Harvard religion professor Diana Eck on pluralism’s changes, challenges

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn(RNS) — Diana Eck, longtime Harvard University comparative religion professor and founder of its Pluralism Project, is retiring on July 1.After concluding her last class in April, Eck, who also was a professor of Indian studies, has a busy farewell tour of sorts that has included an honorary lecture on “Teaching India in a Changing World.” She’s preparing to be honored at numerous other May events, including receiving an award from Harvard Divinity School, where she also is a professor, and being a featured speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration of Harvard’s undergraduate concentration in the comparative study of religion.
She spoke with Religion News Service in a Monday (May 6) interview about the state of religious pluralism, how the language about religions has changed, and her personal connections with different faiths.
The interview was edited for length and clarity.
You mentioned in a Nieman Reports article back in ‘93 that houses of worship were named “Churches: Buddhist” and “Churches: Islamic” in the Yellow Pages. How have things changed as far as the language that’s used about non-Christian religious communities in the United States since you started the Pluralism Project?
Professor Diana Eck will retire at the end of the spring 2024 semester from her role with Harvard Divinity School. (Photo courtesy of Harvard Divinity School)
We refer to them as religious communities and the language becomes people of faith — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. The language of our leaders has changed fro …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]