Nataliia Tsyhan, 411
 Religion in the United States is remarkable in its high
adherence level compared to other developed
countries.
 The government does not have any authority in
religion, so it means the free exercise of religion.
 Many faiths have flourished in the United States and
have led the United States to become the most
religiously diverse country in the world.
 Historically, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the
two major parties polarized along ethnic and religious
grounds. In the North, most Protestants were Whigs or
Republicans; most Catholics were Democrats. In the
South, from the 1860s to the 1980s, most whites were
Democrats (after 1865) and most blacks were
Republicans.
 The majority of Americans identify themselves as
Christians (71%), while non-Christian religions
(including Islam, Judaism, Hindiusm, and others)
collectively make up about 6% of the adult population.
Another 23% of the adult population identified as
having no religious affiliation.
 The United States has more Christians than any other
country in the world. Going forward from its foundation,
the United States has been called a Protestant nation by a
variety of sources.
What is Protestantism?
 It originated with the 16th century Reformation.
Protestants reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal
supremacy and sacraments, but disagree among
themselves regarding the real presence of Christ in the
Eucharist.
 They emphasize the priesthood of all believers,
justification by faith alone rather than by good works, and
the highest authority of the Bible alone (rather than with
sacred tradition) in faith and morals.
 Politicians frequently discuss their religion when
campaigning, and many churches and religious figures
are highly politically active.
 There are Christians in both the Democratic Party and
the Republican Party, but evangelical Christians tend
to support the Republican Party whereas more liberal
Christians, Catholics and secular voters tend to
support the Democratic Party.