Survey: Americans Freely Change, or Drop, Their Religions...
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY A new map of faith in the USA shows a nation constantly shifting amid religious choices, unaware or unconcerned with doctrinal distinctions. Unbelief is on the rise. And immigration is introducing new faces in the pews, new cultural concerns, new forces in the public square. The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, documents new peaks, deepening valleys and fast-running rivers of change in American religiosity. Based on interviews with 35,556 adults in the continental United States, it shows so much diversity and dynamism that a co-author sums it up simply. “Churn. Churn. Churn. The biggest news here...
Detroit Interfaith Group Teaches Tolerance Through Dialogue...
June 08, 2007 Washington, D.C. After September 11th, many religious leaders across the U.S. gathered to pray for peace and understanding. In the Midwest City of Detroit, one of the most ethnically diverse in America, Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders continue to meet on a regular basis. The Detroit Interfaith Partners try to talk through their differences, despite underlying religious friction at home and ethnic conflicts overseas. In a scene from the documentary “Reuniting The Children of Abraham,” a Christian actor says, “Where I grew up there were only two kinds of people. You were either a Christian or you were someone who did not believe in God.” A Jewish actress offers her own story, saying, “My family...
Understanding Islam in America
What does it mean to be Muslim in America? That was the question posed at a recent symposium here in the nation’s capital hosted by Georgetown University and On Faith, an interactive conversation on religion sponsored by Newsweek magazine and The Washington Post newspaper. Muslims in America are a microcosm of Muslims around the world. They come from more than 60 nations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, as well as the United States. For both immigrants and American converts, formulating a sense of identity is crucial. Muslim Americans often struggle with what it means to be Muslim in the United States, especially after September 11, 2001. For many, the terrorist attacks created a fear of...
At Home in the US Heartland: Two Muslim Families in Iowa...
February 03, 2004 Cedar Rapids, Iowa It’s one of the oldest Muslim communities in the United States, and it’s right in the middle of the midwestern heartland: Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It’s a state that is overwhelmingly Christian – yet recent immigrants as well as Muslims who were born here say they’ve found it a comfortable place to make their homes and practice their religion. Zeineb Mehdi, for example, grew up in Tunisia, and moved to Cedar Rapds 23 years ago. A devout Muslim, she serves on the board of the local Islamic Center, and attends prayers in the mosque there. But it’s her peace activism that has made Zeineb Mehdi well known in this small city – and...
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