Despite strong hopes otherwise, many religious parents are seeing their children choosing a different path—a freedom that is as painful as it is Godly.
It’s striking to reflect on how many positive influences in my life have come from friends of other faiths, and even of no faith. This is my story, or at least a few fun strands of it.
There is a joy and power that can come from joining others on their own sacred ground of worship. In addition to becoming better neighbors, we deepen our appreciation for the rich variety of differing faith traditions.
Our own religious lives can be enhanced by seeking out good wherever we find it—including through religious pluralism.
Those who adhere to America’s largest faith tradition, Evangelical Christianity, report that their faith gives them tools such as conflict resolution and forgiveness that help their families’ lives.
The faith of Muslim Americans is often manifest not just in their beliefs but in their desire to live out their beliefs or “walk the walk.”
Latter-day Saints draw strength from doctrines of the eternal nature of family and from religious practices that unify our community. Many of these strengthening teachings and practices are shared by other communities, and this is something to celebrate.
For those in America’s dominant Protestant faiths, their understanding of God and their relationship with Him provides a model for how they believe they should interact with their spouses and children.
Jewish faith and culture provide powerful insights to any family seeking to strengthen their own marriage and home life.
In contrast to the negative scrutiny of African American families in the past, and consistent with the current focus on hearing the voices of Black Americans, the words and experiences of Black Christian American families of faith are both refreshing and profoundly instructive.
The Catholic relational approach to identity and emphasis on forgiveness has the effect of strengthening relationships and replacing guilt with hope.
Asian-American Christians often rely on the Bible carefully and deeply to influence many elements of family life, especially parenting.
