Huff Post: by Andrew Shwartz, M Div. —
There’s a big move by millennials — and Americans in general — to move away from religion. Religion, it seems, is nothing but trouble. Religion seems responsible for war and violence, it continues to be the driving force behind the persecution of the LGBTQ community, and it hinders scientific progress while also manipulating our education system by insisting that we teach bogus science and a distorted version of history to our children (thanks a lot Texas). And while the religious have done and continue to do amazing things in the world, too often their acts of kindness and justice are overshadowed by the violence and ignorance perpetrated by various religious communities.
We can argue about the future of religion and whether or not it will exist in generations to come, but right now religion is alive and well in the world. It is an integral force in world politics and helps billions of people make decisions everyday. Religion may be declining in certain social groups in America and around the world, but this trend shouldn’t be enough to let us assume that we can simply watch religion fade into the twilight. With that in mind, here are five reasons why it’s important — perhaps now more than ever — to be religiously literate.