for the people next door

A guide to read · 10 sections · about 24 minutes

Who Lives Next Door

A plain guide to the faiths on an American street

Ten short chapters, one house at a time: who your neighbors are, what they believe, and what they wish you knew. Described the way they'd recognize, not the way the headlines tell it.

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Sections

  1. 1. If America were one street A hundred houses, a lot of porches, and fewer surprises than the news promised. 2 min
  2. 2. Christian neighbors (there are a lot of kinds) Same Jesus, different Sunday mornings, and a long list of things to argue about over coffee. 2 min
  3. 3. Jewish neighbors A people and a religion at once, which explains why some of them pray every day and some never do. 3 min
  4. 4. Muslim neighbors About 1 in 100 Americans. The news would lead you to guess much higher. Here's what actually lives next door. 2 min
  5. 5. Hindu neighbors One of the oldest living traditions on earth, and no, it did not start at the yoga studio. 2 min
  6. 6. Sikh neighbors The turban means what it means to them, not what it meant on your TV in 2001. 3 min
  7. 7. Buddhist neighbors Some sit quietly on a cushion. Many more bring oranges to the temple for Grandma. Both count. 2 min
  8. 8. Latter-day Saint neighbors The two young people in name tags at your door are barely out of high school, far from home, and probably hungry. 3 min
  9. 9. Native neighbors The first neighbors on this street, with 575 different front doors. 3 min
  10. 10. Neighbors with no religion Nearly a third of the street, and most of them are not mad at God. Some of them are just busy. 2 min

Questions about faith and beliefs →