Rating: 
Summary: Amazingly eye-opening
Review: Diana Eck's book has to be one of the most eye-opening books I have ever read. Diana Eck does a brilliant job of comparing different ways of interaction with people of different religions, which include exclusion, assimilation, and pluralism. It is through her breakdowns of the motives for, and results of, these three ideas that Eck is able to show us that the ideal form of interaction of interaction between faiths is pluralism.Eck superbly demonstrates the influence that Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam have had on the cultural and religious landscape of the America in which they were planted. Eck also does a wonderful job of demonstrating how mainstream America has played a role in the shaping of these individual religions, whether it be in the mixing of water from the Ganges with water from the Mississippi in the blessing of a Hindu temple in Boston, or in the prescence of pews inside of a Buddhist temple, Eck makes it clear that this cultural diffusion that is occuring is not one-sided. This book is a brilliant work that I personally recommend to EVERYONE IN AMERICA.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly eye-opening
Review: Diana Eck's book has to be one of the most eye-opening books I have ever read. Diana Eck does a brilliant job of comparing different ways of interaction with people of different religions, which include exclusion, assimilation, and pluralism. It is through her breakdowns of the motives for, and results of, these three ideas that Eck is able to show us that the ideal form of interaction of interaction between faiths is pluralism. Eck superbly demonstrates the influence that Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam have had on the cultural and religious landscape of the America in which they were planted. Eck also does a wonderful job of demonstrating how mainstream America has played a role in the shaping of these individual religions, whether it be in the mixing of water from the Ganges with water from the Mississippi in the blessing of a Hindu temple in Boston, or in the prescence of pews inside of a Buddhist temple, Eck makes it clear that this cultural diffusion that is occuring is not one-sided. This book is a brilliant work that I personally recommend to EVERYONE IN AMERICA.
Rating: 
Summary: TIPICAL FROM A TIPICALLY LIBERAL UNIVERSITY PROFFESOR!
Review: I can't add much to what some very sharp reviewers have already said here. Eck seems to be looking at all religions thru rose colored glasses. She is either ignoring the glaring truth or she is naive in the extreme. But what can we expect from the liberal left that embraces "DIVERSITY" as their mantra!
Rating: 
Summary: Religious Pluralism in America
Review: Professor Diana Eck has written a study documenting how the United States has become the most religiously diverse nation in the world. Her focus is on the immigration act of 1965 which allowed for the first time in our history a large immigration to the United States from Asia. Asian immigrants brought with them their religious traditions, particularly in this book, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Professor Eck studies the growth of these communities in the United States and explores how they have changed the religious face of our country. The book begins with a short historical overview of religious diversity in the early United States beginning with the intolerance of some of our early settlers through the work of Jefferson and Madison in securing religous liberty. As the United States experienced large waves of immigration in the late 1800, two views of the nature of our country developed. The first viewed the United States as a "melting pot" under which the new settlers together with the population already here would blend and form a single, unified nation of shared values. The second view, developed by sociologist Horace Kallen articulated a vision of pluralism based upon the analogy of a symphony orchestra. It takes many different instruments to play a single symphony. Each voice is unique and yet each contributes to one whole. Professor Eck's sympathies are with the latter view. I suggest that it might be possible to synthesize these two apparently competing positions. I found the most interesting parts of the book were the central chapters describing in some detail the various Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim communities in the United States. Again, I thought the discussion of the history of these groups in our country even more interesting than the discussion of contemporary pluralism. Each of these groups has a long history in the United States. Their ideas have contributed much to our country even though for many years the number of adherents of these groups has been small. For example, Emerson and Thoreau showed a great deal of interest in both Buddhism and Hinduism and had valuable things to say about them. In 1893 a world "Parliament of Religions" took place in Chicago in which representatives of both Hinduism and Buddhism began to make an impact in the United States. (There was a similar Parliament in 1993.) Religions outside the Judeo-Christian mainstream have had much to teach for a long time. Professor Eck's discussion of Buddhism focuses on how recent immigrants from various parts of Asia have attempted to keep and develop communal practice in the United States. I found this interesting in that she focuses on Asian Buddhism in the United States and pays relatively little attention to Westerners who have been attempting to develop an understanding of Buddhism indigenous to our country. There is a revealing discussion as well of the growth of Islam in the United States. Professor Eck describes the black Islamic movements and describes as well how Islam in the United States has become large, organized, and visible. The book was written before September 11, and inevitably the reader will have questions about how the events of that day affect her account of American Islam. There is an account in the book of the difficulties the new religions have faced in terms of fear and bigotry from some of their fellow citizens. There is also a good, more inspiring and positive account, of how people in our country are learing to live and share their various religous traditions. I have become fascinated with the study of comparative religion in part through my own study of Buddhism. This book discusses the growth of different traditions in the United States. It may also help those wishing to explore and to better understand themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, Harvard author: get your facts straight!
Review: The only thing I want to say about this book is that we all expect and assume that a Harvard professor will have his/her facts correct before publishing. Kirk Fordice was NOT the governor of Arkansas but of Mississippi. Being from Mississippi myself, I take issue with this glaring error. What if I wrote a book saying that John Kerry or Ted Kennedy or Mike Dukakis were from Connecticut? How would Massachusetts readers like that? What this author has done is unfortunately a typical example of liberal elitism gone awry at our nation's premier institution of higher learning. The publisher should pay me to take this book off their hands. I certainly won't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: The New Face of American Religion
Review: The United States of America is a nation founded on religious freedom for all. Government cannot, or should not, interfere with individual practice or show favoritism toward a particular religious faith. This doctrine of freedom has led to the United States becoming the most religiously diverse nation on Earth, and this diverification is openly praised and celebrated in this book, "A New Religious America". Author Diana Eck is a Harvard professor who is herself affiliated with the Methodist Church. She respects all religious faiths, and she spends time in this book discussing the most significant among them: Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Other religious groups get a little bit of mention, but most of the book focuses on these three groups. Eck combines together some historical perspectives along with her own personal experiences as she writes this book. She travels around the country, from mosque to temple, observing directly the traditions and religious practices of these different religions, meeting with leaders and joining in at ceremonies and prayer gatherings. Diana Eck takes a more liberal approach in this book, and this fact might not be to the liking of some readers. It's obvious from the very beginning of this book that Eck fully supports the idea of religious diversity. She never makes a single negative comment about any religious group in her study. She also avoids discussing the merits of the various religious affiliations. Instead, she just states what she knows about each one of them, along with what she experiences first hand, and leaves it at that. She gives the impression that all religions are equally worthy of respect and equally valid. The last part of the book deals with the future and what it has in store for religion in America. Whether people like it or not, religious diversity is a fact of life. The trend toward an even more religiously pluralistic society is already underway as more and more foreign immigrants arrive on America's shores. Mainstream religious groups, secularists, and spiritual folks with no formal affiliation will have to respond to this growing trend if they hope to survive and grow in the new century.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Celebration Without Critcal Thought
Review: This book could have been a winner, and in many ways, it still is. There is no doubt that America has changed and is now home to the most pluralistic religious environment in the world. Eck has done a great job researching the growth of American Hindus, American Buddhists and American Muslims throughout the United States. Her anecdotes about visiting many of these congregations and the observations she has are very interesting and informative. Overall, I can't give the book that great of a rating because Dr. Eck is so caught up in the astounding growth of these religions that she often fails to utter a negative comment about any of them. Now I realize that every reviewer brings their own biases, and in my case, I'm very suspicious of any organized religion. While I respect the power of religion to do an incredible amount of good in this world, on Spet. 11, we also saw the amount of evil that can be accomplished "in the name of God." While this book was written before Sept. 11, she turns a blind eye to the bad side of religion. For example, would the keepers of Islam's most holy places welcome an independent woman like Eckk in Saudi Arabia? Another example of this problem is in her description of the Hare Krishna movement. Finally, she recounts in a very sypmathetic manner, how some Islamic groups claimed government harassment when they were accused of financially supporting Hamas. Overall, I have no problem with Islam, or Hindus or Buddhists. I just think that when criticism of these religions is warranted, it should be mentioned just as it should be with Christianity. The idea of religious plurality and tolerance is a great goal, the problem is that many religions are intolerant by nature, and Eck fails to bring that up in her book. Finally, at the end of the book Eck recounts a news story from Garden Grove, California and quotes the city's Mayor. Garden Grove is a city of more than 150,000 people and it is one of the nation's most diverse cities. The Mayor, whose name is Bruce Broadwater, is identified in the book as Paul Brockwater. That kind of sloppiness in a scholarly publication is disheartening and it makes me wonder if similar mistakes were made regarding others with whom I am not as familiar. In suumary, this is an important subject which needs further study. This book is helpful in providing a surface-level anecdotal approach to religious pluralism but is also a failed opportunity to achieve more.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Celebration Without Critcal Thought
Review: This book could have been a winner, and in many ways, it still is. There is no doubt that America has changed and is now home to the most pluralistic religious environment in the world. Eck has done a great job researching the growth of American Hindus, American Buddhists and American Muslims throughout the United States. Her anecdotes about visiting many of these congregations and the observations she has are very interesting and informative. Overall, I can't give the book that great of a rating because Dr. Eck is so caught up in the astounding growth of these religions that she often fails to utter a negative comment about any of them. Now I realize that every reviewer brings their own biases, and in my case, I'm very suspicious of any organized religion. While I respect the power of religion to do an incredible amount of good in this world, on Spet. 11, we also saw the amount of evil that can be accomplished "in the name of God." While this book was written before Sept. 11, she turns a blind eye to the bad side of religion. For example, would the keepers of Islam's most holy places welcome an independent woman like Eckk in Saudi Arabia? Another example of this problem is in her description of the Hare Krishna movement. Finally, she recounts in a very sypmathetic manner, how some Islamic groups claimed government harassment when they were accused of financially supporting Hamas. Overall, I have no problem with Islam, or Hindus or Buddhists. I just think that when criticism of these religions is warranted, it should be mentioned just as it should be with Christianity. The idea of religious plurality and tolerance is a great goal, the problem is that many religions are intolerant by nature, and Eck fails to bring that up in her book. Finally, at the end of the book Eck recounts a news story from Garden Grove, California and quotes the city's Mayor. Garden Grove is a city of more than 150,000 people and it is one of the nation's most diverse cities. The Mayor, whose name is Bruce Broadwater, is identified in the book as Paul Brockwater. That kind of sloppiness in a scholarly publication is disheartening and it makes me wonder if similar mistakes were made regarding others with whom I am not as familiar. In suumary, this is an important subject which needs further study. This book is helpful in providing a surface-level anecdotal approach to religious pluralism but is also a failed opportunity to achieve more.
Rating:
Summary: A MasterPiece in its own Essence
Review: This book is emphatic and compelling in its story telling. Dr. Diana Eck writes this great book with a goal to create a unified society out of all the diversity of religion and race in America. The aim is to eradicate all the stereotypical and prejudicial views that most Americans have about the newly emerging minority religions in America. The author tries to do this by first providing a general awareness of all the religions at stake, namely Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. She does so by discussing all of them in great detail, mainly concentrating on showing off their true color. She then encourages a sense of understanding and tolerance towards a religion, not once own, and focuses consistently on this to achieve coexistence not just among all Americans but all people living in America. To emphasize the significant importance of cohesiveness among multi-religious people of America, Eck writes: "America's religious diversity is here to stay, and most important phase of our nation's history lies ahead. The very principles on which America was founded will be tested for their strength and vision in the new religious America. And the opportunity to create a positive multi-religious society out of the fabric of a democracy, without the chauvinism and religious triumphalism that have marred human history, is now ours."(Pg 383). All in all, this book would be an attractive read for anyone and everyone, regardless of their background.
Rating: 
Summary: Sentimental liberalism ...
Review: This book is in some respects interesting, but suffers from two major flaws, one methodological & one theological. Diana Eck is a professor of religion at Harvard. Her thesis is that America not only is a highly pluralistic country in terms of religion, but that this is a good thing & should be celebrated rather than deplored. The two flaws: the first is that the evidence, such as it is, for her thesis is purely anecdotal. Eck has traveled all over the country, visited many shrines, temples, mosques, etc. & attended numerous festivals & religious conferences of every conceivable descriptiion. She met hundreds of lovely people whom you would be happy to have for your neighbors. But that's the problem -- everyone & every religion is too lovely. All are benign. No one dislikes let alone hates America. Not only are they lovely; they're all patriotic & thrilled to be here. She never acknowledges the existence of anti-Americanism, anti-westernism, anti-Christianity, or anti-Judaism, let alone analyses how to respond to these attitudes. All immigrants & all religions to her are, by definition, wonderful, & should be unquestioingly welcomed to our shores. Even her addendum to the paperback edition, written after 9/11, refuses to acknowledge any problems. The second flaw in her argument is that from a theological viewpoint -- & she does identify herself as a Christian, albeit a very liberal one to be sure -- she refuses to acknowledge, let alone grapple with, the concept that all these conflicting truth claims cannot possibly be true. Eck never met a religion she didn't like or a practice she disapproves of. There's no judgment here at all -- not even common sense. While she (rightly) approves of freedom of religion in the civil sphere, she confuses this with assessment of truth claims in the theological sphere, & seems to suggest that all religions are equally valid. That view in itself is a particular theological stance, but she never identifies it as such but implies that it is an unquestioned given & that, consequently, we should all not just accept, but celebrate, all religions whatsoever. In short, an example of pluralism gone berserk.
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