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 language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780199785513 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780195307221 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1 2007 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Arts and Humanities
Keywords
- Buddhists
- Christians
- Democracy
- Hindus
- Muslims
- Religion
- Religious diversity
- United States