The Myth of Tolerance

Woven throughout popularly perceived American history is a distinct mythic account of the country’s religious past. The great story often told in such histories is that of a country which welcomes all those who seek religious freedom. This narrative features Anglo-Saxon Protestants in the leading role, as they work to make the United States a nation unlike all others, a true “city on a hill,” which is destined from the start to claim its seemingly guaranteed place at the center of the world stage. In this history, America is the “great melting pot” where diversity is tolerated and accepted by all, and varieties of immigrants can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and write their own chapter of the great American tale while the rest of the welcoming nation cheers their accomplishments. Unfortunately, this picture emerges because much of the real history of our country has been idealized in textbooks. Persecution in Puritan colonies, dehumanization of Catholics in political cartoons, and profiling of Arabs as Muslim extremists after September 11, 2001 are all examples of American religious intolerance, proving that we are a less tolerant nation than advertised. Perhaps the best example of this myth of religious tolerance comes from Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence when he states, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Jefferson’s words inspire confidence that people of all faiths hold unalienable rights and religious freedom in America. This myth of tolerance misleads Americans to glorify their past and to not fully acknowledge the intolerance that has been such a large part of the country’s history. By accepting religious intolerance as part of our history, the myth of America as an inherently tolerant nation can be dispelled, and we can move forward to address current issues of religious intolerance.

Reality of Intolerance

Many Americans think that intolerance no longer exists in our country. They either believe that discrimination died with the Civil Rights Era or is dying with the Baby Boomer Generation. Some Americans would even argue that intolerance is not one of the most pressing issues facing our nation today. However, this is not the case. According to the FBI, almost 10,000 Americans were victims of some category of hate crime in 2004 (infoplease.com) and incidents of hate crime rose by eight percent in 2006 (msnbc.com). Deep racial wounds continue to fester as older generations of Americans pass their stereotypes down to their children today. Even worse, the new age of technology allows for the free and convenient exchange of intolerant ideas and expressions at the click of a button. Unfortunately, as this freedom of speech is granted in the Constitution, there is nothing that can stop these manifestations of intolerance in our country. However, free speech does not mean we do nothing. The battle against intolerance is at its most crucial stage yet and it is our hope that this website will provide provocative discussion and perceptive insight into the reality of intolerance in the United States.

Obscured Religious Diversity in the United States

America today consists of an assortment of faiths including Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims, Evangelicals and Agnostics, Buddhists and Sikhs, Jains and Shintoists, Mormons and Hindus, and all manner of churches and denominations. People of most if not all faiths of the world live in America, but the most represented religion is Christianity, with nearly 80 percent of all Americans identifying with that religion. 7 percent of Americans classify themselves as followers of a non-Christian tradition, and about 13 percent remain unassociated with any religion. Needless to say, the United States has very diverse religious demographics. Furthermore, the American religious landscape is constantly changing. It is not rare for an American to adopt a religious tradition different from the one of their childhood, for example. In fact, nearly 44 percent of all American adults have left the faith of their earlier religion for a different denomination of the same faith, a different faith altogether, or no faith at all. This is a privilege which is taken for granted in our great country. Unfortunately, religious diversity in the United States is sometimes obscured by a prevailing mainstream Protestant voice which occasionally manifests itself through acts of intolerance. The fact that our religious landscape is more diverse than anywhere else in the world should be celebrated, and the aim of this website is to contribute to the process of realizing our diversity.

Further Reading:

The Pew Form U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: http://religions.pewforum.org/
Hughes, Richard T. Myths America Lives By. (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004).
Noll, Mark A., Hatch, Nathan O., and Marsden, George M. The Search for Christian America. (Colorado Springs: Helmers & Howard, 1989).

Users may also visit the “Resources” section of this website for more information on religious diversity in the United States.