Introduction Religion America Is a Highly Religious Country, and Has Been Since Its Earliest

Introduction – Religion
America is a highly religious country, and has been since its earliest days. Nearly every religion in the world has adherents or organized institutions in the United States. American religious institutions are large, powerful and influential in social and political life. Even Americans who are members of no established religion are likely to believe in God. According to a Gallup opinion survey, nearly all Americans, 98% of them, do, compared to 84% in Switzerland, 73% in France and 60% in Sweden. Americans also tend to believe in life after death: 73% compared to 50% in Switzerland and only 38% in Great Britain. About 60% of Americans are members of a church, synagogue or other religious group, though many more identify with various religions because of their birth or upbringing. About 40% of Americans attend religious services regularly, compared to only 20% in Great Britain.

Separation of Church and State
Separation of church and state is a key concept in American government and culture. The first line of the First Amendment of the United States constitution states that church and state are to be kept forever separate. On this basis, the former custom of allowing prayers in public schools, even if non-denominational, has been discontinued.

America is largely a Christian nation
Of the 85% of Americans with a Christian connection, Protestant groups make up about 49%, Roman Catholics 28%, Eastern Orthodox, Armenian and Polish National Catholics 4%, with the remaining 4% split between The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians and Christian Scientists. The largest and most prominent non-Christian group is the Jews, about 3% of the population. The Islamic and Hindu populations are growing due to immigration.

The Protestants
The United States as a nation was founded and formed largely by Protestants, who remain a powerful national group. Out of the all the men who have been presidents of the United States, only one (John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic) was not either a Protestant or from a Protestant family background. Hundreds of Protestant affiliations and sects exist. We'll examine some of the larger ones (more than a million adherents each) in descending order of size (number of adherents).

The Baptists
Baptists make up more than 10% of the American population, at least 27,000,000 people. Black and white Baptist church denominations exist separately. The largely white Southern Baptist Convention has about 12,000,000 members, while 9,000,000 black Americans (30% of all blacks in America) are members of their own National Baptist Conventions.

Baptists believe in the supremacy of the scriptures. They do not have a formal church hierarchy. In fact, they call themselves denominations instead of churches. Each local denomination is an independent autonomous unit. Baptists believe in baptism (by full immersion of the body into water) of believers, rather than of infants. There is, however, no body of official Baptist doctrine, as you might find in other religions.

Baptists hold sway in the Bible Belt region, which covers much of the south and Texas. Communities in this region, especially in rural areas, are among the most religious in the country. A New York City bank might give you a free toaster if you open an account; the Dallas bank would give you a free bible. Four American Presidents Harding, Truman, Carter, and Clinton have been Baptists.

The Methodists
Methodists number at least 13,000,000 and are the second largest Protestant group. While modern Methodism has officially abandoned many of its more conservative views, American Methodism has traditionally been associated with very strict standards of personal living regarding gambling, sex, alcohol, or even card playing and dancing.

Methodists believe in infant baptism, done by sprinkling of water rather than by full immersion. Methodism is a socially active religion, with a great number of colleges, missions and hospitals to its credit. Its roots were in eighteenth century England with the teachings of John Wesley. American Presidents Polk, Grant, Hayes and McKinley were Methodists.

The Lutherans
Lutherans number about 9,000,000, with particular strength in the Midwestern states where many immigrants from the Lutheran countries of Germany and Scandinavia settled. Lutheranism has the lowest proportion of blacks of any Protestant group. Lutheranism began in 1517 with Martin Luther's split from the Catholic church. It is the oldest Protestant group. Lutherans emphasize theological doctrine. A young person must engage in a long study of the Lutheran Catechism before becoming a full-fledged church member. Lutherans stress spirituality rather than strict living.

Lutheran worship retains many Catholic practices, such as holy communion, in a simplified form. These include altars, crosses, vestments and candles that many other Protestants find too elaborate, but that Lutherans use to enhance their religious devotions. Like most Protestants, however, Lutherans believe that Christ is spiritually present in the sacrament of holy communion, rather than physically present as the Roman Catholics believe.

The Presbyterians
Presbyterians number about 4,000,000, and they are primarily white. They are spread evenly around the country, and are second only to Episcopalians among major Protestant groups in education and income level. Presbyterians believe in the infallibility of the Bible as the revealed word of God, and in a definite (though spiritual) concept of heaven and hell. Presbyterians believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and in the Holy Trinity as the revelation of God in three manifestations. American Presidents Jackson, Buchanan, Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland, Wilson and Eisenhower were all Presbyterians.

The Episcopalians
Episcopalians are the richest and most powerful of all protestant groups. The Episcopal church descends from the original Church of England. It is both Catholic and Protestant, Catholic in that it retains much of Roman Catholic ritual, sacraments, creeds and orders of the church, Protestant (or reformed) in that it rejects the authority of the Pope, conducts services in English and re-emphasizes the authority of the Bible. The Book of Common Prayer, first promulgated in 1549, forms the basis for Episcopal services. Like Roman Catholics, Episcopalians have priests, though marriage of the clergy is allowed. Monks and nuns, who are strictly contemplative and may not marry, also exist. In general, the Episcopal church is tolerant of “vices” such as drinking and gambling.

Eleven American Presidents, Washington, Madison, Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Pierce, Arthur, Franklin Roosevelt, Ford and George Herbert Walker Bush, were or are Episcopalians. Confederate President Jefferson Davis was also an Episcopalian.

The Congregationalists
Congregationalists are members of the present-day United Church of Christ, which has approximately 2,000,000 members. The original Pilgrim fathers who landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts in 1620 were Congregationalists. The emphasis is on the congregation and the autonomous local church. The church recognizes the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion and the Holy Trinity, but not the virgin birth of Jesus Christ or a strictly defined heaven and hell. Congregationalists view the Bible as a work for inspiration and interpretation, not to be taken literally. American President Calvin Coolidge was a Congregationalist.

The Disciples of Christ
The Disciples of Christ, also known as the “Christian Church” has about 1,300,000 adherents. It is of nineteenth century American origin, and grew on the American frontier. The church rejects dogmas, creeds, catechisms and rituals that it feels would obscure a simple basic belief in Jesus Christ. It works on the concept of the “priesthood of the laity.” Any basic acceptance of Jesus Christ by someone adult enough to know what they are doing followed by baptism by immersion will qualify a person for membership. Because of its intentional lack of dogma, many members or factions of the Disciples of Christ differ on such matters as the literal interpretation of the bible, the virgin birth, abortion and other social issues. American Presidents Garfield, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan were affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.

Seventh Day Adventists
Smaller Protestant groups exist by the hundreds in America. One of the most socially active is the Seventh Day Adventists, with 500,000 members. Adventists celebrate Saturday as the Sabbath. They believe in a sense of destiny, and that it is their duty to warn others that the end of the world is at hand. They also believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and totally abstain from tobacco and alcohol.

The Quakers
Another small group that has played an important role in U.S. history has been the Quakers, members of the “Religious Society of Friends,” which numbers about 125,000. Quakers believe in group worship and yet a highly personal relationship with God. They have no fixed worship ritual or creed. Rather they have Queries or spiritual exercises in their group meetings. They believe in an “inner” baptism and communion. In their meetings, all members bear witness to their principles and the way they live their faith. Since early days Quakers have been associated with pacifism, and with the use of plain dress and a traditional type of archaic “plain” English language.

The Mennonites
Mennonites are yet another group with a distinctive lifestyle associated with pacifism, total abstention from violence, special dress and social habits. They number about 170,000. The most conservative of the Mennonites are called “Amish.” They refuse all modern conveniences. The Mennonite movement began in Germany, was subject to great persecutions, and flourished in America beginning in the seventeenth century. In some areas, particularly in Pennsylvania, the Amish people are known for their German (“Pennsylvania Dutch”) dialects, their plain black clothing and their horses and buggies.

The Mormons
The Mormons, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are by far the largest in the “other Christians” category with 3,500,000 adherents. The church was founded in western New York State in 1830 by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have received his authority by direct divine bestowal. Mormons believe in the Bible and in their own complementary work, The Book of Mormon. They believe in immortality and in the need for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They believe that people travelled to ancient America from Israel to settle and that some of them were prophets. A prophet named “Mormon” wrote the Book of Mormon which God preserved on gold plates for Joseph Smith to find in 1820 and translate. The Book of Mormon shows how Jesus Christ visited ancient America after his Ascension.

Mormons were greatly persecuted in their early years and eventually found a home in the desert of Utah. In earlier days, they were associated with polygamy (having many wives), though the church now eschews this practice. They abstain from all alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea. Mormons believe in active proselytization, and each strives to serve at least a year as a missionary.

Because the Mormons believe a person can have his or her ancestors ordained and be capable of eternal life, Mormons place great store on genealogy and finding one's ancestors. They maintain large genealogical databases which they allow outside researchers to use.

The Roman Catholics
Roman Catholics are the largest individual religious denomination in the United States, with about 50,000,000 adherents. Few Roman Catholics are of English or Scottish descent, hence Roman Catholics tend to have separate ethnic identification than most Protestants, at least in the larger cities. Most people of Irish, Italian, Hispanic and Eastern European descent, with some Germans, are Roman Catholic.

Differences Between Catholics and Protestants
Roman Catholicism differs from Protestantism in two critical areas. Protestants believe in private interpretation of the Bible. Catholics believe the Church is appointed by God as custodian of the Bible to interpret the scripture. Most Protestants believe in a universal priesthood of all believers, while Catholics have a specially ordained priesthood.

Born Again Christians
A Major Phenomenon. American has a tradition of evangelism, mostly among Protestants. Using television or filling stadiums and large arenas with live audiences, evangelical leaders preach to millions of people. While most leaders come from one of the many established Protestant denominations, they preach to and attract audiences from all religious groups, Christian or otherwise. Two of the most prominent and highly respected are the Reverend Billy Graham and the Reverend Robert Schuller, the man who first thought of the “drive-in” church in Southern California and who now broadcasts to millions of people every Sunday morning from his architecturally unique “Crystal Cathedral.”

Grass Roots Origins. Less famous men and women preach to people in the neighborhoods and rural areas of the United States or even on local public access television. America has gone through frequent periods of religious revival and, as the second millennium progresses to the third, the evangelical trend is increasing. Those who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior in adult life consider that they have been “born again,” a very common reference.

Controversy and Scandal. Some very popular “televangelists” have, in the past few years, been the subject of sex and money scandals and even criminal actions based on their misuse of contributor funds. Many clergymen in the more “established” religions see evangelism as a threat. Evangelism is often synonymous with or closely associated with religious “fundamentalism,” a point of view that puts religious values ahead of earthly ones.

Eastern Christians
The United States has more than four million people who are members of Eastern Orthodox churches. The Greek and Russian branches of this church are the largest; there are also Serbian, Ukrainian, Carpatho-Russian, Syrian, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian and other branches. Orthodoxy and Catholicism split officially in 1054. There are still great similarities in doctrine between the two churches, though Orthodox Christians do not accept the Pope in the same way that Catholics do. They believe the holy spirit proceeds from “the Father” and not from “the Son” as Roman Catholics do. They do not believe in the Roman Catholic purgatory.

Eastern Orthodox clergy may marry. Until very recent times they almost always wore beards so as to be more like Christ and the fathers of the church. Also until recently, worshippers would stand during services. One of the hallmarks of the Orthodox faith is the veneration of icons and holy relics. In addition, Orthodox Christians celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter according to the Julian calendar, thirteen days later than the Gregorian calendar most other churches use.