THE SHIFTING BOUNDARIES OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN AMERICA THROUGH THE LENS OF INTERFAITH MARRIAGE A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theological and Religious Studies By Erika B. Seamon, M.A. Washington, D.C. March 22, 2011 Copyright © 2011 Erika B. Seamon All rights reserved ii THE SHIFTING BOUNDARIES OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN AMERICA THROUGH THE LENS OF INTERFAITH MARRIAGE Erika B. Seamon, M.A. Thesis Advisor: Chester Gillis, Ph.D. ABSTRACT This dissertation explores interfaith relationships and the nexus of personal and communal religious identity in the United States. The thesis is that religious intermarriage is both a reflective and a predictive material representation of the continual movement and redefinition of the boundaries of religious traditions and the boundaries of the religious and secular. Part I chronicles key historical events that contributed to the slow erosion of theological, legal, and social barriers to intermarriage among Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. As authority over religion and marriage moved from church to state to society, an era of ‗intra-religious‘ marriage became one of ‗interreligious‘ marriage by the mid-twentieth century. Part II investigates the characteristics of contemporary intermarriages, based upon qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews with 43 individuals in Christian- Jewish, Christian-Muslim, Christian-Hindu, or Christian-Buddhist marriages. Contrary to the opinions of some prominent voices in religious communities, these contemporary intermarriages are not simply forms of syncretism or secularism; they are much more complex. These couples and families are developing new approaches to religious belief, practice, and communal involvement that challenge normative ideas of what may constitute a religious marriage and family life. An era of ‗interfaith‘ marriage (as distinct from ‗interreligious‘ marriage) is emerging. iii These interfaith marriages are material representations of a new space in the American religious landscape. As interfaith couples negotiate differences and build bridges between their families and communities, broad-based change is set in motion. This new space – Interfaith Space – not only defies normative parameters, it also transforms religion in America. It is a space that is neither religious (if one defines religious by the normative parameters of religious traditions) nor wholly secular (if one employs a secularist interpretation of the secular). On the contrary, this space is an amalgam of different religious traditions as well as non-religious beliefs and practices. The study concludes with a reflection on how Interfaith Space can (and perhaps will) affect the interdisciplinary academic study of religious pluralism. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am forever indebted to many people for contributing their wisdom and time to me throughout my work on this dissertation. No one has played a more important role than Chester Gillis; he changed my entire outlook on religion and religious pluralism when I took a class of his almost eight years ago. Over these years, I have benefited so much from his scholarship and breadth of knowledge, his high expectations of me, his generosity, and his sense of humor. He is the best teacher I have ever had. In 2008, Chester Gillis gave me the opportunity to direct a year-long research project on interreligious marriage funded by the Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. I am thankful to Jessica Rae Holland, Kimberly Pendleton Schisler, Jonathan Cohn, Nayha Arora, Jason Michael Cheberenchick, Sarath Ganji, Donna Harati, Rustin Kashani, Anna O. Thomas, Raymond Tolentino, and Melody Fox Ahmed for their high-quality work, creativity, and dedication to the project. The fruits of their good work inspired this doctoral dissertation. Peter Phan has played an integral role in helping me find ways to bridge my interests in American civil religion and theology of religions. His support has been constant and his insights on multiple-religious belonging are always inspiring me to learn more. I am thankful to him for his continued faith in me over these years and his willingness to take an active role on my dissertation committee. José Casanova also contributed generously to this dissertation as a member of my committee. I have benefited from his warm encouragement as well as his thoughtful insights on areas of exploration for my post-doctoral research. I have no doubt that I will continue to learn from him for many years to come. v Numerous professors have opened their doors to me many times. Elizabeth McKeown has spent hours helping me organize my thoughts and make sense of complex material. Anyone who has ever worked with her knows that no matter what it is, she just ―gets it.‖ I hope that one day I can be of such service to my students. Terrance Reynolds, John Borelli, Daniel Madigan, and Michael Kessler have also had their doors open to me throughout the years; I am humbled by their wisdom and generosity. Perhaps most influential in making this journey enjoyable has been the unconditional love and encouragement I have received from my family and friends. In particular, I would like to acknowledge two women who are always at the other end of the phone, no matter what I need. Thank you to Kathleen Post for her wise counsel and deep friendship. And, thank you to my mom, Jacqueline Seamon. She has read every paper I have ever written in graduate school, including each word of this dissertation. She is my editor, my cheerleader, and along with my dad, my guide in life. I would like to conclude by recognizing the vision of those who helped to conceive of and build this Ph.D. program in Religious Pluralism at Georgetown University. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study pluralism from both theological and religious studies perspectives, as well as design a program of study focused specifically on the issues of religious pluralism in American public life. I have learned not only the myriad of professors who teach in our program, but also my fellow classmates, including, but not limited to, Maureen Walsh, Anh Tran, and Jerusha Lamptey, whose scholarship on Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and other traditions continues to complement my work. I am hopeful that as this Ph.D. program grows and develops, there will be continued interest in not only exploring the relationships among the world‘s religious traditions, but also the spaces vi and communities that do not align with the traditions. It is my expectation that these spaces and communities will contribute profoundly to the pluralistic nature of the United States and the global community. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. RELIGIOUS PLURALISM: An Introduction . 1 PART I History of Religious Intermarriage: A Story of Liberation and Shifting Boundaries II. SEEDS OF LIBERATION: Theological and Legal Doors Open in the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries . 44 III. AN ERA OF INTRA-RELIGIOUS MARRIAGE: Societal Doors Begin to Open in the Nineteenth Century . 94 IV. AN ERA OF INTERRELIGIOUS MARRIAGE: Societal Doors Open in the Twentieth Century . 145 PART II Contemporary Intermarriages: A Story of Negotiation, Innovation, and the Defiance of Boundaries V. DEFINITIONS AND PARAMETERS: Normative Boundaries among Religions and between the Religious and Secular . 190 VI. STORIES OF CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS INTERMARRIAGES: The Defiance of Boundaries. 227 VII. AN ERA OF INTERFAITH MARRIAGE: A Bridge among Religions, the Spiritual, and the Secular. 266 VIII. RE-EXAMINING RELIGIOUS PLURALISM: The Emergence of Interfaith Space . 313 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . 360 viii CHAPTER I RELIGIOUS PLURALISM An Introduction I am large, I contain multitudes. Walt Whitman, Song of Myself On July 31, 2010, Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky. Chelsea, the daughter of President William Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, was raised in the Methodist church. Marc, the son of Congressman Edward Mezvinsky and Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky, grew up in a Conservative Jewish congregation. When the news of their engagement broke, The New York Times and The Washington Post, among hundreds of other news outlets, ran extensive stories on the interreligious nature of this high-profile marriage. Their engagement prompted a number of questions that appeared to vex the American public. Will one of them convert? If not, how will they make it work? What will their wedding ceremony be like? How will they raise their children? Will they go to church together or synagogue? Will they lose their religion altogether? How are Bill and Hillary reacting?1 On the one hand, the assortment of questions presented by the media appeared to baffle people who experience their religion as integral not only to their personal life, but also to their marriage and sense of community. For people who feel that it is important to marry 1 For examples of these types of media stories, see Joseph Berger, ―Interfaith Marriages Stir Mixed Feelings,‖ The New York Times (4 Aug. 2010), http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/us/04interfaith.html?_r=1, accessed 4 August 2010; Marion L. Usher, ―Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky: Religion and Interfaith Marriage,‖ The Washington Post, (9 Aug. 2010), http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/07/chelsea_clinton_and_marc_mezvin sky_religion_and_interfaith_marriage.html?hpid=talkbox1,