Religion in America
New World Experiment



Depended on a population of educated
people
Social order depended on morality and
morality on religion
Bible reading would foster faith, which
would foster ethical behavior, which would
sustain social order
American Revolution


Children needed to read not only to be
good Protestants but also to be good
citizens—to free themselves from the
tyranny of popes as well as kings.
The American experiment, which vested
sovereignty in the people, depended for
its survival on an informed citizenry.
American Education



Both religious and secular
17th and 18th century New England was
“perhaps the most literate place on earth”
(61).
“Literary rates for whites were higher—for
both men and women—in the colonies
than on the Continent” (62).
African Americans and Indians


Literacy came slowly
For African Americans—slave owners
feared for their slave to learn to read the
Bible for themselves

W.E.B. DuBois: Only 5% could read on the
eve of the Civil War
King James Bible




In 9 out of 10 homes in the early republic
The best-selling book and the most
influential cultural artifact
The book for reading in households and
schools well into the 19th century
“a manual of law, literature, history, and
warfare, as well as a primer for reading
and, of course, for religion” (62).
Sermons/Lectures


“The average weekly
churchgoer in New England
. . . listened to something
like seven thousand
sermons in a lifetime,
totaling somewhere around
fifteen thousand hours of
concentrated listening”
(63).
Equivalent to roughly 10
times the listening load of a
four-year college student
today
Limitations




Limited to Christianity—more specifically
Protestantism
Anti-Catholicism was one of its key components
Very limited knowledge about Judaism or
Mohammedanism (Islam)
Only most sophisticated scholar or well-traveled
sea captain knew of Asian religions
Puritans




Reigning theology in the colonies
Recognized two clerical offices: pastor
and teacher
4 part sermons: text, doctrine, reasons,
and uses
Emphasized scripture—reading it,
understanding it, applying it
Myth


Once upon a time American education was
secular
Wrong! From their beginning, common
public schools were very much a part of
an unofficial yet powerful Protestant
establishment
Sunday Schools

Fostered religious literacy by



publishing and distributing religious tracts
constructing a vast network of libraries, which
just before the Civil War accounted for most
of the nation’s total libraries and nearly half
its total library volumes
Taught middle-class morality
Colleges

America’s first 3 colleges were established
to educate clergy



Harvard-1636
William and Mary-1693
Yale-1701
Pious Politics



President Eisenhower baptized while in
office on Feb. 1, 1953
“Under God” phrase added to Pledge of
Allegiance in 1954
“In God We Trust” becomes nation’s
official motto in 1956
Judeo-Christian Nation



Re-historicized as a Judeo-Christian nation due
to influx of Catholic and Jewish population
The three joined together to fight Godless
communism
Affirmed one God who Creator, Lawgiver, and
Judge, who inspired the Bible, acted in history,
and adopted Americans as a chosen people of
sorts
Rewriting Religion



Sacrifices religious literacy (specificity) for
tolerance
Lowest common denominator morality
Spirituality:



religion stripped down to its experiential
dimension
Do-without-religion
Religion without memory
America Today: Still Highly
Religious


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, believe in a higher power, 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 & State



The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the first of
the “Bill of Rights,” states that, “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof.”
Looking back through the funnel of history, the founding fathers all
had connections to some variety of what we now call Protestantism.
Despite the legal primacy of separation of church and state,
Christianity and the Judeo-Christian tradition represented in the
bible are extremely important constituents of American culture.
Christian Majority




The United States has the largest Christian population of any country on earth. Although the
proportion of Christians saw a slight decline in the last two decades of the 20th century,
Christians still make up nearly four-fifths of the American population. American Christianity
encompasses many sects and theologies, and yet breaks down into three major classifications:
Evangelical Protestants, Mainline Protestants, and Roman Catholics. The broad Evangelical
classification is the largest group, and it is growing. Roman Catholics, nevertheless, outnumber
any individual Protestant or Evangelical denomination.
American Christianity is by no means monolithic. Roman Catholic and Protestant theologies have
radically different approaches to theological issues, and even lifestyle. Protestantism itself divides
into dozens of independent denominations, each with different practices and administrative
hierarchies.
A number of Christian groups do not fall into the broader classifications: the Eastern Orthodox
Church, Armenian and Polish National Catholics, The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons),
Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians and Christian Scientists, plus many smaller sects.
Among non-Christians, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism cover about 5% of the American
population, with those having no religious affiliation accounting for the remaining 15%.
Protestantism

Baptists:


Methodists:


Full body immersion baptism, Southern “Bible
Belt,” Southern Baptist Convention
Very active in social causes, flexible baptism
standards, United Methodist Church
Lutheran:

Martin Luther, oldest, retains many Catholic
practices, upper Midwest
Seventh Day Adventists


Seventh-Day Adventists
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church has its origins in 19th century America. The “seventh day”
portion of the group’s title reflects its observance of Saturday as the Sabbath. The “Adventist”
portion reflects the church’s tenet that the Advent, or Second Coming of Christ, is about to occur.
The church counts more than two million American members. Seventh-Day Adventists keep the
Sabbath. They worship on Saturdays and refuse to do secular work on that day, preferring to do
charity work or engage in family activities and meals. An important part of Adventist Holy
Communion, which takes place only four times a year, is the ritual foot washing called the
“Ordinance of Humility,” based on Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper.
Members partake of a symbolic “Lord’s Supper” after the ceremony is complete.
Adventists believe in a sense of destiny and consider it their duty to warn others of the impending
end of the world. They believe in the infallibility of biblical scripture. Their interrelated concepts of
“investigative judgment” and “divine sanctuary” deal with the process of salvation in the face of
individual free will.
The Quakers

A relatively small group that has played an important role in U.S. history has been the Quakers,
members of the “Religious Society of Friends.” Originating in 17th century England, they were the
original founders of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the “City of Brotherly Love.” Since early days,
Quakers have been associated with pacifism. Other Quaker customs, now largely extinct, but still
referred to in popular culture, include the custom of plain dress as well as plain speech (the use
of the archaic familiar pronouns such as “thou,” “thee,” “thy” and “thine” instead of the formal
pronouns “you,” “your” and “yours.”) Persecution of Quakers by other religious groups in both
Great Britain and early America led to some of the earliest efforts to guarantee religious liberty in
America. One of the keys to Quakerism is the participant’s highly personal relationship with God.
Quakers believe in an “inner” baptism and communion. In their meetings, all members bear
witness to their principles and the way they live their faith.
Mennonite

The Mennonite movement began with the Anabaptists in Germany, Switzerland and
Holland in the 16th century. Its key tenet was the concept of adult baptism, and
more generally the notion that adult believers should freely choose to involve
themselves in their religion rather than being enrolled automatically at birth.
Anabaptists and Mennonites faced severe persecution in both Catholic and Protestant
countries until they found a safe haven in the Quaker settlements of Pennsylvania.
Further Mennonite immigration in the 19th century brought groups to Ohio and
Indiana. A wide variety of Mennonite sub-groups are active in the United States. An
ongoing theme of Mennonite life throughout American history has been a refusal to
engage in military service, and a resistance to American involvement in wars of all
kinds. Mennonite groups shun involvement in American political, social and cultural
life to varying degrees and may sometimes administer their own schools. Some
conservative Mennonites retain archaic modes of “modest” dress, the women
favoring long dresses and bonnets. The employment of modern technologies and
conveniences varies widely among Mennonite groups.
Amish


The “Amish” people, most numerous in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Indiana (but active all over the United States) are ultra-conservative
Mennonites. Most Amish people refuse all modern conveniences,
including automobiles, photography, and electricity. Nearly all are of
German descent, and many continue to speak German dialects.
They dress in clothing reminiscent of the 19th century, and use
horses and buggies for transportation. They educate their children
only through the typical “eighth-grade” level to keep worldly
influences to a minimum.
The Amish represent a unique corner of American life, highly at
odds with the prevailing concept of American individualism. Central
to Amish belief is their rejection of any form of pride and personal
arrogance, their embrace of humility, and a certain level of “going
with the flow” in submitting to the will of Jesus. These extremely
religious people center their lives on work, faith, family, and
Mormon


The Mormons, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are by far the largest in the “other
Christians” category with over five million 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.
Christian Scientists


Christian Scientists follow the Bible and teachings of Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) as
expressed in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Most American
Christian Scientists are members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston,
Massachusetts (the “Mother Church” ) as well as branch churches. To promulgate its
teachings, the Church maintains Christian Science “Reading Rooms” in most major
communities.
Christian Scientists believe that God is divine mind and that matter is only a false
sense of substance. The Christian Scientist strives to see his or her true sense as
spiritual. Accordingly, disease is a result of the delusions of the carnal mind. Prayer
and spiritual understanding can thus overcome disease. Because of these beliefs,
Christian Scientists do not believe in scientific medicine, but have their own highly
trained “practitioners” who treat illnesses through spiritual means. As a result,
Christian Scientists are sometimes at odds with the law. They have been the subject
of many controversial court cases, often related to their refusal to provide
conventional medical treatment for their children. Another ongoing controversy
involves health insurance reimbursement for “spiritual” health care.
Unitarian Universalists


Unitarian Universalists have only a few hundred thousand members but have had
influence on American society far in excess of their numbers. U.S. Presidents John
Adams, John Quincy Adams, Fillmore and Taft were Unitarians, as were many
prominent Americans like Susan B. Anthony, Horace Mann, Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau.
Unitarian Universalists believe in the oneness of God rather than in a trinity. They
value the ethical precepts of Jesus rather than his spiritual leadership. They believe in
a meaning of life here and now on earth.
Unitarian Universalists open their thinking up to all religions and ethical teachings and
accept all kinds of people into their church, even atheists. It is the Unitarian
Universalist belief that the belief in God is a personal one. Because they do not
accept Jesus Christ as “lord and savior,” many other Christian churches do not accept
Unitarian Universalists as Christians, though Unitarian Universalists consider
themselves Christian because of the inspiration they derive from Christ's ethical
teachings.
Jehovah’s Witness

Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian Christian denomination with roots in the late
19th century America. Witnesses reject the notion of the holy trinity. They believe
that God sent Jesus to earth as a sacrifice to vindicate his sovereignty and that Christ
took power in heaven as king in 1914. He cast Satan out of heaven at that time,
causing troubles to begin on earth. The “great tribulation” is going to come, during
which God will destroy everything that is wicked and begin a thousand year reign of
Christ. After Armageddon, conditions of paradise as in the Garden of Eden will be
restored to the earth. Jehovah's Witnesses believe in actively preaching their doctrine
and trying to gain converts by going door to door (dressed modestly) to distribute
copies of their familiar publications, Awake! and The Watchtower. They refuse to
salute the flag, receive blood transfusions, or enter into military service. They believe
that theirs is the only true faith and study their own version of the Bible, the New
World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Witnesses believe secular society is morally
corrupt and severely limit their interaction with people outside of their sect.
Witnesses also refuse to celebrate holidays such as Christmas and Easter (or even
their own birthdays) which they consider either of pagan origin or inconsistent with
their view of Christianity.
Roman Catholicism




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. Catholicism runs by a set dogma, or series
of rules, emanating from the Pope in Rome. American Protestant groups, even when they have a
set dogma, keep their hierarchy entirely inside the United States.
Where Protestants vary on social issues like divorce, birth control, abortion and homosexuality
(many leaving these questions to the consciences of their members), the Catholic church has set
guidelines on these matters. It also censors certain movies, plays and books, which Catholics may
not read or attend. Since Catholics are supposed to believe by absolute faith, they are expected
to take the Church's word on these matters.
It should be noted that the Catholic church is not as strict about tobacco, alcohol or gambling as
some Protestant churches are. The Catholic practices of confession and absolution tend to
mitigate some of these strictures.
Catholic priests may not marry, and they must be male. Many Protestant groups allow or even
encourage female clergy. In nearly all cases, Protestant ministers may marry.
Black Church



Before the Civil War of 1861-1865, when most African-Americans still lived in the south, blacks
and whites worshipped in the same Protestant churches. The churches had segregated “colored”
sections, usually in the back of the church. When the war ended, whites rebelled against the
notion of fully integrated churches, while blacks protested against the segregation that became
endemic in the south within ten years after the war’s end. The major Protestant denominations,
led by the Baptists, split along racial lines. The reasons for the split are long gone, but today nine
out of ten African-American churchgoers attend black churches, mostly Baptist. Through the
tumultuous history of African-Americans since the Civil War, including migration to the north,
racism, poverty, and the civil rights movement, the black church has played an important role in
keeping communities together and moving for social change. Black churches have contributed
many notable American religious and political leaders, the most well known being slain civil rights
leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., familiar to all Americans for his “I Have a Dream”
speech.
Some black churches specialize in “bible preaching” in which a skilled preacher will whip his
followers into an enthusiastic religious frenzy. In these cases, members of the congregation often
become quite vocal. Upbeat gospel music adds to the atmosphere.
The gospel music of the black church is one of the backbones of African-American music, which
in turn is an indispensible part of America’s unique musical heritage.
Jews

Religion, Nationality or Race? While many Jews and non-Jews
consider the Jews to be more of an ethnic group than a religion in
America, most of the nation's 7,000,000 or so Jews have had at
least a nominal connection to Jewish religious practices. The Jewish
religion is ancient. The Jewish people have suffered through
thousands of years of cruel persecution and oppression. America
has served as a great refuge for Jews, who quickly became part of
American life. American Jews are a close second to Episcopalians in
average personal income and education level. The largest
proportion of Jews are concentrated in the Northeast and in the
Miami and Los Angeles areas. More Jews live in the United States
than in any other country, including Israel.









Men are significantly more likely than women to claim no religious affiliation.
Among people who are married, nearly four-in-ten (37%) are married to a spouse with a different
religious affiliation.
Mormons and Muslims are the groups with the largest families; more than one-in-five Mormon
adults and 15% of Muslim adults in the U.S. have three or more children living at home.
The Midwest most closely resembles the religious makeup of the overall population. The South,
by a wide margin, has the heaviest concentration of members of evangelical Protestant churches.
The Northeast has the greatest concentration of Catholics, and the West has the largest
proportion of unaffiliated people, including the largest proportion of atheists and agnostics.
Of all the major racial and ethnic groups in the United States, black Americans are the most likely
to report a formal religious affiliation.
Nearly half of Hindus in the U.S., one-third of Jews and a quarter of Buddhists have obtained
post-graduate education, compared with only about one-in-ten of the adult population overall.
Hindus and Jews are also much more likely than other groups to report high income levels.
People not affiliated with any particular religion stand out for their relative youth compared with
other religious traditions. Among the unaffiliated, 31% are under age 30 and 71% are under age
50. Comparable numbers for the overall adult population are 20% and 59%, respectively.
In sharp contrast to Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism in the U.S. is primarily made up of nativeborn adherents, whites and converts. Only one-in-three American Buddhists describe their race as
Asian, while nearly three-in-four Buddhists say they are converts to Buddhism.
Jehovah's Witnesses have the lowest retention rate of any religious tradition. Only 37% of all
those who say they were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses still identify themselves as Jehovah's
Witnesses.