Pluralism is defined as an aspect that brings a bond that leads to a common society from all diversities. In the United States of America, there is a lot of religious diversity, but the relationships that exist among various faiths create a common society. The engagement among different faiths and their relationships leads to some instances of pluralism. The act of pluralism has enabled United States to manage its widening cultural and religious diversity (Dillon, 2003). It is evident that, several issues have been solved in America through the efforts of pluralism. For instance, it was a good show in San Francisco when a church and a mosque happened to purchase a piece of land and constructed their buildings side by side. Such incidences are very crucial even in minimizing religious wars and conflicts. Currently, there is the presence of interreligious infrastructures in major cities and towns. Interfaith dialogues, whereby interfaith thanksgiving services are held at manage such situations, handle challenges like war and hunger successfully.
The major reason as to why pluralism has become so distinct is that, pluralism calls for participation and engagement. The major practiced aspect of diversity in United States religion has brought the idea of isolation and separation among various denominations. This diversity and isolation call for an act of pluralism to avoid having so many disintegrated religious groups. Pluralism entails more than tolerance of differences, as many people perceive it (Netland, 2001). For it to succeed and be productive to all religious believers, pluralism should first gather the knowledge of all different groups. Tolerance sometimes may be misleading if considered by itself, without the knowledge of why differences are occurring. Tolerance alone does not create any opportunity of individuals to learn the characters of one another. Pluralism requires to eradicate the ignorance that exist among different individuals, and tolerance alone cannot afford. Although tolerance is crucial, it cannot be relied upon to combine diverse and complex religions like that of America.
In addition, pluralism is relativism and creates several opportunities for various religions to participate through commitments. Though embraced by most people, others still claim that it is weakening the religious beliefs of some people, through acknowledging different beliefs of other people. The fact is that, pluralism does not allow people to abandon their religious beliefs for others. The major theme of pluralism is to invite people from various faiths, and those without any faith to come together informing a civil society. This is achieved through ensuring personal encounter with one another and sharing on matters of importance (Dillon, 2003). Pluralism is majored in acknowledging one another on religious issues, but not through hiding the differences that exist. Pluralism in America is based on the common major rules that are found in the constitution. The free exercise of religion is allowed, and there should be no guarantee of a religion that should be established. The establishment of a pluralistic society is not aimed at achieving an agreement on issues of conscience and faith. The major theme of initiating pluralism is attaining a productive context of discussion and good relationship. The most valuable trend of pluralism is to gather people of different faiths, and have a common commitment to the people within the society.
Religious pluralism in United States entails a constructive dialogue of discussing the common issues, as well as the differences that exist among various religious groups. When conducting a pluralism dialogue, this does not guarantee that every issue on the table should be agreed upon. There are both agreement and disagreements, and the most important thing is to have an understanding of everyone’s ground. The foundational for pluralism is for every team be committed to having a one on one dialogue. Everyone values the act of pluralism, as it has managed to boost the moral values of people within the society (Dillon, 2003). The major issues that are likely to bring about some arguments among people are provided with a solution. Through this agreement, and coming together of people from various religions, the social welfare of people within the society is catered for. In addition, such incidences that require people coming together to handle like helping the needy in the society, various religions have managed to come together to solve such issues.
References
Dillon, M. (2003). Handbook of the sociology of religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Netland, H. (2001). Encountering religious pluralism: the challenge to christian faith & mission. New York: Intervarsity.