In most communities around the world, religious diversity is a fact -- Hindus live next to Muslims, Mormons next atheists, Jews with Christians. One of the great tests of the 21st century is how we leverage this diversity into an asset that leads to more vitality and unity rather than leading to discord and disintegration.
In their book American Grace, Robert Putnam and David Campbell speak about the importance of 'my pal Al' and 'my aunt Susan' in changing the way people view people of another faith and the benefit of living in a cohesive pluralistic society. Simply put, when we know and like some one who is different than us -- such as a 'pal Al' or an 'Aunt Susan' -- it goes a long way in changing our attitudes towards the entire group to which Al or Susan belong./.../
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