Accepting Religious Diversity In The United States By Stephen M.

What hinders the United States from fully accepting religious diversity is embedded in three components laid out by Stephen M. Merino, a sociology professor at Colorado Mesa University, who has published many works in the field of sociology and religion. Merino addresses that “theological beliefs, beliefs about the role of Christianity in America, and prior contact with non-Christians,” are roadblocks in the way of furthering of religious diversity in the U.S. (Merino 233). These factors help explain the relationships between people of different faiths in the United States. They look at how and why American Christians, who are the majority, view other religions in a particular way. Theological beliefs can help promote religious diversity in some environments, but are also notorious for stimulating negative relations. The

Exclusivism argues there is only one religious view that allows for salvation (Merino 243). While inclusivism claims there can be truth in many faiths, it concurs with exclusivism that there is only one faith that perfects these truths (Merino 234). The concept of exclusivism is a source of restricted religious tolerance towards non-Christians in the United States. Christianity promotes salvation through the belief in Jesus and the profession of sin, it sees no other way for salvation to be achieved. From my observation, exclusivist ideas are geared specifically toward Islam and Hinduism, whose names have been associated with terrorism and inequality. Inclusivist ideas are also present in the U.S. Inclusivism is less critical of other religion 's beliefs system but does not recognize them as the best way to practice. Inclusivism can be seen displayed toward Jewish-Americans. The foundations of Judaism are similar to Christianity since they share several scriptures. The Torah, the Jewish holy text, is comprised of the first five books of the Old Testament in the Bible. While this similarity contributes to some