A New Religious America

About this book

Why Understanding America's Religious Landscape Is the Most Important Challenge Facing Us TodayDiana L. Eck examines why the post-1965 arrival of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities represents an unprecedented transformation of the nation's religious landscape. Her analysis traces how these living traditions established roots across cities and towns throughout the United States.From Nashville to Pittsburgh, new Hindu temples rise on suburban hillsides, while Ohio cornfields frame minarets and California suburbs house expansive Buddhist complexes.The study investigates how civic institutions and new communities negotiate this challenge through local zoning hearings, workplace disputes, and public school classrooms. The 1990s saw the U.S. Navy commission its first Muslim chaplain and open its first mosque. There are presently more than three hundred temples in Los Angeles, home to the greatest variety of Buddhists in the world. There are more American Muslims than there are American Episcopalians, Jews, or Presbyterians.