Pluralism banner   Understanding Religious Diversity:  Because
of the Immigration Act of 1965, the United States is arguably
the most religiously diverse country of all time. The
Immigration Act abolished the National Origins Formula which
dictated immigration policy prior to 1965. The National Origins
Formula excluded Asians and Africans from immigrating to the
U.S. and preferred Northern and Western Europeans over Southern
and Eastern Europeans. Once the Origins Formula was abolished,
the population of immigrants from Latin America, Asia, Africa &
the Middle East increased.  The Immigration Act of 1965 not only
diversified the U.S.'s ethnic and racial makeup, it also
expanded the religious diversity in the country. A new wave of
immigrants brought a new wave of religious identities to the
country. Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Zoroastrians
and new varieties of Jews and Catholics immigrated from India
and other parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa.  As
immigrants assimilated into American life