Religious organizations of America. Adventist Doctrine

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Pomeranian State University named after M.V. Lomonosov

Faculty of Foreign Languages

R ol r eligi And in USA

Arkhangelsk

Introduction

Religion, to one degree or another, is connected with the spiritual life of society as a whole: with the ultimate meaning of existence, issues of life and death, and with the regulation of everyday behavior. All religions taught love for neighbors, freedom from the slavery of things, the ability to control oneself, and firmly believe in truth and moral values.

Religion in the United States traditionally plays a big role. At all times, America has been a virgin land for many religions, and due to the non-interference of the state in religious practice, the United States has become a very convenient haven for small foreign sects.

The topic of religion in the United States is and will remain relevant, since religious organizations are actively involved in solving social and public problems; in addition, religion has a huge influence on political life countries.

A striking feature of the religious culture of the United States is the diversity of religions, which is closely related to the history of the country.

1. From the history of the American church

The diversity of religions in the United States is closely related to the religious life of the indigenous people of America, the colonial past and the flow of settlers.

By the time of colonization, the bulk of the Indians of North America had reached relatively high level cultural development. Information about religious rites North American Indians are very extensive: from reports of early travelers and Jesuit missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries. to systematic research by ethnographers.

Speaking about the generic forms of cult among the American Indians, it should be emphasized that in almost no tribe it was not a cult of ancestors. Remnants of totemism are closely associated with elements of the ancestral cult. In America we no longer find totemism in its classical form.

The dominant form of cult among the American Indians was not a clan cult, but a tribal cult. The content of this tribal cult was primarily the veneration of the forces and elements of nature. Among the forces of nature, the sun stood in first place, for example, there was a holiday dedicated to the sun, which was solemnly and magnificently celebrated and was called the “sun dance.” The performance of all the main rituals was timed to coincide with it. The most important part of the rituals consisted of savage actions such as self-hanging on belts threaded through the skin and muscles. In addition, chronology was carried out at this point.

The Indians almost did not know real sacrifices in the proper sense of the word. Some researchers directly pointed out that the Indians were too poor to make valuable sacrifices. But the sacrifices were replaced by the widespread custom of self-torture, which was considered as sacrifices to the deity. The most savage self-torture was sometimes used as rituals pleasing to the spirits. Relatively rare, but there have still been cases when North American Indians They sacrificed not only their things, but also people to the elements and natural phenomena.

The forms of burial in America are very diverse. They are also associated with quite diverse ideas about the afterlife. In some places the belief in rebirth is noted. But the prevailing belief was that people in the afterlife will continue the same life they led before death. These ideas about the afterlife, although fairly defined, did not play a primary role. Religious beliefs focused not on the future, but on this life. The whole purpose of cultic practice is to ensure success in earthly life.

To summarize the review of the religion of most American Indian tribes, we can say that its characteristic feature is the idea of ​​the supernatural, which is close to every person, but is already quite sharply separated from the material world. There were no sanctuaries or temples, especially permanent ones. For periodic festivities, temporary religious huts and huts were used. There was no formalized priesthood; its role was played by shamans and healers; adoption of this profession was not regulated, but voluntary. There was absolutely no cult of leaders; this reflected the special democracy of the entire way of life of the Indians.

The atrocities committed by the American colonialists resulted in unique forms of religious reform movements. The essence of these religions was the desire to revive the old rituals of the Indians, supplementing them with some ideas borrowed from Christianity or other religions. The central place in the preaching of these prophets was occupied by the idea of ​​a messiah, a deliverer of Indian tribes from foreign yoke. In many cases, this idea was supplemented by the doctrine of resurrection, adopted from Christianity. Of course, these attempts at the religious-renovation movement, which had political underpinnings, were completely hopeless. But they are extremely interesting as a phenomenon that is not unique to America. At first, spontaneous protest against colonial oppression took the form of a religious renewal movement.

Most of the colonists were Protestants, and it was their traditions that had a significant influence on American society. Although many conflicts arose between religious organizations, for example, the population of Virginia included members of the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church reproached the iconoclastics who lived in the colony.

Another large group that arrived in 1630 were the Puritans, who wanted to cleanse the church. They were more tolerant and believed that faith in God is the path to the salvation of the soul.

The first Catholics arrived in America in the 16th century, missionaries from Spain, Portugal and France. They founded churches in the south and west of the country. In the 18th century there was a change in emphasis, which was associated with a new wave of emigrants. It was during this time that most Americans began to actively attend church.

Religious plurality grew in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries with emigrants arriving from Europe, Latin America and Asia. Religions such as Hinduism and Islam appeared. The Western Orthodox Church was founded by emigrants from Russia, Greece and Armenia. But their strict rules were not accepted by the Americans, which led to hostility towards the new arrivals.

2. Religious movements

The majority of believers in the United States are Christians of various denominations. Protestants make up 56% of believers, Catholics 28%, Jews 2%, other religious communities make up 4%. The number of Muslims is rapidly increasing at the expense of African Americans.

“New Age religions” are a symptomatic and characteristic product of the spiritual life of the modern West. In the 60s there was a real boom in religious organizations. So in the USA their number has already far exceeded a thousand. Between 3 and 5 million Americans—mostly young people—take part in the activities of these “cults.” And so, the USA became the birthplace of many churches and sects. The most famous are the Church of the Disciples of Christ (founded in the early 19th century), the Church of Jesus Christ last days(Mormons, founded in 1830), Seventh-day Adventists (founded in 1863), Jehovah's Witnesses (founded in 1872)... And yet the majority of Protestant communities of European origin are Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans. The religious life of the United States includes Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Mennonite (including Amish), Reformist, Unitarian, Quaker, and various brotherhoods. There are Orthodox churches.

MORMONS, the common name for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the scientific and theological literature, it has received contradictory, sometimes mutually exclusive characteristics, ranging from definitions of Mormonism as a neo-Protestant church of a conservative persuasion, and ending with the characteristics of the Mormon organization as a syncretic neo-pagan occult sect with a chiliastic bias, or as a new religion, enriched with occult temple ritual, in which the appeal to the Christian-biblical principle is only of an external decorative nature. The homeland of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the United States; the main center is in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mormonism occupies a marginal position among traditional Christian denominations. The special position of Mormons in the religious movement, their relationship to the Christian world and the response of Christian denominations to the Mormon community are determined by the history of the creation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and characteristic features her creed.

Mormonism understands itself in the context of theological concepts, according to which it is the main executor of the providential plan for the spread of Christianity from East to West. All other religious creeds continue to be captivated by false prophets and aspirations. The powerful messianic idea of ​​the Mormons is supported, firstly, by the functionally developed organizational structure of the church, based on the principles of “universal priesthood” (rejects the traditional division into laity and clergy) and the equality of all before God, and secondly, by the missionary program: almost every Mormon parishioner is preacher.

The mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to help people come to God. Subordinated to the implementation of the mission organizational structure churches. The main structural unit of the Mormon Church is the parish. Its number usually does not exceed 250-500 people. Field work is the most important task of parish missionary work. As soon as the parish grows and reaches such a limit that it becomes difficult to manage, it is automatically divided in half. And this is repeated several times. The head of the parish is the president and two advisers to the president. As soon as the number of parishes in a given territory increases significantly, a special organizational unit arises, called a “stake.” The stake is also headed by a president and his two assistants. In those areas where there were no Mormon structures, a mission is initially formed with elders leading propaganda, the purpose of which is to organize parishes, and then “stakes”.

The influence of America's famous democracy extends to every segment social society and is clearly expressed in a difficult issue - religion in the USA. Freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution and Americans fully enjoy their legal right. There are a lot of religious denominations in the United States and they all have their adherents. In general, there are about 85% of believers in the country, where approximately 79% associate themselves with one of the branches of Christianity.

The role of religion in American life

Religion and church occupy one of the priority places in the lives of Americans. Therefore, we can confidently say that the vast majority of US residents treat the issue of religion with great respect. Here it is customary for the whole family to attend church and invite the clergyman to a funeral, wedding or communion. However, religion in America for many is a banal opportunity to go to churches, like a club of interests, while for others it is to truly believe in God.

In the United States, church and state are separated. According to a historical amendment to the constitution, since 1791, no religion can be elevated to the rank of state religion. This is due to the fact that the country was gradually populated by people from all over the world, and each diaspora sought to carefully preserve national customs. Therefore, it is impossible to give a definite answer to the question about a specific religion in the United States.

What kind of faith do Americans have?

Thanks to the multinationality of the American people, different directions beliefs. In the United States of America adherents coexist peacefully:

• neo-Protistan and pseudo-Protistan movements;
• Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant religions;
• Indian and African American communities;
• evangelical Christians;
• mainline Protestants;
• Mormons;
• Buddhists;
• Jehovah witnesses;
• Muslims;
• other Christian beliefs.

There are numerous (relative to the number of parishioners) Church of Satan and other orthodox denominations. Approximately 1.6% of citizens, mostly young people, consider themselves atheists, and this figure is steadily growing.

The question of which religion is the most widespread in the United States can be given a comprehensive answer. The most dominant faiths are considered to be Catholicism (over 23% of believers) and Protestantism (more than 51% of adherents). In the 20th century, the Catholic Church was actively involved in political issues: it opposed the Vietnam War and tried to positively influence the problem of nuclear safety. For example, the US bishops in 1978 expressed wishes for a strategic arms limitation treaty.

Most widespread religion in the USA

The Protestant Church was no less involved in the life of the United States, given the fact that it is the largest religious denomination in the country. Protestantism is a separate branch of Christianity with prevailing tendencies modern approach to sacred texts. Supporters of popular religion try to rethink dogmas and adapt them to reality.

Regardless of the question of what faith Americans have, any denomination tries to preserve historical traditions and cultures, despite the growing flow of emigrants from different countries. There were certain disagreements, splits in beliefs, for example, in the Lutheran and Protestant churches during civil war in the United States, when the northern Lutheran Church advocated the gradual abolition of slavery. In general, there have been no major religious conflicts in the United States.

November 21, 1620 off Cape Cod in North America A ship called the Mayflower dropped anchor. Several dozen people came ashore and would become the founders of a new nation.

The family leaders signed an agreement: from now on, all members of the community will work together to build their own world with their own laws. On December 25, Christmas Day, the settlers began building the village. Thus began the history of the United States of America.

In the New World they fled from religious persecution

In the XVI-XVII centuries. Europe was burning in the fire of religious wars. People were persecuted for their beliefs. The fires of the Inquisition were burning.

Reformation - movement to rebuild the Catholic Church

Religious movements that broke away from the Catholic Church began to be called Protestant. Despite their united anti-Catholic position, Protestants were unable to come to an agreement with each other and began to passionately persecute not only Catholics, but also all those who did not belong to a specific Protestant movement.

this year Columbus discovered America, the new continent began to be explored

It is not known what the fate of the persecuted would have been, but in 1492 Columbus discovered America. During the 16th century. they began to explore the new continent.

Oppressed people who did not want to live in constant fear and struggle for their beliefs saw an opportunity to build their own society and live as they saw fit.

The history of the United States began with small religious communities.

America was populated by adherents of a variety of religions

The large territory of the New World allowed countries of different cultures and religions to grab their piece. The settlers brought their traditions, customs and faith. This left its mark on the spread of religion in the United States.

The East and Northeast of the United States were populated by Protestants fleeing religious persecution. The South-West and South-East inherited Catholicism from Spain and France. Northwest for a long time was Orthodox. The desert areas in the center of the country became a convenient environment for the growth of various Christian sects.

Jews fleeing persecution brought Judaism. Instability in the Middle East in the second half of the 19th century. brought Islam to American soil. Along with black slaves came voodoo cults.

A tiny number of surviving Indians profess ancient animistic beliefs.

In the USA there is complete freedom of religion, and the church is separated from the state

The relationship between church and state was established immediately after the US victory in the Revolutionary War. The First Amendment to the Constitution of 1791 states:

The church in America is separated from the state. There is no state religion in the United States. There are no government statistics on the number of believers and their religious affiliation; the answer to the question “Which faith in the United States has the most followers” ​​is provided by private sociological firms.

Half of the country's population professes Protestantism

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant - WASP - synonymous with the concept of “real American”

Supporters of the first Protestant denominations found refuge in the New World. Now there are dozens of them: Anglicans, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Baptists, Adventists, Quakers, Methodists, Perfectionists...

Human Protestant faith, today live in the USA

For the most part, Protestants deny Holy Tradition, icons, saints, relics, church organization, priesthood, and Sacraments other than baptism and communion.

There are the most Baptists in America: 50 million people, a third of the total number of all Protestants. Baptists advocate the separation of church and state, freedom of conscience, do not drink, are baptized only in adulthood, and are active opponents of contraception and abortion. Baptist families usually have many children.

The largest Baptist organization in the United States is the Southern Baptist Convention.

The number of representatives of so-called non-denominational churches is growing rapidly. In their views, these are typical Protestant churches that have brought to the absolute the principle of congregationalism - the doctrine of the autonomy of each individual community of believers.

Denomination is an intermediate position between church and sect

In total, there are 20-25 million parishioners of non-denominational churches in the United States.

After the Baptists come the Methodists and Pentecostals. Each of the faiths has 15-20 million people.

Methodists affirm the possibility of salvation in earthly life and speak of good deeds as the fruits of faith. Good deeds must be done for people, so Methodists actively participate in public life.

Pentecostals arose on the basis of the teachings of the Methodists. They introduced the practice of glossolalia into worship. Later, charismatics broke away from the Pentecostals, emphasizing miracles in their teaching and calling for modernization of worship. The name was taken from the holiday of Pentecost.

Glossolalia - uttering inarticulate sounds during prayer

The very first ones hold their positions firmly Protestant denominations: Lutheranism, Calvinism (in the form of Presbyterianism) and Anglicanism.

Many Protestant churches advocate ecumenism - the maximum rapprochement and unification of all Christian denominations.

Catholics hold a confident second place

Christianity in the United States is not limited to Protestantism. Mass immigration of Irish, Poles and Italians in the 19th-20th centuries. brought Catholicism from a small isolated group of believers into a serious socio-religious force.

Catholics

Today in the USA, 22% of the population are Catholics

Now Catholic Church in America consists of 33 archdioceses and 145 dioceses with a total number of parishioners of 70 million people, or 22% of the population. Due to the clearly carried out missionary work, adherents of the Catholic Church are evenly distributed throughout the United States.

Liberalism in matters of religion allows the existence of a variety of teachings

Protestantism denies Sacred Tradition. The source is only Holy Bible. Scripture can only be interpreted on the basis of Scripture itself. This has given rise to a lot of interpretations and religious organizations that preach these interpretations.

A sect is a religious movement that differs from the official one

Supporters of the most different ideas. The United States itself became home to many Christian sects, the most famous of which were the Mormons and the notorious Jehovah's Witnesses.

Mormons are one of the most influential sects in the United States

The remote desert of Utah became the nest of one of the most famous, influential and wealthy sects - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The sect was founded by Joseph Smith in the first quarter of the 19th century. He claimed that after the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish tribe of Manasseh moved overseas. At first people lived well and happily, but then they quarreled, divided into two camps, and started a war.

There can be no winners in such a war: God punished the sinners and made them redskins. This is how the Indians appeared.

Joseph Smith in the first quarter of the 19th century. founded the sect and published the sacred Book of Mormons

Smith claimed that an angel appeared to him and pointed out the place where the writings of a certain ancient chronicler Mormon were buried and told Smith to translate them. After some time, Smith published these writings - this is how the main sacred book of Mormons appeared - the Book of Mormon.

Mormons do not drink coffee or tea or watch TV. They have large families: Mormons honor traditions and continuity of generations. Ardent opponents of abortion.

They are active in missionary work: Mormon preachers operate all over the world.

Polygamy used to be common among Mormons

Mormons officially own a ton of real estate and, despite their relatively small numbers (6.5 million people, or about two percent), wield enormous influence in the United States.

There are also Orthodox Christians in America

There are many Orthodox Christians in America. Most of them - approximately 500 thousand people - belong to the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

1 million - this is the number of Orthodox Christians counted by American sociologists

The second largest is the Orthodox Church in America, which received autocephaly in 1970 from the Moscow Patriarchate. She cares for almost 90 thousand people.

Two other Orthodox churches - Antioch and Serbian - serve Arab and Serbian Orthodox communities and number 70 thousand people each.

The United States of America is an advanced country with highly developed industry and science. The world's leading electronics brands originate here, information technologies, in many other areas.

It would seem that in such conditions there is no time or place for religious views. Nevertheless, the religious composition of the United States is quite large and diverse, and even to such an extent that America can well be called a country of religious people.

Is America a religious country?

Church in America has been separated from state since 1791, when the amendment to the Constitution was enacted (December 15). According to this amendment, no denomination can be considered state, that is, official, as in Great Britain. This is what the country's founding fathers quite rightly thought. This amendment plays an important role in America, a country where people from all over the world live permanently.

Elevating any of the religions to the rank of state would create many difficulties for a huge part of the country's population.

America was settled by visitors from many countries of the world. Each diaspora brought to the country the characteristics of its culture, customs and, of course, religion. In this country, each nationality managed to carefully preserve its identity, and this despite the fact that they all together form a new historical community - the American people.

So to the question “What is the religion in the USA?” There cannot be an exact, unambiguous answer, and this question itself will be incorrect, since religion in America is an unusually diverse and unique phenomenon.

However, another question remains: how religious are North Americans?

Religion occupies a special and very strong place in the life of Americans. They constantly go to church with the whole family, take Communion, get married, and have funerals with the participation of a priest.

But for most Americans, church is something like a club of interests. Therefore, believers must be distinguished from religious people.

In general, religiosity in the United States is essentially consolidated, although not at an entirely official level. You just need to remember the dollar bill, which has a very characteristic inscription “In God We Trust” that speaks volumes. This is the official motto of the country, Republican Party and the state of Florida.

Religious composition of the American population

So, there is no official, that is, state religion in the States - this is enshrined in the Constitution of the country, moreover, the religious composition of the population is so diverse that the introduction of a state religion would certainly cause a lot of discontent among the population.

And if so, then, as the founders intended, no interreligious conflicts arise in the cities of the country. Peacefully side by side:

• religious communities of African Americans and Indians;
• various currents of pseudo-Protestant and neo-Protestant persuasion;
• small closed communities in small secluded towns where time seemed to stand still;
• major religious movements - such as Protestant, Orthodox or Catholic;
• quite numerous (in terms of number of members) Church of Satan;
• and many others.

If you believe Wikipedia, then we can say that the main, largest religion in the country is still Christian.

That is, the majority of the population confess Jesus Christ as their Savior. Representatives of other major world religions also live in the country - Jews, Muslims, Hare Krishnas, Buddhists and even Shintoists, but these religious movements are small in number.

But Christian denominations are very diverse, multiple and numerous:

• The main, that is, the largest, religion here is considered to be the Protestant religion - Protestantism is professed by more than half of the US population.
• About a quarter of the population are Catholics.
• The Russian Orthodox Church plays a rather noticeable role in the spiritual life of the country - many immigrants from the USSR, Russia and other countries live in the States post-Soviet space, and they also have the opportunity to fulfill their religious needs.

They are in great demand Orthodox churches in New York - they hold religious services in pure Orthodox traditions adopted in Russia. Addresses of Russian churches in various cities of the country, if necessary, can be found in any specialized directory, so residents of the country with Slavic roots may well have the opportunity to visit one of them.

And in general, Orthodox America and the Church occupy quite a strong position and play an important role in shaping the spiritual life of America, and the Diocese of the Orthodox Church is quite influential.

Catholicism in America

As mentioned above, Catholics in America make up about a quarter of the total population. The religious composition of the country is somewhat uneven across the states, with the fewest Catholics in the south. The majority of them are found only in Louisiana (these are descendants of immigrants from France), in Texas, that is, where many immigrants from Latin America permanently reside, and in Kentucky.

But in the northern states there are many Catholics. Their influence is especially noticeable in major cities- in Boston, New York and Chicago. But this does not mean that there are no Catholics in other regions of the country - Catholic churches are everywhere, and many of them are of significant architectural and historical value.

Protestantism – plurality and diversity

History says that the New World was populated mainly by those who, due to religious beliefs, could no longer remain in Europe, that is, in the Old World. Basically, these were active, enterprising people who did not agree with the bureaucratization of the traditional Catholic Church of those times - Protestants. They were persecuted by the church authorities, who had enormous power and influence at that time, and therefore they very willingly took part in expeditions overseas, moved to America, and explored new lands. Strictly speaking, America owes its prosperity to them - they were the first.

It is not surprising that the first religious communities were Protestant, and now the main religious movement in America is Protestantism.

Worship in the American Army

America is characterized by very strong and long-established religious traditions, and therefore the military command strives to create all the conditions for the fulfillment of the religious needs of military personnel. The American armed forces introduced a special institute of chaplains, and worship in the army has long become a completely ordinary, everyday occurrence.

There are no restrictions on racial or religious grounds for selecting military personnel.

That is why it is believed that meeting the needs of military personnel in communicating with God is very important, and the presence of a chaplain can maintain morale in the troops, so that the number of priests in almost all branches of the military is tried to be maintained in quantities sufficient to fulfill the religious needs of military personnel.

Features of Protestant services

For those who are accustomed to attending an Orthodox church, services in Protestant parishes may seem somewhat unusual and unusual. A typical worship service in one of the Protestant churches in San Francisco or in any other city in the country necessarily includes the singing of religious hymns accompanied by a real musical group. Performance styles may vary.

The Russian-speaking Baptist church, for example, is distinguished by a certain severity of style, and this is not only the singing of hymns, but also the manner of behavior, relationships between people - in short, the whole style of life. Such, for example, is the Slavic Baptist Church of Salvation in Seattle. One is struck by the certain rigor of the services, the atmosphere of humility and the well-developed work with young people.

Among the Baptist Russian-speaking churches one can also name:

• Bethel Church;
• Grace Church in Vancouver;
• Mount Spokane Church USA;
• Pilgrim Church (Spokane);
• a lot others.

Some Baptist parishes have spread their influence to other countries. Grace churches, for example, are found in Europe, Russia, Belarus and many other places.

In addition to the Baptist, there are Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and some others in the country.

Another thing is the parishes of the neo-Protestant wave, the list of which in America is not so short. Their main difference from Baptists is the all-encompassing joy that everyone who believes in Jesus and accepts His Sacrifice on the Cross as a great gift will be saved. In such parishes there is always liveliness, people enjoy communicating with each other. In this environment, Jesus is revered as alive and rejoices in the fact that He is present among those who have gathered for worship, which has become as close as possible to the majority of people.

Glorifying Jesus is a vital part of traditional worship in neo-Protestant churches. Serving in a worship group is considered honorable and important and is not trusted by everyone, even a professional musician.

Church, business and television

Basically, religion in the USA is a very developed and advanced business with multi-million dollar income. This is how it differs from the church in Russia. Famous religious figures conduct television sermons and organize unique game shows. But the goal of television preachers is not at all to reconcile people with God, but to encourage them to make donations, that is, to “pay” for their salvation.

Some enterprising people specifically found religious organizations, which, according to American law, are completely exempt from taxes. It is generally accepted that this is one of the fastest and most reliable ways to become a rich person.

Sunday schools and other educational programs

Religious life abroad, especially in America, is literally in full swing. In many cities across the country, especially small ones, almost every resident attends church, and those who wish attend Sunday school classes.

Church parishes everywhere are becoming centers of communication and social life. Religious holidays are held and are extremely popular among the population.

There are also Sunday schools in kindergartens, and many colleges actively cooperate with religious organizations.

Religious education is widely developed in the States, although the vast majority of such educational institutions- Christian. And the most interesting thing: civil position the average American does not conflict with his religious views.

The USA is a country where religion is free. Meanwhile, historically it so happened that people immigrated to the United States more supporters first of the Catholic Church, and then of everything else. And unlike the Church of Europe, this one did not interfere in politics or select everyone. Due to this, religion began to spread extremely quickly and now in the United States almost 88% of the entire population considers themselves to be religious. And from 21 to 41% of the population go to church at least once a week.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution determines that there can be no state religion in the US and guarantees freedom of religion in the US. In addition, the USA is the only country in which you can meet representatives of almost all religions. The percentage of the population that is religious varies from state to state. For example, the South of the United States has the largest number of believers, which is why it is called the “Bible Belt.” This “belt” also has a large number of immigrants. This belt includes the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

And here larger number atheists observed in the western United States are: Oregon and Washington, as well as Colorado and Wyoming.

The most common religions in the USA

Fortunately or unfortunately, the US Census does not ask questions about religiosity, so information on the religion of citizens is collected non-governmental organizations. Therefore, it may fluctuate and may not be accurate. However, by listening to different sources, you can compile approximate statistics: Christianity - about 78% of the US population

Atheists or agnostics - about 15% of the US population

· Judaism - about 2% of the US population

· Islam - about 1.5% of the US population

· Buddhism - about 0.8% of the US population

· Hinduism - about 0.4% of the US population

Also interesting is the distribution of religious affiliation among racial and ethnic groups USA:

Map of religious predominance by county in the United States

Christianity in the USA

Most of the US population believes in Christianity. In turn, most of them are Protestants - this is approximately 51% of the total US population or 158 million people. Second among Christians are 25% of the total population or approximately 75 million people. In third place are denominations belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (that is, Mormons), who make up approximately 1.7% of the US population, or 5.5 million US people.

The wide spread of Christianity is due to the fact that Christianity was the first religion to come to the United States. Since it was most widespread in Europe, and Europeans colonized the “new world,” that is, America.

Largest denominations christian church in USA:

· Catholic Church - over 75 million people

Southern Baptist Convention - over 16 million people

· United Methodist Church - about 8 million people

· Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) - over 5.5 million people

· Church of God in Christ - about 5.5 million people

For Orthodox Christians, there is a church " Orthodox Church", which unites all Christians. And its main monarch bears the title “Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada.”

However, the number of Christians is declining. For example, in the 1990s, the number of Christians accounted for 86% of the total population, and in 2001 their number was 78.6%, and today it is 78% and falling.

Crystal Cathedral Reformed (Protestant) Church in Garden Grove, California, USA

Judaism in the USA

Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York

The second place among the US religions is Judaism, which is professed by about 16% of the total population. And practically everyone visits the synagogue at least once a month.

Moreover, every sixth person who professes this religion consumes kosher products.

Most of the Jews are in the North of the country.

The majority of believers are predominantly Ashkenazi Jews, descendants of immigrants from Central and of Eastern Europe. But not either most of of these are Sephardic Jews who mainly immigrate from Spain, Portugal or North Africa.

It is worth noting that not all American Jews practice Judaism. But the popularity of Judaism is growing among Jews, even though most of them are Protestants.

Islam in the USA

Islamic Center of America in Michigan

The third place among the religions of the United States is occupied by Islam, the most fashionable and rapidly spreading religion in the world.

It spread thanks to African slaves, most of whom professed Islam, as well as immigrants from Arab countries. In particular from southern regions Ottoman Empire. In 1915, the first mosque in the United States was built in Maine.

Islam began to gain popularity in America in the 30s of the last century. The reason for this was Wallace Fard Muhammad. He created the Nation of Islam, a racist Muslim organization of black Americans in Detroit, Michigan. The Nation of Islam misrepresented religion and claimed that "Allah is God, the white man is the devil, and black people are the cream of the planet Earth." Well, as you might imagine, he began to gain rapid popularity among blacks. Actions of this kind immediately caused alarm among both the US authorities and the white population. In connection with this, the “Nation of Islam” moved away from such radical opinions and turned into one of the traditional movements of Islam.

Moreover, his supporters were influential people who know how to influence the masses. Among them, Malcolm Little, known as “Malcolm X”, and the famous boxer Cassius Clay, who changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam, stood out.

Later, the growth of the popularity of Islam was due, in large part, to immigrants from the regions in which it was most widespread. These are Pakistan, Arab countries, countries of southern Asia, etc.

Buddhism in the USA

Hsi Lai Temple, a Buddhist monastery in Los Angeles, California

Buddhism is the fourth most common religion in the United States. The majority of Buddhists in the United States are Asian Americans, but there are many adherents of Buddhism among other ethnic groups in the United States.

Buddhism appeared in the United States in the 19th century, when immigration from East Asia. The first Buddhist temple in the United States was built in San Francisco in 1853 by Chinese Americans.

In the eighties years XIX century, Chinese immigration to the United States was legally limited, but around these years the number of immigrants to the United States from Japan increased, and at the beginning of the 20th century, from Korea. The number of Buddhists in the United States was growing.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, interest in Buddhism grew significantly among the US intelligentsia.

The first famous American to convert to Buddhism was Henry Steel Olcott. A native of New Jersey, a colonel, and a lawyer, in 1875, together with Helena Blavatsky, he organized the Theosophical Society, a well-known international public organization that still exists today.

One of the most famous Buddhists in the United States in our time - Hollywood actor Richard Gere.