Religion in american culture

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Religion
in
american culture
Ия-01-19
Кристина Петрова

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• Religion in the United States is characterized by a
wide diversity in religious beliefs and practices
and a high level of adherence. As a multicultural
country of immigrants, with people of hundreds of
different ethnic backgrounds, the United States
has now become one of the most religiously diverse
nations on the globe. The majority of Americans
admit that religion plays an extremely important
role in their lives.

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History of Religion in
the United States
• The notion of religious freedom has played a crucial
role in the history of the United States. The first
colonists came to America to escape the religious
stronghold of their specific country and the forced
beliefs imposed on them by state-run churches.
America was the first western nation to be founded
predominantly by Protestants, rather than Roman
Catholics. The religious history in the United States
includes the emergence of utopian experiments,
religious fanaticism, and a welcoming of foreign and
exotic religions.

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Native Americans and
Religion
• The earliest known religions in what is now the
United States were that of the Native Americans.
Throughout the country, Indian tribes rejoiced in
the bounty provided to them by the Great Spirit.
These religions were celebrated with ornate and
elaborate rituals that included dances. The rituals
were created and overseen by some of the greatest
leaders of the various tribes.

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Religious Splintering in
America
• In the 16 century, King Henry VIII of England
founded the Anglican Church. In later attempts to
achieve freedom from the rules imposed by this staterun church, denominations. These early Protestant
denominations gave birth to the next wave of
Christian movements. Reforms were brought by the
Puritans to the American colonies in the 17 century.
The Puritan movement would later splinter further
into the Baptists and Congregationalists, followed by
the emergence of the Methodists, Pentecostals,
Fundamentalists and Adventists.

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The Origins of the
Evangelical Movement
• Throughout America’s history, Evangelism has
played a significant role. In the 1740s, the Great
Awakening movement emerged, where white
Protestant evangelists preached to the black
Americans. Perhaps the most successful
evangelists were the Methodists, who preached
about a God that was “near rather than distant,”
as well as self-help and the liberation of sin
through conversion. They spread their message
with lively singing and preaching at camp revivals,
and during the 19 century.

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Protestant Denominations
in Early America
• Christianity, particularly Protestantism, spread
quickly throughout the country during the first
half of its history. Hundreds of specific Protestant
denominations were formed during this time:
• Puritanism
• Methodism
• Lutheranism
• Presbyterian
• Quakers

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• Although other Christian denominations,
including the Roman Catholic Church and
Eastern Orthodoxy, also left their stamp on
America’s religious history, the early Protestant
faiths helped to shape America’s society and
ensured the religious freedom Americans enjoy
today.

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Major Religious
Traditions in the U.S.
• Among all American adults, 78.4 percent self
identify as Christians. Of course, within the
Christian faith there are hundreds of
denominations, some of which are listed below,
along with the percentage of Americans that
adhere to them:

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Religious Trends in the
United States
• Nowadays the importance of religion in the lives of
some Americans diminishes as they become adults,
and in younger adults, religion is playing a
decreasing role in their lives in present day
society.
• Like in most developed countries today, the fastest
growing category in terms of America’s religious
groups is actually the “unaffiliated category.