Religious Diversity in a "Christian Nation": American Identity and American Democracy

Robert Wuthnow

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the most important descriptive results of the Religion and Diversity Survey and offers some conclusions about the distinctive ways in which religious diversity is being received in the United States, compared with other countries in which Christianity has historically been dominant, notably those in Western Europe. The discussion proceeds as follows: a description of the scope of influence of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists in the United States; an overview of attitudes toward these groups among the adult population of the United States; an assessment of the extent to which Americans still perceive themselves to be living in a "Christian nation" and the impact of this perception on their attitudes toward non-Christian religions and other minority groups; and a discussion of the tensions within American culture surrounding religious diversity and the implications of these tensions for American democracy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationDemocracy and the New Religious Pluralism
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780199785513
ISBN (Print)9780195307221
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Arts and Humanities

Keywords

  • Buddhists
  • Christians
  • Democracy
  • Hindus
  • Muslims
  • Religion
  • Religious diversity
  • United States

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