The renewal of baccalaureate services in colleges and universities across the country has been met with increasingly diverse student populations. The manners in which schools approach this growing plurality of religious faiths are as diverse as the institutions themselves. Some schools no longer include a baccalaureate service as part of their commencement activities, some maintain a traditional Christian form, and some provide an interfaith service of one type or another.

Public and private institutions alike host interfaith baccalaureate ceremonies, as do religiously affiliated and independent schools. The main indicator of whether or not an institution will hold such a ceremony seems most tied to the make-up of that particular school's student body, faculty, and administration. While not all institutions find that an interfaith service is most suitable for them, a rising number of colleges and universities are discovering that interfaith baccalaureates, in all their varieties, provide their particular student body with a setting for religious reflection that meets their community's needs in an environment of ever-increasing religious pluralism.

The renewal of baccalaureate services in colleges and universities across the country has been met with increasingly diverse student populations. The manners in which schools approach this growing plurality of religious faiths are as diverse as the institutions themselves. Some schools no longer include a baccalaureate service as part of their commencement activities, some maintain a traditional Christian form, and some provide an interfaith service of one type or another.

Public and private institutions alike host interfaith baccalaureate ceremonies, as do religiously affiliated and independent schools. The main indicator of whether or not an institution will hold such a ceremony seems most tied to the make-up of that particular school's student body, faculty, and administration. While not all institutions find that an interfaith service is most suitable for them, a rising number of colleges and universities are discovering that interfaith baccalaureates, in all their varieties, provide their particular student body with a setting for religious reflection that meets their community's needs in an environment of ever-increasing religious pluralism.

This paper documents the growth of religious diversity in South Carolina, drawing on interviews with members from the traditions represented, previous scholarly research on religion in South Carolina, newspaper articles, census data and interviews with religion reporters and educators across the state. After presenting basic outlines and historical sketchs of each faith in South Carolina, the paper goes on to explore the implications of this growing diversity for a Southern "Bible Belt" state like South Carolina, highlighting controversies over prayer in public schools and at government council meetings and examining discrimination and hate crimes. It also gives attention to the two predominant reactions to religious diversity in South Carolina--the emerging interfaith movement and the attempts to convert members of other religious traditions, suggesting that dialogue needs to take place along this boundary as well as between faiths.

This paper documents the growth of religious diversity in South Carolina, drawing on interviews with members from the traditions represented, previous scholarly research on religion in South Carolina, newspaper articles, census data and interviews with religion reporters and educators across the state. After presenting basic outlines and historical sketchs of each faith in South Carolina, the paper goes on to explore the implications of this growing diversity for a Southern "Bible Belt" state like South Carolina, highlighting controversies over prayer in public schools and at government council meetings and examining discrimination and hate crimes. It also gives attention to the two predominant reactions to religious diversity in South Carolina--the emerging interfaith movement and the attempts to convert members of other religious traditions, suggesting that dialogue needs to take place along this boundary as well as between faiths.

The renewal of baccalaureate services in colleges and universities across the country has been met with increasingly diverse student populations. The manners in which schools approach this growing plurality of religious faiths are as diverse as the institutions themselves. Some schools no longer include a baccalaureate service as part of their commencement activities, some maintain a traditional Christian form, and some provide an interfaith service of one type or another.

Public and private institutions alike host interfaith baccalaureate ceremonies, as do religiously affiliated and independent schools. The main indicator of whether or not an institution will hold such a ceremony seems most tied to the make-up of that particular school's student body, faculty, and administration. While not all institutions find that an interfaith service is most suitable for them, a rising number of colleges and universities are discovering that interfaith baccalaureates, in all their varieties, provide their particular student body with a setting for religious reflection that meets their community's needs in an environment of ever-increasing religious pluralism.

This paper documents the growth of religious diversity in South Carolina, drawing on interviews with members from the traditions represented, previous scholarly research on religion in South Carolina, newspaper articles, census data and interviews with religion reporters and educators across the state. After presenting basic outlines and historical sketchs of each faith in South Carolina, the paper goes on to explore the implications of this growing diversity for a Southern "Bible Belt" state like South Carolina, highlighting controversies over prayer in public schools and at government council meetings and examining discrimination and hate crimes. It also gives attention to the two predominant reactions to religious diversity in South Carolina--the emerging interfaith movement and the attempts to convert members of other religious traditions, suggesting that dialogue needs to take place along this boundary as well as between faiths.