John Dewey s lifelong attention to religious themes found expression in his 1934 book A Common Faith. Among the pragmatic themes he developed there are that: a) human experience left to develop without outside interference is capable of generating ideals and values, and b) beliefs that are true, including religious beliefs, are so only when they have been tested in the laboratory of experience. Rather than choose among the world s religions, Dewey emphasized the religious quality that characterizes experiences of many types. He suggested some of the ways in which such experiences can be fostered through educational means with a view to developing a common faith - a faith in ideals that can be shared among the world s religions.