Challenges of Religious Pluralism

1174 Words3 Pages

For centuries, religion in America has been more of a family affair. What this means is that despite the different groupings, almost all major religions have been united under the same American experience. Almost all the main religious denominations have been required to conform to the dictates of Protestantism. Maybe this has been derived from the belief that almost all of these groupings have been responsible for shaping America as we know it today. However, many things have happened in the past few decades to change the way religions have been conducting themselves. One theme that has overly changed over the years is that of pluralism. For many years, America has been a haven of different groupings of people. The British immigration brought with it a different ideology since they lacked unification in their own religious beliefs. This essay seeks to show how the Roman Catholic Church adapted to the challenge of religious pluralism in the American republic by modifying European notions of religious tradition. The adaptations of traditions within the Roman Catholic Church enabled them to be relevant within the communities.

If there is a single, religious grouping that has held on to its beliefs in the fast changing world, it is the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is perhaps the single biggest denomination in the world. To date, the church stands by the teachings it practiced from the beginning of its inception. With the British colonization of America, most churches left behind their morals or had to change them a bit to conform to the England church belief on morals. The Catholic Church in what is referred to as “moral theology” has continuously upheld morality in the society. This theory is closely linked to natura...

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...es on the church’s claim for pluralism. Due to the enormous influence that the British has, the Catholic Church has been forced to modify some of its teachings and beliefs in order to endure the challenges brought about by the British notion of religious notion. From the issue of conception of children to marriage, it is seen that there are many changes being inducted into the Catholic Church. With the rate that the practice is going on, we are going to see more changes carried out in this manner if the church is going to stay relevant in the community. However, the good thing to note is that only a modification of some beliefs and not a complete overhaul of key religious practices are being witnessed.

Works Cited

Williams, Peter W. America’s Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-First Century.

3rd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008. Print.

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