Preview

Religious Pluralism

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
790 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Religious Pluralism
On July 12, 2007, for the first time in American history the Senate session that day was opened by a prayer; unlike any other prayer, it was given by a Hindu priest. At first sight, it would seem as though the ideals designed by the framers of the Constitution were alive and well; the pluralization of the United States of America, the land of freedom of religion, and the right to worship without persecution. However, the Christian right wing religious group Operation Save America entered the Senate floor and began to heckle Rajan Zed, the Hindu priest, perpetuating that Hinduism is an “abomination”, as Hindus do not worship “The lord Jesus Christ”. This leads us to ask the question: Is America a land of religious pluralism, or is it a land of “vociferous religious intolerance” (Amr, H. ¶ 1)? Religious tolerance is being resigned to the fact that variety exists. Pluralism is the idea that this variety is healthy, and something to be celebrated (Hayes, R. pg. 1). When European colonists came to America to escape religious persecution, they inadvertently created their own religious intolerance by forming colonies and even state religions. They created theocracies in Massachusetts mixing religious and secular law. In Virginia, Georgia and Carolina the Church of England became the official religion of these states (Sullivan, T. pg. 346).

However, due to wave after wave of new immigrants arriving in America, these established religions began to break down until the Constitution of the United States, in order to guarantee separation of church and state, and freedom of religion, was amended (Sullivan, T. pg. 346). The United States today is considerably pluralistic, and we had taken great strides toward guaranteeing this religious diversity: Up until the attacks of 9-11, which changed the entire face of religious tolerance, coining the term “Islamophobia”. Because of 9-11, Arabs now face increased scrutiny from public officials, labor market


References: Amr, H. (2007). Religious pluralism is an American tradition. The Brookings Institution Temple University. Retrieved September 28, 2008 from: http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/8/3/8/0/pages183805/p183805-1.php Cimino, R Hayes, R. (1991). Gotama Buddha and religious pluralism. Retrieved September 28, 2008 from: http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes/bahuvada.pdf
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Models Of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective, By George Fredrickson
    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Models Of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective, By George Fredrickson

    After 9/11 the perceptions of Muslims in America were forever changed. Seeing the violent images of the Twin Towers on the news deeply frightened people in Western society. As result, fear and anger were directed towards innocent Muslims. In a growing society where many are no longer afraid to speak their beliefs, prejudice occurs in almost every aspect of life. Prejudice is defined as “an unjustified or incorrect attitude towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group” (McLeod). In the United States, people of the Muslim faith frequently experience prejudice and racial inequality. Vincent Parrillo outlines negative sociological understanding and how the effects of our culture influence the way we perceive…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Religious Toleration Increase In The American Colonies
    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did Religious Toleration Increase In The American Colonies

    People went to America to search for religious freedom and to escape religious persecution. They came from all of the world and so with it came religious diversity. As a result, religious freedom began to replace religious persecution. Religious tolerance increased because some people still believed in the original hopes for America, which were freedom. Even when some people still kept to the original ways from England, a few great people still fought, which led to great key events that increased religious toleration.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Religion Vs Secularism
    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Religion Vs Secularism

    Secularism is the principle of the separation of government and religion. Secularism offers comfort for people because it respects individuals and groups of which they are a part. It provides equality of all people because it does not provide privileges or special protection to religious people. When religion is absent, it creates an area of neutrality and welcomes others to come. This making…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Changes In America After 9/11
    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Changes In America After 9/11

    Obviously, not all of the changes that resulted from the September 11th tragedy were beneficial to the nation, especially the Anti-Islam Sentiment that was developed (Jamil). America’s 2.6 million Muslims have constantly found themselves facing resentment and…

    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Current Issues Paper and Class Handout
    • 855 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Current Issues Paper and Class Handout

    Although Buddhism is a major, strong religion on its own, it does share some similarities with other religions of the world. Hinduism is the one religion Buddhism probably shares the most similarities with. They share commonality on issues of reincarnation, enlightenment, salvation, suffering and yoga practices (Molloy, 2010).…

    • 855 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Religious Toleration In The Colonies
    • 202 Words
    • 1 Page

    Religious Toleration In The Colonies

    Religious toleration flourished in the colonial society, not because it was tolerated but manly because it was inevitable. For many colonies religion was a founding principle. There was a variety of religions that settlers brought with them, these different religious practices proved to be difficult, there could not be a single religion in any given area (Brinkley, 89). The church of England was established in Carolina, Virginia, and New York, there, it was established as the official religion of the colonies. However, this was ignored by many. As time went on there was a growing tendency for different congregations to affiliate with different denomination. On the other hand, there was still tension between the protestants and the roman…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Assess A Liberal Difference Of Toleration And Pluralism Analysis
    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Assess A Liberal Difference Of Toleration And Pluralism Analysis

    Toleration refers to a particular form of inaction, it is based on moral reasoning and a specific set of circumstances. Tolerance refers to a particular form of inaction, based on moral reasoning and a specific set of circumstances. In particular, toleration must be distinguished from permissiveness, blind indifference and willing indulgence. For example, a passer-by who chooses not to interfere to apprehend a mugger, or a parent who simply ignores the unruly behaviour of his or her children, cannot be said to be exhibiting ‘tolerance’. Pluralism, in its broadest sense, is a belief in or commitment to diversity or multiplicity, the existence of many things. As a descriptive term,…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Lemon V. Kurtzman
    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Lemon V. Kurtzman

    Eisenstein, Marie A. “Rethinking the Relationship between Religion and Political Tolerance in the US” Political Behavior, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Dec., 2006), pp. 327-348.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    9/11: Islamophobia In The United States
    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    9/11: Islamophobia In The United States

    This is imperative to comprehend that the events have vastly affected American society in many different ways; statistics show the average American has little to no contact with Muslims on a day to day basis (Ghazali). The government classifies Arab Americans as ‘white’ but popular U.S discourses tend to represent Arabs as ‘different from and inferior’ to whites (Amaney). The fact that the country’s opinion has been so sharply altered and their opinions drastically shaped on the feeling towards Muslims solely based on the principle of ‘guilt by association’ is central to this…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Religious Freedom In The American Colonies Essay
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Religious Freedom In The American Colonies Essay

    The first amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees citizens their right to practice any religion they wish without persecution today, but many years ago when this country was made up of only 13 colonies on the east coast, that was often times not the case. It’s surprising how many were not tolerant of religions different from their own because the main reason why people fled to America was to escape religious persecution. In Britain, the Anglican Church ruled over the country as there was no separation of church and state. Anyone who believed different from the Church was punished severely, so many traveled to America to seek refuge. Colonies were established with…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    What It Means to Be American
    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What It Means to Be American

    Americans strongly affirm the principles of religious freedom, religious tolerance, and separation of church and state. Nearly 9-in-10 (88 percent) Americans agree that America was founded on the idea of religious freedom for everyone, including religious groups that are unpopular. Ninety-five percent of Americans agree that all religious books should be treated with respect even if we don’t share the religious beliefs of those who use them. Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans agree that we must maintain a strict separation of church and state. Americans’ views of Muslims and Islam are mixed, however. As with other previously marginalized religious groups in U.S. history, Americans are grappling with the questions Islam poses to America’s founding principles and way of life.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Religious Tolerance In Colonial America
    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page

    Religious Tolerance In Colonial America

    In the seventeen century, the concept of religious tolerance was very vague in England. The separation of church and state was unacceptable. However, in spite of the power of the king was unquestionable, the Church of England could adjudicate and punish anyone who doubted or did not follow the beliefs of the church. Many dissenters from the Church of England were searching for a place where they can freely profess their own religion. Ultimately, they ventured to immigrate to America. Although the British colonies in America were still under King’s authority, those colonists were enjoying their freedom. However, despite the attempts to convey their religion to a new land new settlers did not give a significant role to religious tolerance. Many…

    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Religious Tolerance
    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Religious Tolerance

    Religious tolerance in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was very rare. However, there were many people and movements that led to an increase in tolerance and protection for all different religions. Among the many influential people of this time, John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and the Puritans stand out. Another major reason for the increase of toleration is the Maryland Toleration Act. People came to the colonies in search of religious freedom and the right to express themselves freely. Eventually, over time they got it. Some people, who were pushed out of England because of the lack of space, attempted to keep the ways of England. Despite the many obstacles and controversies many determined people stopped at nothing to achieve what they believed to be right.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Pluralism
    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Pluralism

    Pluralism in contemporary academic field implies multiple meanings. One interpretation of pluralism is "the idea, classically formulated by Isaiah Berlin, that there is a plurality of distinct or 'incommensurable' values or goods" (Crowder, 2010). The word 'incommensurable' here means, in short, incomparable. This is because pluralism believes in multiple values, and there is no single fundamental value acting as denominator to rank between different values. It is almost undoubtedly that people value much goodness such as friendship, health and freedom. These values, from a utilitarian's perspective, could be calculated to one fundamental value, say utility. Hence abovementioned good values along with others could be converted to utility. However, pluralists does not agree with this. Schaber (1999) argued 'some values are not reducible to one fundamental value and as a consequence not measurable in terms of a fundamental value'. According to Crowder (2002), the value pluralism can be argued from the possibility of rational regret. The argument starts with two options A and B, and we can only choose one. We often regret that we did not choose the other one after the decision is made. The regret is rational in many cases. Rationality will not be valid if there is only one value as people will not regret for choosing the option with higher fundamental value over the lesser one. There is no diminished value. Thus, the existence of rational regret proves value pluralism.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Pluralism
    • 18051 Words
    • 73 Pages

    Pluralism

    1. PLURALISM IN HISTORY To chart the course of pluralism is not a straightforward task. Isaiah Berlin devoted much of his career as a historian of ideas to chronicling and combating the hegemony in Western theory of pluralism’s great rival, monism. But what we know about the development of pluralism itself—that is to say, which thinkers and which ages can safely or firmly be placed in the pluralist ‘camp’—lacks a comparable certainty. In this way, Berlin sought to draw attention to pluralism as it featured in history: the rare and fleeting challenger to the giant of monism, the David to monism’s Goliath. By focusing on the relationship between monism and pluralism and, more particularly, on the disproportionate prevalence of monism in comparison with pluralism, Berlin was able not only to illustrate the uniqueness of the pluralist perspective but to underline the normative importance in identifying it. From the birth of philosophical speculation over two-and-a-half millennia ago, he tells us, there emerged a thought-pattern which was to dominate the way people would conceive of themselves, the world, and their relationship to it. It was a thought-pattern which would become an unparalleled intellectual and spiritual driving-force. Central to this pattern is the idea that there exists a single and harmonious order to the universe—a ‘cosmic jigsaw puzzle’—that it is the goal of human affairs somehow to reflect. Berlin recognized that this idea and the broader outlook it inspired rested on three fundamental assumptions: that to all genuine questions there is only one answer—this is truth; that true answers to such questions are, in principle, knowable; and that these true answers cannot clash…

    • 18051 Words
    • 73 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics