Â鶹ӰԺ

Religious Studies Professor Deborah Whitehead recently lent her expertise on the complexity of religion in the US to the Daily Camera.  The article examines the demographics of Buddhism in Â鶹ӰԺ in anticipation of the Dalai Lama's visit to CU in June 2016.  

Religious affiliation is tricky to measure, says Deborah Whitehead, associate professor at the University of Colorado's Department of Religious Studies.

Take the Association of Religious Data Archives' number, for example, she says.

This estimate doesn't account for how many residents might self-identify as Buddhist but not attend temple services or be affiliated with a Buddhist organization, Whitehead says.

(After all, a 2013 Gallup poll found Â鶹ӰԺ was the second-least "religious" city in the United States. Â鶹ӰԺ 61 percent of Â鶹ӰԺ residents reported they were "not religious.")

Whitehead says the census numbers may be low due to the fact that interviews were done only in English and Spanish.

"The widespread popularity of bestselling books by the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron, for example, show that there are many more millions of Americans who 'study' Buddhism or are influenced by its ideas, but may not call themselves 'Buddhist,'" Whitehead adds.

Buddhist practices are also widespread in the United States. Many meditation apps and classes are offered. The Dalai Lama's Twitter feed boasts 12.8 million followers.

Whitehead says these factors suggest that Buddhist teachings and practices are "finding increasing acceptance in American culture."

The full article can be found on the .Ìý