Busting 5 Common Myths about Religious Pluralism

Diversity can be daunting. That’s also why it is so important. When people don't come from the same backgrounds or share the same practices or even look different, we risk dehumanization. 

A Cornell Law study showed that diversity matters in our judicial system and even influences the sentences judges give. A judge might be, for example, more prepared to see themselves and their own lives reflected in a judge of a similar background. “Judges harbor the same kinds of implicit biases as others; that these biases can influence their judgment; but that given sufficient motivation, judges can compensate for the influence of these biases,” the study summarized. 

Our ability to navigate diversity has real-world consequences. This is true of religious diversity too.

But there are many misconceptions—or myths—about religious diversity. We see myths at large in the communities we work with all the time. We see them in our backyards too. 

MYTH: To be a champion of religious tolerance means I must make compromises with my own beliefs and values.

Interfaith work is never about forsaking your own beliefs, practices, and values. This actually goes against the purpose of interfaith engagement! 

An analogy might help. Imagine someone moving in next door, someone who has a different background and beliefs than you do. To be a good neighbor doesn’t require you to give up your own background or beliefs. Instead, being a good neighbor means welcoming them to the neighborhood, lending them a tool or cup of flour, and recommending a good auto mechanic. That’s what good neighbors do! They care for each other, participate in their shared community, and they welcome one another. 

Interfaith dialogue is also like this. This quote from the late Pope Francis reframes the attitude from which the best dialogues emerge: 

“Dialogue is born from an attitude of respect for the other person, from conviction that

the other person has something good to say. It assumes that there is room in the heart for the person’s point of view, opinion and proposal. To dialogue entails a cordial reception, not a prior condemnation. In order to dialogue, it is necessary to know how to lower the defenses, open the doors of the house, and offer human warmth.” — Pope Francis

MYTH: All religions teach the same things in different ways.

Our work at Interfaith Photovoice is about navigating religious diversity, not erasing it. When we erase our differences, we are lying to ourselves. And when we lie to ourselves about this, it becomes impossible to actually navigate the important points of convergence where we may actually have profound disagreements and values. It is best practice to instead focus on building relational bridges across the chasms of difference so that our interpersonal relationships become strong enough to handle and worth through disagreements.

This myth, of course, often comes from a very good impulse to show that our differences don’t need to divide us and that we have more in common than we have differences. But we do believe and practice different things! 

One thing that can happen when differences are erased is that a majority religion or practice will often take precedent over minority ones. For example, you have probably heard the analogy of all religions being just a “different path to salvation.” Not all religions have a teaching on “salvation” in the way that Christians do. 

MYTH: I need to become an expert to talk about religious diversity or with people of other religious backgrounds than myself.

You are an expert on your own experiences and practices. Speak from your own experiences and curiosities about the others’ experiences and practices and you’ll put yourself in the best position to have a meaningful conversation about religious difference.

MYTH: Religious pluralism and interfaith work only matters to religious people.

Our diversity matters to all, including and perhaps especially to those who don’t identify with any major religious tradition. If the only time we talk about religion is from the perspective of the majority religion, then the majority dictate the terms of the conversation. This negatively affects practitioners of minority religions as well as those who identify with no tradition at all. 

We also all have beliefs, values, and practices—regardless of whether or not we consider them to be religious in nature. Talking about how our beliefs, values, and practices differ is the major project of interfaith work!

MYTH: Only some groups deserve the freedom and ability to publicly practice their religions. 

If a Christian prays before a meal while in a restaurant, no one will bat their eyes twice. If a Muslim rolls out a prayer mat, gets on their knees, and begins to pray in Arabic, the story often changes. If you talk to many Muslims in North America you will find out their experiences praying in public often go very differently. Maybe they are even too afraid to practice their faith in public.

This is also the case with public calls to prayers. Church bells have been normalized for centuries. Why then is the adhan frequently met with public calls to hinder Islamic religious practice? 

This is wrong. Everybody deserves the same freedom and confidence to practice their religions and spiritualities.