The New York Times reports on Tony Carnes’ remarkable efforts to map every place of worship in New York City over the course of two years:
Mr. Carnes is in search of every church, cathedral, synagogue, shtiebel, mosque, temple, zendo and ashram. His crew gathers information by asking for it, in person. By the end of 2011, they will have driven every street in New York.
Contrasting New York with the image of Harvey Cox’s “secular city,” Carnes’ site states:
We are not yet a New Jerusalem or New Mecca, but we aren’t the secular city anymore either. We think that the most fitting characterization of contemporary New York City is “postsecular,” a condition somewhere between the secular and sacred cities.
Further, it states: “We are a public square for the postsecular city.” Aside from the maps, this virtual “public square” also offers photographs as well as basic information on each of the places of worship it catalogues.