The rise of a new religious America
Meanwhile, the woman she replaces
in Congress, Mazie Hirono, will be sworn in as the first
Buddhist elected to the U.S. Senate.
Welcome to the new religious America.
Religious diversity, of course, has long been part of the American landscape.
But in 2012, religious minorities became newly visible and vocal in a society
historically dominated by the symbols, values and leaders of the Protestant
faith.
Now that Protestants are no longer in the majority –
as reported in a study released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in
October – even the term “religious minority” will need fresh definition in our
newly minted minority-majority nation.
The election of Gabbard and Hirono are just two of many recent signals that
demographic shifts and changing attitudes are rapidly transforming America’s
increasingly crowded public square.
Even more remarkable, the Mormon candidate not only received nearly half of
the popular vote, but Mitt Romney was supported in large numbers by many
evangelical voters that polls previously told us would not vote for a Mormon.
Religious affiliation (or lack of affiliation) is still a factor in public
life, but the level of voter acceptance of candidates affiliated with
historically unelectable faiths is growing.
And let’s not overlook the fact that the current U.S. Supreme Court is made
up of six Catholic and three Jewish justices and – another first – no
Protestant.
Not surprisingly, there has been some backlash and resentment from those who
don’t like the changing religious face of America – or who fear a falling away
from the “Christian nation” they believe we are intended to be.
In 2012, American Muslims
continued to be prime targets of both resentment and fear with debates in many
state legislatures over anti-shariah bills and protests in many
communities over the building of mosques.
But 2012 was also the year that American Muslims joined by many interfaith
coalitions pushed back, defeating or stalling anti-shariah legislation in a
number of states and defeating several anti-Muslim candidates at the ballot box,
including Florida Congressman Allen West.
The growing visibility and strength of America’s religious diversity is good
news for religious freedom. The First Amendment affords legal protections, but
it cannot fully prevent people in the majority from imposing social
discrimination and political exclusion on those in the minority.
As James Madison argued at our nation’s founding, religious freedom is best
secured in a society of many faiths and beliefs – with none in the majority.
“For where there is such a variety of sects,” wrote Madison, “there cannot be
a majority of any one sect to oppress and persecute the rest.”
Religious diversity, in other words, helps level the playing field, giving
people of all faiths and none freedom to compete in the marketplace of
ideas.
In religion, as in economics, monopolies stifle growth and innovation. That’s
why the end of the Protestant hegemony in America will be no loss for religious
people of any tradition, including Protestants.
On the contrary, as domination of one faith recedes, freedom for all faiths
and beliefs expands – moving us ever-closer to fulfilling the promise of
religious liberty under the First Amendment.
No comments:
Post a Comment