U.S. Culture Tests Faith of Worshippers

July 20, 1998

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 20, 1998, the Los Angeles Times published a story concerning how "America's individualist culture is reshaping both the ways people worship and the institutions in which they do so." Maher Hathout, a physician and spokesman for the Islamic Center of California, stated "Here [U.S.], it is an open market of ideas and it makes people think again and again about themselves, what they believe in and what they stand for." This has resulted in a change of mission for many temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues to meet the needs of the faithful in America.