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Sometimes generally referred to as the nones, agnostics, atheists, humanists, freethinkers, secularists and skeptics compose one of the fastest growing faith categories in the United States. Because they are treated as nones, some people face discrimination as nonbelievers, despite their varied and strong beliefs, values and morals. This basic guide, 100 Questions and Answers About the Religiously Unaffiliated, describes the differences, explains why discrimination and laws force some to hide their beliefs and why they would like to shed the label of nones. Religious freedom and the First Amendment's establishment clause come up frequently.
The key issue for many is whether the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom also guarantees the right to be free from religion.
Legal issues include school prayer, the obligation to support tax-exempt religious properties and requirements that people profess belief in God to be allowed to vote or hold office.
Life magazine called Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whose lawsuit ended mandatory prayer in public schools, the most hated woman in America. The Secular Coalition for America's website directory withheld the name of its communications consultant because unwarranted prejudices and discriminatory practices ... affect atheists and humanists. Consequently, s/he felt it was best to be incognito for now, since working for an organization that protects the rights of nontheists might result in lost opportunities with other clients.
In this guide's forward, Dr. Phil Zuckerman writes, Understanding secular people is important for many reasons. For one thing, secular movements, leaders, values and ideals play significant roles in the political landscapes of the world. From the first sentence of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to Article 20 of Japan's Constitution, from France's laïcité to Vietnam's atheistic dictatorship, and from the founding of the Mexican Republic to India's current political struggles, in many countries secularism is a central pillar of both stability as well as conflict.
Additionally, secular men and women are often unjustly stigmatized as immoral scoundrels or angry curmudgeons - negative stereotypes that don't actually accord with reality yet prove to be both persistent and pernicious. For instance, in some societies, such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Malaysia, hatred and fear of the secular is so strong that those who don't believe in God can be imprisoned, tortured or even executed. Here in the United States, many state constitutions - such as those of Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi - currently outlaw anyone who doesn't believe in God from holding any publicly elected office.
Dr. Morgan Shipley's introduction says, For the more than 85 million Americans who identify as nonreligious, we witness a turn to secularization as both an explanation for the lack of belief and a source for fulfilling the areas of life commonly associated with religion, such as morality, togetherness and agency. For the nonreligious, then, we find more than a rejection of God and faith. Instead, we uncover various ways humans highlight virtue, pursue a sense of belongingness, celebrate progress and rely on rational discourse to construct meaningful and morally driven lives.
Questions include:
In the 50 years since the CIA's secret war against Communists in Vietnam ended, Hmong Americans have built new lives in a country they fought for, even though they did not belong to it. When the United States ended its military involvement in Southeast Asia in 1975, it left its secret allies defenseless among enemies in a hostile land. Most of their fighting had occurred in Laos, and evacuees were whisked away in unmarked military planes. Thousands of civilians crossed the dangerous Mekong River to shelter in refugee camps in Thailand. Neither the Hmong people nor their U.S. hosts were prepared for the change.
Uprooted from a region where they had no country of their own and many new enemies, Hmong people faced danger, disruption and dislocation. Some say that, because they always lived in China and other countries but never one of their own, Hmong people carry the only homeland they have on their backs. Unless they can find a sense of homeland in the United States, they can never have what so many take for granted. That's what they have been working for.
Hmong people were scattered to several countries, and most came to the United States, especially Minnesota, California, Wisconsin and Michigan.
100 Questions and Answers About Hmong Americans: Secret No More was written to answer the most basic questions about Hmong people to open up avenues for deeper conversations.
Traditionally a nomadic people, they lived by agriculture and arrived with very little English, a lack of formal schooling, occupational training or written language and little savings. Their hurried dislocation and life in refugee camps severed their most important bonds. Resettlement separated them from their spiritual and clan leaders.
Christian churches helped Hmong people resettle and, in some cases, this led to conversions and hybrid practices.
In fewer than 50 years, Hmong Americans are filling seats in college classrooms and state legislatures, serving in health care, owning businesses, teaching and creating art. Citizenship and voting rates are higher than they are for most other immigrants, even though Hmong people come from places where they were discouraged from having any civic involvement.
The journey has been challenging.
In need of hospitality and help, they sometimes encountered suspicion and stereotypes from their new neighbors.
Help with the trauma of war, flight and dislocation is seldom available in culturally appropriate ways.
Their soldiers, paid by the United States to fight, have few veteran benefits other than burial rights.
The Model Minority Myth that Asian people are just naturally successful was cruelly unkind to people with so little time to conquer their disadvantages.
One of the challenges has been to make a new way in the United States while maintaining family and spiritual traditions and cultural ways with music, dress embroidered art.
The hope is that they are accepted as fully American and totally Hmong as they decide to define that.
Questions include:
Where did the Hmong originate?
Are Hmong people Chinese?
Are Hmong and Mongolian related?
How do we say Hmong?
What does Hmoob mean?
What was the Secret War?
Why did the Hmong agree to fight for the CIA?
How many Hmong died in the war?
How did they get out of Laos?
Are Hmong soldiers considered U.S. veterans?
Are more Hmong coming to the United States?
What are traditional Hmong beliefs?
What is string tying?
At what age do Hmong people marry?
Are marriages arranged?
What is Hmong embroidery?
Is Hmong food spicy?
Do Hmong people vote as a bloc?
What is the model minority myth?
To My Professor: Student Voices for Great College Teaching begins with remarks by students about their professors. They tend not to be the kind of remarks that professors usually hear, and some are harsh. Others are full of gratitude for teachers who inspire and motivate. The To My Professor statements are really just starting points that lead to advice from master teachers. Teaching college is difficult and this book has some potential solutions. More than 50 chapters cover situations including expectations, communication, technology, race, gender and religion, mental and physical health.
100 Questions and Answers About Gender Identity is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence. The guide is written for those who want quick answers to basic, introductory questions about transgender people. It is a starting point for family members, teachers, people in business, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who want to get a fast grounding. The guide suggests resources for those who then want greater depth.
Questions include:
What is the difference between gender and sex?
What is the gender spectrum?
At what age do people start understanding their own gender identity?
What is transitioning?
How does someone know they should transition?
Do all transgender people have gender-confirming surgery?
Are most transgender people gay?
What is gender identity?
How many transgender people are there in the United States?
100 Questions and Answers About African Americans is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism's Bias Busters series on cultural competence. The concept of this series is to teach cultural competence by spreading awareness about a certain group or community. Ultimately, the goal is to break down cultural and socially constructed walls by opening up discussion among groups.
100 Questions and Answers about African Americans is a factual, helpful and easy-to-read guide that has sections on identity, language, religion, culture, customs, social norms, economics, politics, education, work, families and food. The guide is written for those who want quick answers to basic, introductory questions about African Americans. These books are designed to answer the questions that everyone is asking and no one seems to be answering.
This guide is helpful for people in business, education, religious institutions, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who want super quick, easy and insightful information. The guide uses QR codes to direct readers to additional resources for those who want a more immersive experience. Readers will come away more knowledgeable about the biases towards African Americans and better prepared to interact appropriately.
Questions in 100 Questions and Answers About African Americans include:
100 Questions and Answers About Gen X and 100 Questions and Answers About Millennials is a double guide in the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence.
This guide has sections on demographics, seismic events, values, technology, pop culture, education, work, money, sex and love, and politics.
The guide is written for those who want authoritative answers about these important generations and how we all work together. It is a starting point for people in business, educators, government, marketing, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who want to get a fast grounding. The guide suggests resources for those who then want greater depth.
Questions include:
100 Questions and Answers About Latter-day Saints is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence.
This guide has sections on identity, religion, practices, values, social issues, families, education, work and politics. It busts biases, myths and stereotypes.
The guide is written for those who want authoritative answers to basic, questions about this faith. It is a starting point, for family members, teachers, people in business, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who want to get a fast grounding. The guide relies extensively on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints writings and suggests resources for greater depth. Questions include:
Forged in the furnace of U.S. segregation, the Black Church is the pillar of African American communities across the country. In his introduction to this guide, the Rev. Charles Christian Adams writes that leaders of the Black Church, have changed the world for the better and helped humanity to morally progress in labor relations, distribution of resources, education, health care, equal protection under the law, access to opportunity, housing, economic development and social activism.
Adams wrote that this guide, is concise but in no way superfluous. So when you encounter the efficacy of the African American worship tradition or if you seek it out, you will be well prepared. Even if you just want to know enough to increase your understanding, you will enjoy this offering.
Guides in this series typically attract the attention of people who want to see how their story is told. However, the Michigan State University Journalism School designs and writes these for curious people who seek answers to basic questions for a group, religion or culture they want to learn about.
This guide answers the call that TIME magazine raised in a headline, To understand America, you need to understand the Black Church.
We agree. The Black Church is a response to enslavement and discrimination, but its momentum is independent of outside forces. It is both an alliance of seven Christian denominations and a longstanding instrument of social change.
This dual identity takes our search for answers in several directions. Some of the questions 100 Questions and Answers About the Black Church addresses:
The answers come from research and the voices of people who have lived these experiences. The guide shows how the Black Church connects and gave wings to sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois; former president Barack Obama; Katy Ferguson, who started a Sunday school in 1793; the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; author Michael Eric Dyson, queen of soul Aretha Franklin; singer-songwriter John Legend and social activist Alice Walker.
This simple, introductory guide answers 100 of the basic questions non-Jews ask in everyday conversation. It has answers about Judaism and Jewish culture, customs, identity, language, stereotypes, politics, education, work, families and food. This guide is meant as a quick, introduction for non-Jews in business, schools, congregations, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources who need a starting point in learning about Jewish neighbors and co-workers. It can lead to deeper conversations.
Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. It is a young religion, having been founded in 1469. It has been in the United States for almost 150 years, but is still relatively unknown. Perhaps you have seen someone wearing a turban in public or seen Sikhs mentioned in the news and wondered who they were. Maybe your neighbor, coworker or friend is Sikh, and you want to learn more without making them feel offended or annoyed.
Many people have questions about Sikhs: What are the key beliefs of the Sikh religion? Do they worship in a Sikh temple? Why do Sikhs have long hair? You may wonder who is the Sikhism founder, how to pronounce Sikh, how Sikhism differs from other religions or what to call a Sikh turban. This guide answers all these questions and many more to help you learn about this optimistic and service-oriented faith.
The questions in this guide were created by interviewing Sikhs and asking them what they wish people knew about Sikhs and their religion. Whether you know a Sikh personally or just want to learn about this young and growing religion, 100 Questions and Answers About Sikh Americans includes information ranging from Sikh history, Sikh beliefs and values, Sikh persecution, Sikh articles of faith, Sikh worship and Sikh demographics. It represents varying Sikh perspectives, not just those of one region, division or age.
Encouraged by the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Sikh coalition, this book is an education tool, complete with questions for discussion and reflection at the end, perfect for a school class or an interfaith learning community. It informs readers about gurdwaras, or the Sikh house of worship, and the 11 gurus. It includes answers about the three core tenets of Sikhism, the role of women in Sikhism and Sikh volunteerism and service.
If you would like to learn more about Sikhism, whether to feel more prepared to interact with Sikhs or to familiarize yourself with a new religious perspective, this guide is for you.
100 Questions and Answers About Police Officers is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence.
This guide has sections on Training and Certification, special assignments, police culture, use of force, community policing, police jargon and police funeral etiquette.
The guide is written for those who want quick answers to basic, introductory questions about police, sheriff's deputies and public safety officers. Questions include:
Why do people become police officers?
What are the personal rewards of police work?
How dangerous is police work? How does police work affect families?
How much formal education is required?
What does police academy training include?
How does police academy training prepare police for real-life situations?
Is training different for men and women?
What training happens after the academy?
What are certification programs for police?
What are ranks for police officers?
Do most officers start out with road duty?
What is the dispatcher's relationship with police?
Is everyone who works for the police department an officer?
What physical assessments do officers have to pass?
Are there also psychological assessments?
How are promotions decided?
100 Questions and Answers About Immigrants to the U.S. is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence.
This guide has sections on identity, language, religion, culture, customs, social norms, economics, politics, education, work, families and food.
The guide is written for those who want quick answers to basic, introductory questions about U.S. immigrants. It is a starting point, for people in business, schools, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who want to get a fast grounding. The guide suggests resources for those who then want greater depth. The guide was written in 2016 against the backdrop the presidential campaign.
100 Questions and Answers About Chaldean Americans, Their Religion, Language and Culture is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence.
This guide has sections on identity, language, religion, culture, customs, social norms, economics, politics, education, work, families and food.
The guide is written for those who want authoritative answers to basic, questions about this immigrant group from Iraq. It is a starting point, for family members, teachers, people in business, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who want to get a fast grounding. The guide suggests resources for those who then want greater depth. Questions include:
One Hundred Questions and Answers About Americans is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series in cultural competence. This guide to understanding Americans and American culture has sections on social behavior, education, race, religion, money, culture, health, food, family, relationships and language. It also includes a glossary of American slang and idioms. This guide is intended for anyone visiting, studying or planning on living in America. We began by asking international students for questions they had about America and Americans. We learned that perceptions of Americans are very different from one person or culture to the next. After whittling the questions down to 100 that we thought were best, we placed the questions into categories such as social behavior, education and race. We then researched the questions and consulted with experts. The result? This guide, which uses studies and surveys, generalities and ranges of possibilities to explain U.S. culture. Not all parts of the United States are alike - and neither are all Americans. There can be greater differences within one country than there are between two countries. Even brothers and sisters from the same family can be quite different. We then set out to answer those questions. Finally, we sorted the questions into chapters and asked members of the community to check our work. Individuals from several Michigan State University departments helped produce this guide. They include: Paulette Granberry Russell, senior advisor to the president for diversity, and director of the MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, who proposed this subject, D. Venice Smith, consultant for multicultural issues, education and development, MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, Peter Briggs, director of the MSU Office for International Students and Scholars, Joy Walter, international student advisor/community outreach coordinator, OISS, Bess Carey, MSU Office of Study Abroad, Kathy M. Collins, director of MSU Residence Education and Housing Services, Eduardo Olivo of the Residence Education Team, Lawrence Zwier, associate director of curriculum at the MSU English Language Center, Patricia Walters, associate director and student advisor at the MSU English Language Center, Geraldine Alumit Zeldes, associate professor, MSU School of Journalism, John Golaszewski, director, Business & Community Affairs at the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. The authors are MSU students Michelle Armstead, Gabrielle Austin, Celeste Bott, Marlee Delaney, Stephanie Dippoliti, Max Gun, Emily Jaslove, Aaron Jordan, Alexandra McNeill, Katherine Miller, Ashiyr Pierson, Marissa Russo, Merinda Valley, Jessica Warfield, Jasmine Watts and Danielle Woodward. This guide is published with John Hile of David Crumm Media, which publishes the Read the Spirit site. Joe Grimm is the series editor. He takes responsibility for any omissions, errors or oversights. Please direct questions and concerns to him at joe.grimm@gmail.com
One Hundred Questions and Answers About East Asian Cultures is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series in cultural competence. This guide has sections on East Asian cultures, languages, religions, social norms, politics, history, politics, families and food. The guide is intended for people in business, schools, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism-anywhere it is important to know more about communities. We intended this guide for individuals and for groups. Questions include:
One Hundred Questions and Answers About Hispanics and Latinos is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series in cultural competence. It focuses on the diversity of the largest ethnic group in the United States. This guide has sections on Hispanic and Latino identity, geography, language, religion, social norms, politics, immigration and deportation, education, work, money, families, culture, health and food. It explains terms such as Chicano, Tejano and Texano, Boricua and deals with deportation and immigration. The guide is intended for people in business, schools, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism-anywhere it is important to know more about communities. We hope this guide works for individuals who just have questions about the people around them. We began by asking Hispanics and Latinos about myths, misconceptions and biases that they run into and wish others knew more about.
Questions include:
One Hundred Questions and Answers About Veterans: A Guide for Civilians is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series on cultural competence. This guide has sections on military structure, culture and families, demographics, work, money, deployment and discharge, politics and resources for more study. The guide is written for those who want quick answers to the basic, everyday questions that people ask about veterans. The guide is intended for people in business, schools, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism who need a basic grounding.
One Hundred Questions and Answers About Indian Americans is part of the Michigan State University School of Journalism series in cultural competence. This guide to Indians in America has sections on India history, population, religion, language, culture, food, gender, family, education, work and politics. It includes Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. It explains why Indians come to America and the work and customs they bring with them. The guide is intended for people in business, schools, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism.