But how often do we actually talk to our neighbors and friends about matters of faith? What do we know about their religious practices? Do we ever ask them what their religion means to them or how their spirituality influences their lives?

An important distinction must be made between diversity and pluralism. Diversity exists when there is a multitude of different races, ethnicities, religions, cultures, or practices. There is no effort involved in diversity, it merely exists. Pluralism, however, implies much more than this. To create pluralism, we must actively engage with this diversity. We must talk about these differences, learn from one another, and come to an appreciation of the other’s traditions. In a truly pluralistic society, people from different backgrounds can come together and cooperate on their shared interests not just despite their differences, but because of them.

The Pluralism Project at Harvard University provides a forum to engage with this diversity and make it a positive part of our society by studying America’s changing religious landscape and the multi-religious opportunities that arise from it. They have recently updated this rich website – http://www.pluralism.org – which contains a great array of resources on America’s religious communities and interfaith efforts. For those interested in learning more, I would encourage you to explore their new site.