If one of the wisdom traditions claims us, we begin by listening to it. Not uncritically, for new occasions teach new duties and everything finite is flawed in some respects. Still, we listen to it expectantly, knowing that it houses more than can be encompassed in a single lifetime. We also listen to the faith of others, including the secularists. We listen first because … our times require it. The community today can be no single tradition; it is the planet.

--Huston Smith, The World's Religions

In a past life, I worked for a newspaper in the New York area, writing about local religious communities.

It was a tough assignment for me--not only because I had no religious background or affiliation, but also because religion wasn't exactly a "sexy" topic in the newsroom. In general, many editors feel that there are no juicy stories to be found on the faith circuit--other than the occasional church swindle/Wiccan cult/Catholic-priest-who-marries-Moonie.

It's a regrettable error on their part. Religion is still alive and well in the United States and elsewhere in the world, in spite of the challenges presented by science and secular culture. In fact, some argue that its abundance is cause for concern: Now that the Cold War has ended, some commentators have predicted a "clash of civilizations" along religious and cultural lines. While I have my doubts about that scenario, it is clear that any serious attempt to achieve greater tolerance in society must go beyond the "usual suspects"--gender, race, sexuality, and class--and deal with our differences in moral and religious belief as well.

And yet religious diversity is a tricky subject. Faith presents additional problems for multiculturalism: When a faith declares itself Truth and all else Falsehood, how do you overcome the "holy war" mentality that results? How do you respect people's rights to share their beliefs and also ensure that nonbelievers are not reviled or threatened? What do you do when institutions of learning seem to cultivate a bias, even scorn, against people of faith?

In the essay "Nirvana for sale" in this month's Inthefray, Columnist Varun Soni talks about how the Hindu faith is dealing with its soaring global popularity, as the mainstream American marketplace buys, sells, and warps its traditions. He suggests that Hinduism can evolve to meet new expectations, allowing creative space for Western artists like Madonna even as it maintains ancient traditions. This open-minded, open-ended attitude--one that recognizes distinctions while still allowing room for other interpretations--has prevailed throughout much of Hinduism's long history. And yet it is something that people of all beliefs could learn from.

There is much to be learned, on every side. I need look no further than my own shortcomings: As someone without faith, I long made the mistake of too many other well-educated men and women--seeing religion as irrational and narrow-minded, an indelicate or even offensive topic to bring up in conversation. But after reporting on religion and befriending people of strong faith, I've come to realize that I have no reason to be disdainful--just as people of faith have no reason to fear outsiders like myself. Even if we disagree on some points, believers and nonbelievers share much in common: a yearning for meaning in life, a commitment to treating others with decency. With those shared values in mind, an atheist can recognize Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi as heroes; an Orthodox Jew can praise the integrity of his Buddhist and even atheist neighbors.

The good news is that many people in the world--in spite of what some politicians or newspapers might tell us--are moving steadily in the direction of this open-mindedness. Seventy-one percent of North Americans believe that there are "many true religions," according to the Gallup International Millennium Survey; elsewhere in the world, those numbers range from 31 percent (West Africa) to 55 percent (Western Europe). In a world of rapidly shrinking distances and the accelerating exchange of ideas, people of faith can no longer hold so tenaciously to the view that all nonbelievers will go to hell. Instead, many have begun to see the world's various religions as equally valid sources of enlightenment--in religion scholar Huston Smith's words, "wisdom traditions," repositories of understanding developed through countless lifetimes.

Practically speaking, it seems that no one viewpoint--whether secular humanism or Christianity, Hinduism or Islam--will ever gain the following of the entire world. Like Ivy League universities (those other divinely inspired institutions), the major religions are likely to survive until our civilization's end, teaching each new generation how to live and love one another. Secular society will continue to shape them, and be shaped by them. The more pressing question is whether we will continue to fight the unwinnable wars of our history--our Crusades, our jihads--or finally accept one another as equals.

There are many paths up the mountain, the Hindu sages say, and many names for God. If we would have patience--to listen, and not judge; to share, and not force our views upon others--we could recognize the good in all these traditions. And we could marvel at their beautiful variation, a stained glass window awash in the light of a shared sun.

Victor Tan Chen
Editor, Inthefray.com
New York

Mailbag

From Barbados, with love

May 28

Being a native who still lives on the Caribbean island of Barbados is a most refreshing, relaxing, rewarding experience! Especially when I reflect daily on the standard of democracy and quality of life we enjoy.

It feels so enriching to have come across this Web site, Inthefray.com, which offers freedom of experience and expression to everyone, for the benefit of sharing and learning in a responsible yet new-age, open-minded way.

Kudos to all you innovators and contributors. Keep this great initiative going from strength to strength! Here's hoping that more people everywhere have the opportunity to do what we Bajans may take for granted.

Paulavette Atkinson
Barbados, West Indies