Freedom of Religious Beliefs
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 396.
Since Americans are free to form and follow any religious belief or religion they wish, there are a great many beliefs, denominations, and churches in the United States. The Roman Catholic church is by far the single largest, with about 52 million members. Although there are approximately 78 million Americans who might call themselves "Protestants," they are distributed among many different, independent churches. There is no one church or church group that speaks for all Protestants or would be listened to by all. Each group, rather, supports itself. It employs its own ministers, builds its own buildings, and follows its own beliefs.
In comparison with many other western countries, the influence of religion on public and political institutions in the United States is minimal. The size of America, the tradition of religious toleration, and the separation of church and state by law, as well as the extreme variety of religious backgrounds of Americans have prevented religion from gaining much influence on politics.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES
1.Compare the relationship between state and church in the U.S. and your country. Ask your classmates to tell you what they know of such relationship in other countries.
2.Discuss the relatedness between religion and politics today and its historical perspective; for instance which conflicts or even wars were caused by religious differences. Or were they?
| <== previous lecture | | | next lecture ==> |
| Return to Religion? | | | Remember these words and words combinations |