Religious Diversity

In a sermon just a few months ago, I cited a couple facts from Diana Eck's A New Religious America (2001): 1) There are presently more than three hundred temples in Los Angeles, home to the greatest variety of Buddhists in the world; 2) There are more American Muslims than there are American Episcopalians, Jews, or Presbyterians; and 3) The U.S. has become the most religiously diverse country in the world.

In light of this week being the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, I asked on Monday's radio show why so many of us are afraid of religious diversity. I claimed that religious diversity is not only a fact of American life (as shown by Diana Eck's book), but that it is a GOOD THING, and it's been a part of American life from the beginning. (Was not the "First Thanksgiving" an interfaith gathering?)

So, as I like to ask, what do you think? Is religious diversity a good thing? Why do so many Americans--specifically American Christians--find it threatening? How do scripture's call to welcome the stranger and Jesus' reminder to love our neighbor play into relating to folks of other faiths? And finally, what does our state of inter-religious understanding mean for the U.S. as a society?

(In case there are local people in Benson who don't see relevance to any of these questions, let us recall that Minnesota has the distinction of sending the first known Muslim person as a representative to the U.S. Congress--Keith Ellison.)