Religion: Does religious literacy matter?

Montreal's McGill University Faculty of Education hosted a conference October 2, 2009, on "Why is religious literacy important?":

Participants in this symposium will have an opportunity to hear from internationally recognized experts on the topic of Religious Literacy and learn about choices made by school systems in different parts of the world.

Well, why is any literacy important?

Do I want people to graduate from high school without knowing why the bar mitzvah is important to Jews, that Muslims fast during Ramadan, that Jesus was crucified, or that materialist atheists do not believe in life beyond death? Not knowing this kind of thing closes a door on understanding events, controversies, and symbols in the world around them.