American Religious History

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at both Laurence Moore's book "Touchdown Jesus. The Mixing of Sacred and Secular in American History" and the collection of texts in the book entitled "Major Problems in American Religious History: Documents and Essays," edited by Patrick Allitt. It discusses the religious problems that the multicultural mix-up in the United States creates.

From the Paper:

"In yet another essay on this subject, Rick Fields makes a very interesting comparison between what he calls the immigrant Buddhists and the "white" or American Buddhists. He draws a similar conclusion as the other authors, pointing to the way in which the Western reconstruction of an Oriental religion can be very different. He argues that White Buddhism is no longer a religion, but something more like a fashionable lifestyle. He also observes the poignant problem of racism that arises here, which is also his reason for calling the new cult "white" Buddhism: in spite of the fact that the White Buddhists may adopt all the traditional Asian customs- from their name to the food they eat or to the rituals as such, they will still be part of the "mainstream of the white culture." (Allitt 1999, 459). That is to say, the racial differences, still linger no matter what, and are emphasized by the American racism, which is the dark side of American culture."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allitt, Patrick. Major Problems in American Religious History: Documents and Essays. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999
• Moore, Laurence R. Touchstone Jesus. The Mixing of Sacred and Secular in American History. Westminster: John Knox, 2003

More papers on American Religious History:

• Comparison Essay # 100470 : "American Curriculum History"
• Essay # 31074 : "Early American Colonies"
• Essay # 35011 : "American History"

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