Why are Americans so interested in religion?
We’ve always had these awakenings, as historians call them–one before the Revolutionary War, one in the 19th century that led to Mormonism and Seventh Day Adventism. I think the notion of separation of church and state kind of backfired. It’s a little like my growing up as a kid without a religion, and then becoming obsessed. Americans were free to explore religion and spirituality, and as a result you have these booms. The people who came of age in the ’60s seem particularly drawn to what were once foreign religions. They have become a little more sophisticated about the cultural context of these movements. Converts to Tibetan Buddhism are studying Sanskrit, and people who are interested in Sufism are going to Mecca, at least until last year. It seems recently, however, people aren’t just crossing from one faith to another, but are joining other faiths without leaving their original one. That is huge. Someone told me recently they are Buddhapalian. I’ve met Episcopalian Sufis, Quaker
