The dominant religions in the USA

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 427.

Separation of Church and State

Early in their history, Americans rejected the concept of the established or government-favored religion that had dominated. Thus, separation of church and state is a key concept in American government and culture. Separation of church and state was ordained by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides in part that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....”.

The largest religion in the US is Christianity, practiced by the majority of the population (nearly 76.5% in 2001). Roughly 51,3% of Americans are Protestants, 23,9% are Catholics, and 1,7% are Mormons (the name commonly used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and 1,6% to various other Christian denominations. Christianity was introduced during the period of European colonization.

2.1. The Protestants. One of the first permanent settlements in what became the North American colonies was founded by English Puritans, Calvinists who had been outsiders in their homeland, where the Church of England was established. So Protestants were the dominant religion in the early days. Protestants remain a powerful religious 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.

2.2. The Roman Catholics. 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.

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).

2.3. 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, creating Salt Lake City. 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, often in other countries.

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.