Research Guide: Religious Diversity

Web Sites

• "Religious Diversity (Pluralism)", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2003), by: D. Basinger. ed: Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
  
• Center for Reduction of Religious-Based Conflict
  This website covers the currently active religious conflicts around the world.
• First Freedom Center
  This website focuses on freedom of religion in America. Primary sources as well as important secondary sources are available. Teachers resources are also available.
• Forum 18
  Forum 18 monitors threats against religious freedom around the world and tries to present "news in a deliberately calm and balanced fashion, [by showing] all sides of a situation."
• Hartford Institute for Religion Research
  This specific page will link you to the Official Denominational Web Sites (official websites of many of the different religions in the world).
• The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
  The Project's mission is to "to help Americans engage with the realities of religious diversity through research, outreach, and the active dissemination of resources."
• Spiritual Education Lesson Plans believes "that bringing children and parents from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds together to learn about religion in a holistic manner fosters mutual trust, promotes community building, and helps replace fear and fanaticism with empathy and cooperation." In order to promote this view, the Website offers lesson plans for different age groups.
• The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
  This project of the Pew Charitable Trust, began in 2001 to promote understanding of religious issues. The reports are non-partisan and state that they advocate no position. The research reports include topics such as religion in light of law, politics, domestic and foreign policy. It states the goal of providing impartial information to public officials and journalists with timely reports and over views of national debates in which religion plays a part.

First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution
Amendment I states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The text of the first amendment granted freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and the right to Petition government (1791).
The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution are the part of the original laws of the United States which grant most civil rights. Over the next 200 plus years additional rights (amendments) have been added. There are now 27 total. Amendments include the abolition of Slavery (#13) in 1865 and the latest (#27) in 1992 which imposed limits on pay for elected senators and members of the House of Representatives.

• Cornell Law School (Bill of Rights)
  The Law School web site offers a clear and simple outline and commentary on each section of the Constitution and Bill of rights as well as additional links and commentary to local (New York State) and Federal laws.
• The United States Constitution. (First Amendment of the Bill of Rights)
  Full text of the entire Constitution with extensive commentary. This link points directly to the Section and history regarding the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Books

• America and the challenges of religious diversity by Robert Wuthnow. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2005.
  Call no.: BR127 .W87
• Ethics in the world religions. Oxford ; New York : Oneworld, 2001. ed: Nancy M. Martin.
  Call no.: BJ 1188 .E84 2001
• Gale encyclopedia of multicultural America. ed: Jeffrey Lehman. 2nd ed. Detroit : Gale Group, 2000.
  Call no.: Reference - E 184 .A1 G14 2000
• Gender, religion, and diversity : cross-cultural perspectives. New York : Continuum, 2004. ed: Ursula King
  Call no.: BL458 .G465 2004
• Gods in the global village : the world's religions in sociological perspective. by: Lester R. Kurtz. Thousand Oaks Calif. : Pine Forge Press, c1995.
  Call no.: BL60 .K87
• Pluralism comes of age : American religious culture in the twentieth century by Charles H. Lippy. Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, 2000.
  Call no.: BL 2525 .L567 2000
• Religious pluralism in America : the contentious history of a founding ideal by Hutchison, William R. New Haven : Yale University Press, 2003.
  Call no.: BL2525 .H88 2003

Articles

• Directory of Open Access Journals: Religion Journals
  This is a list of free academic journals online. This particular page lists religious publications
• EBSCO — Academic Search Premier
  This is a Full-text general information database. Perfect for starting your research when you're not sure where to start. Don't forget to use the word AND to connect your words when searching.
• JSTOR
  Provides access to selected scholarly journals in a number of disciplines from african and classical studies to sociology and music.
• Project Muse
  Full-text access to scholarly articles covering a wide array of topics, from literature to economics.
• SocIndex with Full Text
  This database provides access to sociology articles, full text books, and conference papers.

Compiled by Remi Castonguay, updated by Marie C. Spina, 4/22/2008