The three volumes of The Cambridge History of Religions in America
trace the historical development of religious traditions in
America, following both their transplantation from other parts of
the world and the inauguration of new religious movements on the
continent of North America. This story involves complex
relationships among these religious communities as well as the
growth of distinctive theological ideas and religious practices.
The net result of this historical development in North America is a
rich religious culture that includes representatives of most of the
world's religions. Volume 1 extends chronologically from
prehistoric times until 1790, a date linked to the formation of the
United States as a nation. The first volume provides background
information on representative Native American traditions as well as
on religions imported from Europe and Africa. Diverse religious
traditions in the areas of European settlement, both Christian and
non-Christian, became more numerous and more complex with the
passage of time and with the accelerating present. Tension and
conflict were also evident in this colonial period among religious
groups, triggered sometimes by philosophical and social
differences, other times by distinctive religious beliefs and
practices. The complex world of the eighteenth century, including
international tensions and conflicts, was a shaping force on
religious communities in North America, including those on the
continent both north and south of what became the United States.
Volume 2 focuses on the time period from 1790 until 1945, a date
that marks the end of the Second World War. One result of the
religious freedom mandated by the Constitution was the dramatic
expansion of the religious diversity in the new nation, and with it
controversy and conflict over theological and social issues
increased among denominations. Religion, for example, played a role
in the Civil War. The closing decades of the nineteenth century
witnessed the rising prominence of Roman Catholicism and Judaism in
the United States as well as the growth of a variety of new
religious movements, some that were products of the national
situation and others that were imported from distant parts of the
globe. Modern science and philosophy challenged many traditional
religious assumptions and beliefs during this century and a half,
leading to a vigorous debate and considerable controversy. By the
middle of the twentieth century, religion on the North American
continent was patterned quite differently in each of the three
nations the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Volume 3 examines
the religious situation in the United States from the end of the
Second World War to the second decade of the twenty-first century,
contextualized in the larger North American continental context.
Among the forces shaping the national religious situation were
suburbanization and secularization. Conflicts over race, gender,
sex, and civil rights were widespread among religious communities.
During these decades, religious organizations in the United States
formulated policies and practices in response to such international
issues as the relationship with the state of Israel, the
controversy surrounding Islam in the Middle East, and the expanding
presence of Asian religious traditions in North America, most
notably Buddhism and Hinduism. Religious controversy also
accompanied the rise of diverse new religious movements often
dismissed as cults, the growth of mega-churches and their influence
via modern technologies, and the emergence of a series of ethical
disputes involving gay marriage and abortion. By the turn of the
twenty-first century, the national and international religious
contexts were often indistinguishable.
General
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