Religious groups in the U.S.A.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 494.

The U.S. government has never supported an established church, and the diversity of the population has discouraged any tendency toward uniformity in worship. Well over 1,200 religious bodies thrive within the country. Some are the products of native development — among them the Disciples of Christ (founded in the early 19th century), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons; 1830), Seventh-day Adventists (officially established 1863), Jehovah's Witnesses (1872), and Christian Scientists (1879).

Others had their origins in the Old World, but even these have taken distinctive American forms. Roman Catholics (about a third of the U.S. population) look to Rome for guidance; but some national parishes recognise local distinctions, and there are variations in practice from diocese to diocese. Some 6,000,000 Jews are affiliated with three national organisations (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform) as well as with many smaller sects. Most Protestant denominations also have European roots, the largest being the Baptists, Methodists, and Lutherans. Among other groups are Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, various Eastern churches (including Orthodox), Congregationalists, Reformed, various Brethren, Unitarians and the Friends (Quakers). More recently, substantial numbers of Americans, native and immigrant, have been drawn to Islam and to Buddhism.

questions ———————————————————————

1. How many religious bodies are there in the country?

2. What religious bodies are of native origin?

3. What other origins of religious bodies can you name?

4. What are the recent tendencies in worship in the U.S.?