Guide for Religious Professionals Addressing Immigrant Culture Conflict Adjustment Situations

Abstract

With international immigration on the rise, the United States is becoming increasingly diverse as it admits more immigrants every year. However, in contrast to past inflows of immigrants to the U.S., many now entering the U.S. come from non-European nations, whose cultural values may significantly differ with U.S. mainstream cultural values. As a result, some immigrant cultural values are clashing with U.S. mainstream cultural values as found in U.S. social institutions. Thus religious professions and congregations who attempt to help immigrants adjust to U.S. society may need to address and cope with the dilemma that results when cultures clash. With this in mind, one important question can be raised: Is there a limit to the toleration of immigrant cultural practices? In the context of this question and after examining the problem of immigrant culture clash adjustment situations, this paper reviews and evaluates the arguments in the literature associated with two possible approaches that may begin to help guide or address culture clashes: cultural relativism or cultural universalism.