Haily Wilbert

Religious Diversity-US

04/29/20

Reflection

1. Do you believe America is more of a secular or a religious country? Why?

I believe that America is more secular in some ways. I think there are many religions here, as
we have learned in class. There is also a lot of religious influence in politics but in the way
that they are influenced by the majority religion of voters. From my religious liberties paper I
found that the court was protective of the Amish families religious rights. From other case
studies and discussions from class, the courts tend to side in favor of religious freedom and
the free exercise clause in the First Amendment. This is only to the extent that it does not
harm others. I also believe that America was founded on religious freedom. Through this
class I have seen the examples of religions having the right to come here and establish
churches and temples. Such as Hindu’s, Buddhist’s, Muslim’s, etc. I think there are many
ways to look at how secular or religious America is. Most court rulings try to rule and keep
in mind the Free Exercise clause. I also think that America is becoming more secular and
tolerant.

2. What do you believe is a responsible relationship between religion and American culture?
Explain.

I believe that American culture is a melting pot. I think there is a wide variety of influence on
our culture. I think the best relationship between religion and our culture is tolerance and
acceptance. I think that our culture should be open to other religions. I think it is responsible
to be accepting of new religions, allowing them to come to America and establish. I also
believe it is responsible for religion to respect other religions. I think sometimes there is a
tendency to proselytize to others and put down other religions because people believe theirs
is the better religion. I think that the best way is to help the community through service and
acceptance.

3. How have you become more aware of your religious landscape?

I have found there is more diversity than I thought. The majority is still LDS but there are
many other religions. They have small populations but are there. I was aware of the Hindu
population and popularity in Utah, but not as much the Buddhist population. I found that
there is a large amount of Buddhist in Utah. I also became aware of my stereotypes and
biases of some religions. When doing my experience for the religious landscape project, I
noticed I had stereotype of what I thought Buddhists were. After watching their service, it
changed my stereotypes about how serious I thought they were. In the service they were
using some toys from Game of Thrones and Star Wars to tell a story. It was interesting to that
they also integrate pop culture into their religion.

4. In what ways do you believe our religious minorities are impacting the “public square”?

I think religious minorities are bringing their ideals and practices into the light. For example,
in Buddhism they often practice meditation. I think many people have found interest in
meditation for calming. They also have the idea that the earth is connected and believe in
Karma. The public now uses that as a term that means what comes around goes around. I also
think people are drawn to a lot of the teaching of other religions and are teaching more
tolerance and acceptance.

5. How is this course connected to other courses you have taken and/or to your everyday
life?

I have started to connect this course to my education courses. When we talk about diversity
in my education classes, I also think about the religious diversity that will be in my future
classes. I also have applied it to my African American Culture class and the religious
diversity in that culture. In my everyday life, I have been seeing the diversity around me. I
also have been focused on removing my stereotypes of other religions.