The Religion Factor

How does religion influence life in this postmodern and pluralistic era? In every way, assert the 17 diverse essayists who examine various religious influences on political discourse, gender, media and other aspects of American life. How does, for example, the American Muslim experience of media reveal hidden biases in reporting? How does a Buddhist encounter death? How does a Christian respond to political and economic issues? Some essays, like John Updike's review of religion's influence on literature, are outstanding. Others are more academic, even pedantic. All strive to model toleration and religious pluralism--which, as editor William Scott Green writes in the final essay, are not only goals of democracy but also core values of the American experience. The collection leaves unresolved, however, the question of how religions in America, each asserting its own fundamental religious truths, can also share the values of toleration and religious pluralism. (Nov.)