Religious Education and Ethnic Identification: Implications for Ethnic Pluralism

Abstract

While ethnic pluralism is becoming an increasingly important ideology, formal education to strengthen ethnicity has been largely ignored until recently. This paper investigates the effect of religious education on ethnic identification. Questionnaire data were provided by 183 Jewish men aged 22-29 who resided in St. Paul. Analysis of these data indicates that Jewish education has a "mild but lasting" independent effect on Jewish identification. Relevant childhood and adolescent socialization variables (Jewish activities, father's religiosity, and familial expectations for participation in Jewish activities) do not confound this relationship. Three relevant variables concerning the respondent's adult structural characteristics (synagogue membership, Jewish organizational involvement, and secular education) were used to specify the magnitude of this relationship in various contexts. Most important in this analysis is the finding that the relationship between Jewish education and Jewish identification increases with increases in secular education. Implications of this study are considered and suggestions for further research are offered. Of the three ideologies of ethnic relations in American society described by Gordon (1964),' cultural pluralism is becoming more ascendant. This pluralism evolved from the ostensibly open-door policy of welcoming European immigrant groups as long as they were ready to "accept their place" in American society and has come to include toleration of minor cultural differences, such as diet, music, and dance. In other words, cultural differences of an esthetic nature which are not crucial to the functioning of society, as are direct concerns with wealth, power, and prestige, are tolerated. On the other hand, structural differences according to race are demanded (Gordon, 1964). There is however, one major area, religion, in which separate Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish structures have been voluntarily accepted (Herberg, 1960). While education within one of the ma-