Religious diversity is topic of UC forum
- Release Date:Thursday, October 09, 2008
- Dateline:Charleston, WV
- Contact:by Andrew Clevenger
Religious diversity is topic of UC forum
By Andrew Clevenger
Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The diversity of religions in America presents an opportunity for greater understanding between people of all faiths, Harvard University professor Diana Eck told a rapt audience at the University of Charleston Wednesday.
Speaking to an overflow crowd in the Erma Byrd Gallery, Eck noted that people from all over the world - and of every religion imaginable - poured into the country following the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965.
"The 'We' in 'We the People' is immensely more complex for us than it was for our parents or our grandparents," she said.
Eck, a professor of comparative religion and Indian studies, said that she noticed a sea change in the 1990s: her world religion classes were suddenly full of students from all conceivable background and origin.
"They were the children of the new immigration," she said. And they had brought their various cultures and religions with them.
In 1991, Eck launched The Pluralism Project, an exploration of the religious implications caused by America's changing demographics.
Pluralism is more than an acceptance or celebration of diversity, Eck said. It is engagement with one another, and understanding bred of interaction.
The subsequent encounter and engagement of difference, both religious and cultural, strengthens the fabric of our society, she said. This is happening all across the country as interfaith councils and organizations try to create links between faiths, she said.
The image of America as a giant melting pot, in which everyone's differences are erased and homogenized, has become outdated, she said. A more fitting analogy might be an orchestra, in which many distinct voices combine to form a richer, more complex sound, she said.
"The language of pluralism is that of dialogue and encounter, of give and take," she said. "As Americans, we have a right to our differences."
Many people are shocked to learn that there are more Muslims than Episcopalians in the U.S., just as others are surprised that Los Angeles boasts more types of Buddhism than any other city in the world, she said.
During a question-and-answer section, Eck fielded questions about religion and public schools, the media, proselytizing and the effect of 9/11.
One question, which asked about Sen. Barack Obama's "Muslim views," produced groans from the crowd.
Eck noted that Obama is a Christian, and that the country has never had a president with his perspective on the world.
"There is a concerted, and very dangerous, effort to paint Barack Obama with the Muslim brush," she said. "The idea that that would be a slander on him is a bad thing."
