Religion in the United States

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The Washington National Cathedral, located in the capital of the U.S., is one of the largest churches in the country. Often called "the national house of prayer," this Episcopal church was the setting for the funerals of former presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford as well as the 9/11 memorial service led by President George W. Bush.

Religion is a significant part of the culture of the United States. The U.S. is considered one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world, with over one-hundred different religions or denominations. The United States is also one of the most religious of those countries considered to be "developed nations." According to a 2002 survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, the U.S. was the only developed nation in the survey where a majority of citizens reported that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives.^[1].

Most Americans adhere to Christianity. According to the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey (discussed below), 80% of the U.S. is Christian and 15% adhere to no religion or are Atheist/Agnostic. Other religions comprise 5% of the U.S. population. According to the CIA World Factbook, the U.S. is 78% Christian and 10% no religion, while other religions comprise 12% of the U.S. population. In descending order, the largest identified religious groups are Protestant (52%); Roman Catholic (24%); Mormon (2%); Jewish (1%); and Muslim (1%)^[2].

The United States was one of the first countries in Western civilization to not have an official religion. Reflecting back on the history of religious wars in Europe, and the lack of freedom people had in choosing their own religion, the designers of the United States Constitution specifically rejected any religious test for office, and the First amendment specifically denied to the central government any power to establish religion.

[edit] History and denominations

While Roman Catholicism is the denomination to which more Americans belong than any other, most Americans can be identified as belonging to one Protestant denomination or another, though the term "Protestant" is typically too general to use in the U.S., given the diverse range of denominational, sectarian, theological, and doctrinal beliefs. Many American churches trace their roots to Europe, but a number of churches were founded in America.

• Roman Catholic - largest denomination, especially predominant among those of Irish, Filipino, Spanish, Italian, Polish, French, and French Canadian descent, as well as a minority of those of German descent.
• Baptist, theologically descended from the Anabaptists of Switzerland and Mennonites of Netherlands, but culturally associated with the American South. Now strongly promoted among Chinese.
• Methodism
• Episcopal Church in the United States - Anglican, formerly Church of England
• Lutheranism, Germany
• Presbyterianism
• Adventism - decended in part from Presbyterianism
• Evangelicalism - notably associated with politically conservative causes, and ideology.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) - founded in U.S.
• Seventh-day Adventist Church - founded in the U.S.
• River Brethren - founded in the U.S.
• Jehovah's Witnesses - founded in the U.S.
• United Church of Christ -- Formed in 1957 as a united and uniting church from a union of the Congregational Christian Church and Evangelical and Reformed Church
• churches of Christ - a restoration movement with no governing body which is particularly strong in Texas and Tennessee, and to a lesser degree in the rest of the southeastern United States.

[edit] Belief in God

The phrase "In God We Trust" is inscribed on U.S. currency and the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance says that the U.S. is "one nation under God." Various polls have been conducted to determine Americans' actual beliefs regarding God:

• A 2006 online Harris Poll of 2,010 U.S. adults (18 and older) found that only 58% of those surveyed were "absolutely certain" that God exists while 6% were "absolutely certain" that God does not exist.^[3] The other 36% to 38% reported that they were only "somewhat certain" or "unsure" regarding the existence of God (21% reported they were "somewhat certain that there is a God," 11% that they were "not sure whether or not there is a God," and 6% that they were "somewhat certain that there is no God"). The poll showed that an "absolute certain" belief in God increased with age: while only 43%-45% of those aged 18-29 were "absolutely certain" that God exists, 54% of those aged 30-39 were "absolutely certain" that God exists, and 63%-65% of those aged 40 and older were "absolutely certain" that God exists.

• A 2006 CBS News Poll of 899 U.S. adults found that 82% of those surveyed believed in God, while 9% believed in "some other universal spirit or higher power," 8% believed in neither, and 1% were unsure.

• A 2004 Newsweek Poll of 1,009 U.S. adults, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, found that 82% of those surveyed believed that Jesus was God or the Son of God.

• A 2000 Newsweek Poll of 752 U.S. adults, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, found that 94% of those surveyed believed in God, while 4% did not and 2% were unsure.

• A 1998 Harris Poll of 1,011 U.S. adults found that 94% of those surveyed believed in God.

[edit] Church Attendance

Gallup International indicates that 41%^[4] of American citizens report they regularly attend religious services, compared to 15% of French citizens, 4% of UK citizens^[5], and 25% of Israeli citizens.^{[citation needed]}

However, these numbers are open to dispute. ReligiousTolerance.org states, "Church attendance data in the U.S. has been checked against actual values using two different techniques. The true figures show that only about 21% of Americans and 10% of Canadians actually go to church one or more times a week. Many Americans and Canadians tell pollsters that they have gone to church even though they have not. Whether this happens in other countries, with different cultures, is difficult to predict."^[6]

In, a 2006 online Harris Poll of 2,010 U.S. adults (18 and older) found that only 26% of those surveyed attended religious services "every week or more often," 9% went "once or twice a month" 21% went "a few times a year," 3% went "once a year," 22% went "less than once a year," and 18% never attend religious services. An identical survey by Harris in 2003 found that only 26% of those surveyed attended religious services "every week or more often," 11% went "once or twice a month" 19% went "a few times a year," 4% went "once a year," 16% went "less than once a year," and 25% never attend religious services. Because these polls were conducted online, it is likely that the results are more truthful, as people are more likely admit to potentially embarrassing beliefs when responding to online surveys than when talking to interviewers in telephone surveys.

[edit] Political influence

The U.S. guarantees freedom of religion and many churches in the U.S. use this freedom by taking strong stances on political subjects.

Politicians frequently discuss their religion when campaigning, and many churches and religious figures are highly politically active. However, to keep their status as tax-exempt organizations they must not officially endorse a candidate. There are Christians in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, but evangelical Christians tend to support the Republican Party whereas more secular voters support the Democratic Party.

Every President, with the exception of John F. Kennedy (a Roman Catholic), was raised in a family with affiliations with Protestant Christianity. However, many presidents have themselves had only a nominal affiliation with Protestant churches. Several early holders of the office were Deists, with at least four presidents being Unitarians, and several, such as Thomas Jefferson, having no formal affiliation at all.

Only three presidential candidates for major parties have been Catholics^[7], all for the Democratic party:

• Alfred E. Smith -- Smith, the Governor of New York, secured the Democratic presidential nomination in 1928. A contributing factor to Smith's defeat in the presidential election of 1928 was his Roman Catholic faith.
• John F. Kennedy -- Kennedy, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, secured the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960. In the 1960 election, John F. Kennedy faced accusations that as a Catholic President he would do as the very popular Pope John XXIII would tell him to do, a charge that Kennedy managed to subdue considerably.
• John Kerry -- Kerry, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, secured the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. In the 2004 election, there was discussion about whether Kerry's beliefs as a Catholic would be relevant to the national debate on abortion, but there was no implication that his being a Catholic per se made him an undesirable candidate.

There has never been a Jewish President or Vice-President. The only Jewish candidate for either of those offices was Joe Lieberman in the Gore-Lieberman campaign of 2000, during which Lieberman's Orthodox Judaic faith was not a salient issue. Some sources indicate that Jews constitute only 1.4% of the U.S. population, although others indicate that Jews comprise as much as 2.1% of the population (a significant decline from over 3% in the 1950s).

Protestant candidates are not subjected to the same scrutiny as non-Protestants regarding their religious faith, though some critics express a concern that some Protestant candidates also would put their religious beliefs ahead of the interests of the nation. During the early part of the 21st century, more of the Protestant denominations in America (most specifically in the American South) have openly campaigned to yield more political power than its other counterparts openly campaigning for political reform to favor their causes.^{[citation needed]} In the 2004 Presidential election, George W. Bush, a Methodist, earned a slim but clear victory over John Kerry, with the majority of Bush supporters calling for moral values largely based on religious belief.^{[citation needed]}

See also: list of U.S. Presidential religious affiliations

See also: Religious Affiliation in the United States Senate

[edit] Religious bodies

The table below represents selected data as reported to the United States Census Bureau. It only includes the voluntary self-reported membership of religious bodies with 60,000 or more. The definition of a church member is determined by each religious body. A growing sector of the population, currently 14%, does not identify itself as a member of any religion.(^[8])

[edit] The American Religious Identification Survey

Plurality religion by state, 2001. Data are unavailable for Alaska and Hawaii.

Percentage of religion against average, 2001.

The American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2001 was a random digit-dialed telephone survey of 50,281 American residential households in the continental United States. Adult respondents were asked the open-ended question, "What is your religion, if any?". Interviewers did not prompt or offer a suggested list of potential answers. The religion of the spouse or partner was also asked. If the initial answer was 'Protestant' or 'Christian' further questions were asked to probe which particular denomination. About one third of the sample was asked more detailed demographic questions.

Self-Described Religious Identification of U.S. Adult Population: 1990 and 2001 ^[9]
All figures after adjusting for refusals to reply, which was 2.3% in 1990 and 5.4% in 2001.

Key findings of the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey:(before adjusting for refusals to reply)^[4]

• The proportion of the adult population that can be classified as Christian has declined from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001.
• The proportion of the adult population who classify themselves as non-Christian has slightly increased from 3.3% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2001.
• The proportion of the adult population who do not subscribe to any religious identification has increased from 8% in 1990 to over 14% in 2001.
• The proportion of the adult population who refused to reply to the question about their religious preference has increased from 2% in 1990 to over 5% in 2001.

Other findings of the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey:

• Nearly 20% of adults who describe themselves as atheist or agnostic report that either they or someone else in their household is a member of a church, temple, synagogue, mosque or some other religious institution.
• Nearly 40% of respondents who identified with a religion indicated that neither they nor anyone else in their household belongs to a church or some other similar institution.
• Despite the growing diversity nationally, some religious groups clearly occupy a dominant demographic position in particular states. For instance, Catholics are the majority of the population in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as are Mormons in Utah and Baptists in Mississippi. Catholics comprise over 40% of the population in Vermont, New Mexico, New York and New Jersey, while Baptists are over 40% of the population in several southern states such as South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia.
• Historical traces of the Bible Belt in the South and an irreligious West are still evident. Those with "no religion" constitute the largest group in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming. In contrast, the percentage of adults who adhere to "no religion" is below 10% in North and South Dakota, the Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
• Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and those with no religion continue to have a greater preference for the Democratic Party over the Republican—much as they did in 1990. Evangelical or Born Again Christians and Mormons are the most apt to identify as Republicans. Buddhists and those with no religion are most likely to be political independents. In keeping with their theology, Jehovah's Witnesses disavow political involvement.
• In the 1990 and 2001 studies, the Buddhist and Muslim population appears to have the highest proportion of young adults under age thirty and the lowest percentage of females. Numerous major Christian groups have aged since 1990, most notably the Catholics, Methodists, and Lutherans. Congregationalist/United Church of Christ and Presbyterian adherents show an older age structure with three times as many over age 65 as under age 35. Baptists also have fewer young adults than they had in 1990. Among Jews the ratio of the over-65 to those under thirty has shifted from nearly even in 1990 to about 2:1 in the current study. (The survey has focused only upon adult adherents. The observations about age structure do not include the children who may be present in the household of adult adherents.)
• The 2001 study found that of all households that contained either a married or domestic partner couple, 22% reported a mixture of religious identification amongst the couple. At the low end there are the Mormon adults who are found in mixed religion families at 12% and such other groups as Baptists, those adhering to the Churches of Christ, Assemblies of God, the Evangelicals, and those adhering to the Church of God (all at about 18%). At the high end are the Episcopalians at 42% and Buddhists at 39% living in mixed religion families. In all, about 28 million American married or otherwise "coupled" adults live in a mixed religion household.
• Those who identify with one or another of the main religious groups are considerably more likely to be married than those who have no religion. The "no religion" group was far more likely to be either single, never married or single, living with a partner than any other group. Indeed, the "no religion" group shows the lowest incidence of marriage (just 19%) of all twenty-two groups. Those identifying with the Assemblies of God or Evangelical/Born Again Christians show the highest proportions married, 73% and 74% respectively. The percent currently divorced or separated varies considerably less, from a low of six percent (Jehovah's Witnesses) to a high of fourteen percent (Pentecostals).
• The top three "gainers" in America's vast religious market place appear to be Evangelical Christians, those describing themselves as Non-Denominational Christians and those who profess no religion. Looking at patterns of religious change from this perspective, the evidence points as much to the rejection of faith as to the seeking of faith among American adults. Indeed, among those who previously had no religion, just 5% report current identification with one or another of the major religions.
• Women are more likely than men to describe their outlook as "religious." Older Americans are more likely than younger to describe their outlook as "religious." Black Americans are least likely to describe themselves as secular, Asian Americans are most likely to do so.
• 68% of those identifying themselves as Lutheran report church membership, while only 45% of those who describe themselves as Protestant (without a specific denominational identification) report church membership. Nearly 68% of those identifying with the Assemblies of God report church membership. Church membership is reported by 59% of Catholic adults. About 53% of adults who identify their religion as Jewish or Judaism report temple or synagogue membership. Among those calling themselves Muslim or Islamic, 62% report membership in a mosque.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Religious Affliation Underestimated in U.S., Study Shows
• Map Gallery of Religion in the United States
• http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html#religions
• U.S. Census links and statistical abstract
• USA - Population statistics by religion
• Is America Too Religious? -- from NPR.org