a kind of exclusivism. Exclusivism and religious diversity in America In a sociological survey of Americans and their relationship with religions other than Christianity, nearly 90 percent of respondents either strongly or somewhat agreed that “religious diversity has been good for America,” which reinforces the idea that Americans value diversity and religious freedom. However, respondents who identified in the exclusivist category or believed that the United States was a Christian nation displayed much more negative views and a decreased willingness to include other religious people in the lives of their community. Stephen Merino concludes, ‘It may be that when many Americans think of “religious diversity,” they have only Christian diversity in mind.’ Nevertheless, they also provided research to back up their statement, ‘Prior contact with non-Christians will be associated with more positive views of religious diversity and increased willingness to include non-Christians into social life.’ Exclusivism and truth In answering the pluralist charge, and hearkening back to Netland, Brad Stetson baldly states, ‘It is possible exclusivism is true.’ It is this statement, he says, that upsets pluralists who charge exclusivists with arrogance and bad form. ‘It is simply not true, as pluralists imply, that disagreeing with someone […] about religious truth is tantamount to treating them badly.[…] [a]n exclusivist claim about religious truth is not defeated strictly because such claims are believed to militate against human harmony and peace.' In addition, Hick, Smith and other pluralists balk at the idea that an all-loving God would condemn some people to hell, nor that anyone actually deserves to be damned; he then quotes CS Lewis: ‘The doors of hell are locked on the inside.’ References Philosophical theories Religious ethics Fundamentalism