The Land of many faiths

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 479.

Being the country of immigrants, America is usually referred to as the “land of many faiths” as it is one of the most diverse religious societies in the world.

3.1. Judaism.After Christianity, Judaism is the second-largest religious preference in the US. Jews have been present in the US since the 17^th century, though large scale immigration did not take place until the 19^th century, largely as a result of persecutions in parts of Eastern Europe. The CIA Fact Book estimates 7 000 000 of Americans belong to this group. Approximately 25% of this population lives in New York City.[

3.2. Buddhism entered the US during the 19^th century with the arrival of the first immigrants from Eastern Asia. The first Buddhist temple was established in San Francisco in 1853 by Chinese Americans.

During the late 19^th century Buddhist missionaries from Japan came to the US. Simultaneously to these processes, US intellectuals started to take interest in Buddhism.

The first prominent US citizen to publicly convert to Buddhism was Henry Steel Olcott. An event that contributed to strengthen Buddhism in the US was the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893, which was attended by many Buddhist delegates sent from China, Japan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

3.3. Islam. The history of Islam in the US starts in the early 16^th century with the confirmed arrival of Muslim explorer and sailor Estevanico of Azamor and early Muslim visitors. Once very small, the Muslim population has increased greatly in the last one hundred years. There is much controversy over recent estimates of the Muslim population in the US. Much of the growth has been driven by immigration and conversion.

Up to one-third of American Muslims are African Americans who have converted to Islam during the last seventy years, most of whom first joined the Nation of Islam, though many later transitioned into mainstream Sunnism.

3.4. Hinduism.The first time Hinduism entered the US is not clearly identifiable. However, large groups of Hindus immigrated from India and other Asian countries since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. During the 1960s and 1970s Hinduism exercised fascination contributing to the development of New Age thought. During the same decades the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (a Vaishnavite Hindu reform organization) was founded in the US. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed became the first to recite Hindu opening prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC in 2007.

At present, estimates for Hindus in the US suggest they number nearly 800 thousand people or about 0,4% of the total population.