first section summarises the religious context in modern Europe, and the factors that must be taken into account if this is to be properly understood. It exposes the reasons for religious illiteracy in this part of the world and the negative consequences that follow from this. The second section introduces two specific responses to this situation, recognising that the response to religious illiteracy – religious literacy – is not a unitary concept. Far from it: it varies considerably between sectors, settings and problems, a point made clear in our conclusion.