Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

An Embarrassment Of Riches: American Religious Pluralism As A Threat, Richard Grigg

Sacred Heart University Press Books

Religious diversity is a sign of the vitality of American spirituality, but it presents a challenge: a thoughtful believer will most likely recognize that religious Others hold beliefs that contradict his or her own and will confront the fact that there is apparently no better evidence for his or her own beliefs than for those held by the religious Other. Thus the religious Other can easily become the disconfirming Other. An Embarrassment of Riches examines the various responses open to the believer challenged by the disconfirming Other, from self-deception of New Age spirituality to rigid fundamentalist opposition.