Ruby Bridges, at age six, had to be escorted to school in New Orleans by federal marshals. As she walked toward her classroom under heavy guard, she endured verbal taunts and jeers from crowds of white people opposed to integration of the public schools of that city in the deep south.

Asked about her feelings at the time, Ruby, an African-American child, said: “I feel sorry for those folks.” In response to a further question, Ruby added: “I pray for them because Jesus said ‘forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.’”

This ordeal of the child Ruby Bridges occurred forty years ago. Robert Coles, psychiatrist and Harvard professor, recently recalled talking with Ruby shortly after the events and hearing the responses we have quoted here. From the perspective of almost a half century later, Dr. Coles still expresses amazement at the spiritual quality of her re-marks. He considers her one of America’s hero’s.

That such a young girl could have forgiven her persecutors and have joined with Jesus in pitying their ignorance is indeed worthy of wonder. This precocious child had a  spiritual life even then, an inner life deep enough to dare threats to her safety. She  was even able to find humor in her grim situation. Of her tormentors she said, “Just because of me, their whole schedule is ruined.”

What she did stands over the intervening decades as an inspiration for Americans of good will everywhere. In fact, Dr. Coles considers her one of this country’s  most im-portant citizens.

Dr. Coles used this memory in a talk to parents of college undergraduates to stress the importance of moral teaching in a college and university education. He points out that education without a spiritual dimension shortchanges students and can even endanger a whole nation. After all, he says, “Germany in the 1930s was the most educated nation on earth, a sober reminder  to us all.”

Speaking to the same audience of parents, another Harvard professor, Diana Eck, talked about the new religious landscape in America. Using a CD ROM, she displayed the astounding variety of religious groups that can be found in the cities and towns of the United States. Many of the sites where people come together, however, remain invisible to the casual observer because the places of worship or gathering are often located in nondescript buildings.

In recent decades, ancient traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam have grown at a fast rate. Currently, for example, Muslims have increased so as to outnumber the Jewish population. Newer traditions such as the Mormons and the Ba’hais have flourished and grown. America has moved far beyond the 1950s when a leading writer, Will Herberg, called the United States a “three-religion country – Protestants, Catholics, and Jews.”

But this new religious diversity has not been embraced by all Americans. In fact, it has put us to the test. As theologian Harvey Cox says, “It’s a brand new experiment in human history – whether we are going to make it or burst apart is still a question in my mind.”

Two incidents cited by Professor Eck dramatize the possible outcomes. In one case, a woman in Norwood, Massachusetts, looking at a new center established by the Jains, said approvingly: “That’s what makes America.”

In the other anecdote, an angry woman in a mall parking lot, turned to a Muslim woman, whose head and body were veiled by a black chador , and lashed out at her: “Why don’t you go back home to Iraq or wherever you come from?” (The Muslim lady’s response is worth noting here – “I am at home.”

This is the spiritual and civic issue that now confronts those who belong to major-ity religions. Can we accept those who differ from us religiously and find a spiritual kin-ship with them?

To do so, it might help to accept Professor Eck’s image for the most desirable outcome. Instead of the earlier figure of “melting pot,” she suggests that we use the im-age of “symphony” to indicate how all of us can make spiritual music together without losing the distinctive contribution of each religious tradition.

Anyone looking for further information on Professor Eck’s work can consult her web site. Its address is http://www.pluralism.org.

Richard Griffin