Islamic Flexibility

In his book, Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel demonstrates his return to giving Islam a continuing important role in his life which fuels his attempts to promote understanding and unity across religions through his Interfaith Youth Core. Reaching the point in having the confidence in his religion within the US was an often difficult process. After the terrorist events of September 11th, 2001, Muslims have had a difficult time finding a place in American society. Yet it is clear that they desire a place and make concerted efforts to do so. Mr. Patel is making great strides not only because he chooses to work for religious understanding between the many religions, but mostly and self-servingly, to promote an understanding and accepting of his own faith of Islam in America.

There is an obvious anti-Muslim section of our society. After 9/11, fear fuelled these sentiments from a lack of understanding as to what actual Islamic beliefs are like. The media was partially to blame but Christian Conservative leaders led a tremendous backlash against Islam. Their prejudices were passed onto many who follow them. People make decisions about how they feel about Muslims based on how Muslims have been presented or what people have been told about them (Wuthnow 68). Unfortunately, this has often been negative mainly because being Muslim has such a connotation with being “foreign” and as such, being an outsider.

Although Islamic practices are rigid, it appears that because of the pluralistic nature of American culture, they are changing to better fit in with the values of our culture. Women are included in leading roles, prayers are translated and presented in English, and the unbendable rules are being gently bent to accommodate those Muslims now accustomed to more flexibility in the US. Muslims often come to the United States to study and learn about our culture. For the most part, this demonstrates the open-mindedness involved in assimilating into American society and the temporary putting aside of certain values to accomplish this.

Churches dealing with the diversity of faiths in the US often tend to simply avoid the issue and rarely talk about how to relate to their neighbors (Wuthnow 244). Eboo Patel is attempting to create and search for common ground between religious communities. By speaking with religious leaders and finding ways for youths of various faiths to come together and discuss the values they have in common, he is promoting a future understanding that will lead to religions acknowledging each other and the important role each has in our society. More importantly, he is allowing others to explore his own faith. He is also continuing to search for a place in American culture and his success is as much for himself and other Muslims as for America itself. With hard work by people such as Mr. Patel supporting the understanding of religion and diversity, our culture will be more ready to tackle the moments in the future when there will be other difficulties to overcome.

Works Consulted

Patel, Eboo. Acts of Faith The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. New York: Beacon, 2008. Print.

Wuthnow, Robert. America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2005. Print.

Catholic Church and Diversity

The Catholic Church is having a problem with diversity in its higher ranking positions. Although there may be a diverse following, there is not a lot of diversity among the Bishops. In the past twenty years Catholic services or Masses had only been in English in America. There are some churches where the language is the one that the followers speak, like Polish or Portuguese. However, those churches are few and far between. Many churches have changed in the past twenty years to incorporate Spanish speaking Masses. There are still many churches that need more diversity and broad ranged of different ethnicites. An article by Frank Ponce for the New Catholic World written in 1980 addressed this problem and set out several solutions to fix it. He points out that while many parishes are diverse the people in power are not. “The conclusion: few dioceses have – or are willing to involve – Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, Asian Americans, or other minorities in responsible, diocesan decision-making positions” (Mathisen, 756). He recognized the need for the Catholic Church to be more diverse and give credit to its followers.

Ethnicity is not the only thing that the Catholic Church needs to look at to be more diverse. Women have almost no high ranking positions in the Church's infrastructure. Women can never be priests, they can only be nuns. In Chile, women are taking on roles where they have more power and can do more for the Church. “They are doing many of those tasks traditionally reserved to priests: conducting paraliturgical ceremonies, Catechetics for adults and children, the formation of Mother Catechists, home visiting, the development of primary communities, parochial administration, and even a limited participation in the administration of the Sacraments” (Gillfeather, 39). Women are beginning to find a bigger roles within the church, but they are still not allowed to become priests. Vatican II made a lot of differences in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. “Vatican II itself revealed a degree of pluralism withing the institutional Church that hitherto had not been seen publicly” (D'Antonio,382). This helped the church to modernize some of its old policies and make the Church a friendlier and more accessible venue. “That is, the traditional leaders of the Vatican, with their opposition to just about everything Vatican II stood were confronted by a Pope (John XXIII) who insisted on opening Church windows to let in some fresh air, and by bishops from around the world , eager for a chance to modify at least some aspects of life in the Roman Catholic church” (D'Antonio,382). The Catholic Church has come a long way in terms of being more accepting and welcoming of diversity, however, the Church still has a long way to go to be more accepting of gender and sexuality.


D'Antonio, William V. "Autonomy and democracy in an autocratic organization: The case of the Roman Catholic Church." Sociology of Religion 55.4 (1994): 379-396. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Dec. 2009.

Gilfeather, Katherine "The Changing Role of Women in the Catholic Church in Chile." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 16.1 (1977): 39. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Dec. 2009.

Mathesin, Robert, R. Critical Issues in American Religious History: A Reader (2nd Revised Edition). Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006. Print.

Religious Freedom

(Old post on the Separation of Church and State)

The endless debate of the Separation between Church and State has always been insignificant to me. After reading Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, this debate was still insignificant to me. Why was this separation so important when it didn't change anything? The Prop Eight results were infuriating; if this separation ignited so much freedom, then why is it that non-Christians are still the minority here in America? Shouldn't there be equality between the religious and the non-religious?

Then I realized what life would really be like without the separation between Church and State. All non-Christians would be in the minority, not just homosexuals. American culture would be drastically different. Without the separation of Church and State, America might not be the melting-pot it is now. All the cultures that are able to thrive so well here wouldn't exist in America. The Jewish community I belong to wouldn't exist, and the Hebrew classes that have brought me closer to my culture probably wouldn't be offered in the state school system.

The facts that intelligent design can still be taught in schools and that homosexuals still don't have equal rights make it seem like true separation between Church and State is far from complete. Yet, to have religious freedom means that all religions have equal rights. If Prop Eight had had different results, it would've meant that there wasn't a separation between Church and State--because there is a Christian majority here in the United States.


Greenberg, Paul. "Praise the Lord: Church and State are still Separate." Los Angeles Times Syndicate. July 3, 1992.

Religion as a Cure for Suffering

(Old post on Weber)

A major component of religion that Max Weber examines in "The Social Psychology of the World Religions" is suffering. The masses wonder about why they suffer, why other people suffer, and why some people don't suffer at all. To explain this phenomenon, Weber examines the time line of suffering. The first sufferers were thought to be possessed by a demon--or otherwise afflicted by the wrath of a god. Because of this thought process, the sufferer would be cast out of society in order to save others in the society from the same fate. The lone sufferer would then seek the removal of his supposed evil, to ease his suffering. In need of a spiritual adviser, he goes to see a magician. The magician grants the sufferer good will, and in turn the sufferer--who is no longer suffering--brings a patronage to the magician.

Later, the explanation of suffering is updated from a god's wrath to the natural human disposition to sin. Because we sin, we deserve to suffer. According to this logic--if we are saved from our sins, we are saved from suffering. Thus, if we have a savior, we have a 'cure of the soul.' If we believe in a savior, yet still suffer, then we are given hope that we will be free from suffering in the afterlife. The idea of a savior ties into Weber's theme of social strata. The savior is typically not a figure from a depressed class, but is a figure from the ruling strata. These saviors are ethical divinities--they punish bad behavior and award the good. To deserve awards, a follower must pray, pay penances, and abstain from certain activities. If a follower doesn't do such things, he is punished by suffering. Hell is reserved for those who don't work for their repentance. But the loyal sufferers, those who prayed, paid penances, and abstained, will be rewarded in Heaven.

This idea of salvation continued to develop, eventually leading to 'rebirth' and 'redemption.' The more the masses needed an explanation for suffering, the more rituals and ideas the religion created to satisfy its followers. Because societies continue to expand and develop, religions will keep expanding and developing to accommodate their followers. This is easily seen in many modern sects of religion, such as reform movements.

The Ever Changing America

Pluralism in America makes for a very unique society to be a part of. Not only does it allow a number of cultures to coexist, but it allows people to practice both American traditions as well as traditions from other cultures they identify with. By having this unique mixture of traditions America has become a place with an ever changing identity.
“In the United States the climate of tolerance and engagement of pluralism emerge not from an authoritarian central regime, but from a democratic experiment as an immigrant nation, a nation in which, at our best, we our motivated by ideals and principles” (Eck, 335). Because America has a constant inflow of immigrants the culture of America is in constant transformation. By sheer virtue that America in known as an “immigrant nation” it has a level of pluralism unlike much of the world. With a nation built by immigrants the United States has come to be a nation of change. One cannot simply say being an American means that you eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch or on a higher note that to be American one has to be Christian. In fact, being American is now something in which people eat food from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and where two religions build their facilities next door to one another.
In the chapter “Bridge Building: A New Multireligious America, author Diane Eck, suggests that religious institutions are a place in which many immigrants gain insight into American culture. For example, Eck refers to Dr. Havanapola Ratanasara, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, who encouraged Buddhist immigrants to embrace the American culture by observing the popular holidays. “Americans as a people celebrate several major religious holidays regardless of their own personal beliefs” (340). By encouraging immigrants to take part in religious holidays other than their own, Dr. Havanapola Ratanasara models the level of tolerance Americans have or should have for one another.
As we can see, for many immigrants religious institutions become a place that not only allows them to preserve cultural traditions from their original culture, but also help them to assimilate into the American culture. This can also work the other way around; in many cases religions in America have to be willing to make accommodations or changes to attract immigrants. According to Cecilia Menjivar, “to reach out to new comers, churches also incorporate popular religious practices that are culturally essential for the immigrants” (25). This idea of incorporating different practices is a clear example of American pluralism. As suggested by Eck this willingness to bend from both the receiving society as well as the immigrants “means to be American is constantly being expressed in new ways as the fabric of America’s peoples change” (338).
Because of American pluralism the culture of America is always changing some way or another. It is one of the great qualities of American culture, in which we are not only able to interact with in such a diverse society, but also have the “freedom to grow” and become a model for the rest of the world.

Eck, Diane L. A New Religious America. San Francisco: Harper, 1997.

Menjivar, Cecilia. "Religion and Immigration in Comparative Perspective: Catholic and Evangelical Salvadorans in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix." Sociology of Religion, 64.1 (2003): 21-45.

Religion and Pluralism

The belief in Pluralism involves the cooperation and respect from religions and their beliefs that differ from your own. Great controversy arose after the September 11 events in the United States. In the holy book of Islam, Muslims are taught pluralistic ideals. Many people cannot understand how a religion that promotes peace and acceptance amongst diverse, religious communities. Without Pluralism you have Nations that “experience conflict as a result of one religious, ethnic, or tribal groups being unable to respect and value the essential equality and humanity of groups different from itself”. The dispute between the terrorist attackers of 9-11 and the American west, is associated to the lack of pluralism. The holy book of Islam, the Quran, teaches respect and tolerance of all diverse human beings.

The Quran acknowledges the importance of tolerance amongst diverse communities and their beliefs. The Quran accepts that there are different people that hold their own truths. Judgment and salvation can come to anyone that has a true belief in their own God. The true meaning of any ancient text is hard to decipher, since translation and interpretation can often be subject to biased views. Due to some political interpretation the term Jihad now represents has a negative connotation associated with violence as “a general military offensive against nonbelievers and as a means of legitimizing political dominion” (Asani 46). To those that study the Quran and seek to understand its true meaning believe that a Jihad is instead, a moral struggle, in response aggression against them.

The Pluralist beliefs must be shared by the two opposing nations, such as Islam and the United States, in order to promote true peace and equality, and remain in a neutral state. Yet Pluralist debates to not simply happen amongst nations, conflicting beliefs on the subject of pluralism can be witnessed amid people of the same nation that hold different religious and political values. In the article, “Religious Diversity and Democratic Institutional Pluralism”, author Viet Bader argues that institutions and laws that govern the separation of church and state, and uphold the theories of pluralism have not been properly dealt with in the United States. He believes that a plan should be created and implemented to promote a “pluralized prospective on public reason for mutual understanding, decision making and democratic legitimacy” ( Bader 266).

The Issues that have been presented in the understanding of Pluralism will continue to occur if people to not reach a general understanding. Different cultural experiences will generate different cultural beliefs and values, yet the core of most religions is to find a deeper understanding of the world in which we cannot easily interpret and understand.

Asani, Ali S. “So That You May Know One Another”: A Muslim American Reflects on

Pluralism and Islam”. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 588, Islam: Enduring Myths. Published by: Sage Publications, Inc.

in association with the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Web.

JSTOR. 3 December 2009.

Bader, Viet. “Religious Diversity and Democratic Institutional Pluralism”. Political

Theory, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 2003), pp. 265-294.Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. Web. JSTOR. 3 December 2009.

Moving Mountains: John Dewey

Humanism does not worship the power of a superhuman; it requires faith in human power. John Dewey, an American philosopher, knew the direction the world needed to go. Dewey was one of the original signers on the 1933 humanist manifesto, and was involved in several other humanist projects during the thirties and forties.

John Dewey was born in Vermont in late 1859, just prior to the Civil War. Dewey was one of four children born to Archibald Dewey, a merchant and participant in the Union Army in Virginia, and Lucina Artemisia. Dewey’s mother was a strong believer in Calvinism, and influenced him through her belief of strong moral behavior and good acts. Dewey learned about various cultures through near by settlers in Burlington, such as the Irish and French-Canadian. He developed his formal education at through the University of Virginia, where he excelled in the sciences. “Dewey became aware of the world of ideas during his senior year. Courses on psychology (the science of mind and behavior), religion, ethics (the study of moral values), and logic (the science of reasoning) interested him more than his earlier training in languages and science.” [Encyclopedia of World Biography. John Dewey] Dewey graduated and tried to go in to teaching, but soon returned to school at the University of Michigan to receive his Doctorate at the age of twenty-five. He began teaching at the University and started following a thought pattern similar to the one his mother had raised him with, which was to think in constructive ways that would lead to progressive change and problem solving.

Dewey and his wife moved to New York for teaching opportunities, which opened the door to a diverse concentration of American cultural influence during the 1920’s. Here Dewey made connections, which resulted in the development of the League for Independent Political Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the American Association of University Professors. Dewey was widely criticized for his forthright opinions in philosophical interventions, however he had traveled the world and developed his ideas based on what he saw happening around him.

In his travels he had viewed human actions, which had been taken to extremes due to their overwhelming power, such as Adolph Hitler’s. Dewey wanted to create a universal education, which promoted the people to think creatively about their world, and develop ideas together. Dewey used his own teaching in the University in order to inspire his own thoughts and express his new ideas. In 1931 Dewey had a series of writings published in the New Republic, about creating a third political party. He involved himself with groups that would listen to what he had to say, and stuck his foot in the door with groups who would publish his ideas. By directing himself toward a left winged group his views were heard. He worked at gaining participation from political figures who would help him develop a third party to build a controlled system that could benefit all people. For Dewey, the change he wanted to see could not be accomplished by the either of the two parties, and he felt a deep need to get support in this third party idea. After retiring from teaching in the 1930’s Dewey joined the American Humanist Association who created the first Manifesto. The group wanted to create a standard set of ethics, which the world could agree upon and still hold religious beliefs. Dewey passed away in June 1952, before the second manifesto was produced.

Finnegan, Cara A. Elastic, Agnostic Publics: John Dewey’s Call for A Third Party. EbscoHost Access 8 Dec 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=9318869&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live

Encyclopedia of World Biography John Dewey . Access 9 Dec 2009

http://www.notablebiographies.com/De-Du/Dewey-John.html