Luis Lugo, the director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, at the Religion Newswriters Association convention Thursday, was part of a panel on immigration and faith that made a few interesting observations. In contrast to the situation in Europe, where a much higher percentage of immigrants are non-Christian, here in the U.S., a large majority of new immigrants are Christian. However immigration is still leading to an increase in the number of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in the United States. Many of the new immigrants are from Latin America, Africa and Asia. “What we are seeing is not the de-Christianization of America, but the de-Europeanization of American Christianity,” he said. Because more expressive forms of worship are often preferred by immigrants from the Global South, he said that there is a rise in Pentecostal and charismatic worship styles in US churches. The Muslim population in the United States is more diverse in terms of national origin, than the Muslim population in any other country. This, again, contrasts with the situation in Europe, where, for example, many German Muslims are from Turkey, many Spanish Muslims are from Morocco, and many French Muslims are from Algeria. No more than 8 percent of American Muslims is from any one country. New immigrants are overwhelmingly Catholic, and as a result, “immigration is tilting the balance within American Christianity in favor of Catholicism,” said Lugo. Also, he said, “We're very close to becoming a minority Protestant country,” although, right now, Protestants outnumber Catholics in the United States. Nearly a quarter of all Catholics in the United States are foreign born, the highest percentage among any of the nation's largest faith groups. “To know what the country will be like in three decades, look at the Catholic Church,'” he said.
My response to this is that of why is anyone surprised? Our country is an entire country of immigrants. They did call them Native Americans for a reason. Anyone who is not that is technically and immigrant in my book. When you mix people from all kinds of backgrounds and walks life in any situation, big or small, you are going to get diversity. The U.S. is a melting pot of culture, traditions, and beliefs. It does not surprise me at all that the more the different kinds of people come here, the more different kinds of religion is going to show up. Didn’t the pilgrims come over here partly because of religious division not being allowed in their homeland. I do however think that this country will not begin to look like one specific religion like Lugo says. I believe that diversity will grow stronger and continue to enlarge the “melting pot.” If we can accept that other people have their own way of doing things and can all coexist, I think that these new adoptions of beliefs and new beliefs in general will not be a problem at all. It very well could be a learning experience for curious outsiders.
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