Template:Life in the United States
Missing imageCivil_marriage_is_a_civil_right.JPG Missing imageUS-religion.jpg Percentage of population claimed by religious groups
Religion in the United States is an integral part of the culture of the United States. The U.S. is one of the most religious of all the developed nations of the world. Gallup International reports that 42 percent of American citizens regularly attend religious services, compared to 15 percent of French citizens, 10 percent of UK citizens, and 25 percent of Israeli citizens.
The American religious tradition is primarily Christian, but the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and the diversity of the population means that no one religion holds sway over the entirety of the population. Also, a tradition of separation of church and state developed early in the nation's history contributes to this diversity. Culture "wars" often have roots in religious differences, but religious violence is rare and on a small scale.
The considerable majority of presidents have had some affiliation with Protestant Christianity, several early holders of the office being Deists, with at least four Unitarians and a single Roman Catholic. (See the list of U.S. Presidential religious affiliations.) Politicians frequently discuss their religion when campaigning, and many churches and religious figures are highly politically active, though to keep their status as tax-exempt organizations they must not officially endorse a candidate.
Table of religious bodies in the United States
[Edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Religion_in_the_United_States&action=edit)]
The below table represents selected data as reported to the U.S. Census Bureau. It only includes the voluntary self-reported membership of religious bodies with 60,000 or more. The definition of "church member" is determined by the religious body. It should also be noted that a growing sector of the population (14%)[1] (http://www.census.gov/prod/www/religion.htm) does not identify itself as a member of any religion.
| Religious body
| Year Reported
| Churches Reported
| Membership
(thousands)
| Number of Pastors
|
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | 1999 | 6,200 | 2,500 | (NA)
|
| African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church | 1998 | 3,098 | 1,252 | 2,571
|
| American Baptist Association | 1998 | 1,760 | 275 | 1,740
|
| American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | 1998 | 3,800 | 1,507 | 4,145
|
| Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America | 1998 | 220 | 65 | 263
|
| Armenian Apostolic Church of America | 1998 | 28 | 200 | 25
|
| Assemblies of God | 1998 | 11,937 | 2,526 | 18,148
|
| Baptist Bible Fellowship International | 1997 | 4,500 | 1,200 | (NA)
|
| Baptist General Conference | 1998 | 876 | 141 | (NA)
|
| Baptist Missionary Association of America | 1999 | 1,334 | 235 | 1,525
|
| Buddhist | 1990 | (NA) | 401 | (NA)
|
| Christian and Missionary Alliance, The | 1998 | 1,964 | 346 | 1,629
|
| Christian Brethren (Plymouth Brethren) | 1997 | 1,150 | 100 | (NA)
|
| Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | 1997 | 3,818 | 879 | 3,419
|
| Christian Churches and Churches of Christ | 1998 | 5,579 | 1,072 | 5,525
|
| Christian Congregation, Inc., The | 1998 | 1,438 | 117 | 1,436
|
| Christian Methodist Episcopal Church | 1983 | 2,340 | 719 | (NA)
|
| Christian Reformed Church in North America | 1998 | 733 | 199 | 655
|
| Church of God in Christ | 1991 | 15,300 | 5,500 | 28,988
|
| Church of God of Prophecy | 1997 | 1,908 | 77 | 2,000
|
| Church of God (Anderson, IN) | 1998 | 2,353 | 234 | 3,034
|
| Church of God (Cleveland, TN) | 1995 | 6,060 | 753 | 3,121
|
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 1997 | 10,811 | 4,923 | 32,433
|
| Church of the Brethren | 1997 | 1,095 | 141 | 827
|
| Church of the Nazarene | 1998 | 5,101 | 627 | 4,598
|
| Churches of Christ | 1999 | 15,000 | 1,500 | 14,500
|
| Conservative Baptist Association of America | 1998 | 1,200 | 200 | (NA)
|
| Coptic Orthodox Church | 1992 | 85 | 180 | 65
|
| Cumberland Presbyterian Church | 1998 | 774 | 87 | 634
|
| Episcopal Church | 1996 | 7,390 | 2,365 | 8,131
|
| Evangelical Covenant Church, The | 1998 | 628 | 97 | 607
|
| Evangelical Free Church of America, The | 1995 | 1,224 | 243 | 1,936
|
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 1998 | 10,862 | 5,178 | 9,646
|
| Evangelical Presbyterian Church | 1998 | 187 | 61 | 262
|
| Free Methodist Church of North America | 1998 | 990 | 73 | (NA)
|
| Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International | 1999 | 896 | 275 | 2,070
|
| General Association of General Baptists | 1997 | 790 | 72 | 1,085
|
| General Association of Regular Baptist Churches | 1998 | 1,415 | 102 | (NA)
|
| General Conference Mennonite Brethren Churches | 1996 | 368 | 82 | 590
|
| Grace Gospel Fellowship | 1992 | 128 | 60 | 160
|
| Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America | 1998 | 523 | 1,955 | 596
|
| Hindu | 1990 | (NA) | 227 | (NA)
|
| Independent Fundamental Churches of America | 1999 | 659 | 62 | (NA)
|
| International Church of the Foursquare Gospel | 1998 | 1,851 | 238 | 4,900
|
| International Council of Community Churches | 1998 | 150 | 250 | 182
|
| International Pentecostal Holiness Church | 1998 | 1,716 | 177 | 1,507
|
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 1999 | 11,064 | 1,040 | (NA)
|
| Jewish | 1998 | (NA) | 6,041 | (NA)
|
| Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, The | 1998 | 6,218 | 2,594 | 5,227
|
| Mennonite Church | 1998 | 926 | 92 | (NA)
|
| Muslim/Islamic | 1990 | (NA) | 527 | (NA)
|
| National Association of Congregational Christian Churches | 1998 | 416 | 67 | 534
|
| National Association of Free Will Baptists | 1998 | 2,297 | 210 | 2,800
|
| National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. | 1987 | 2,500 | 3,500 | 8,000
|
| National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. | 1992 | 33,000 | 8,200 | 32,832
|
| National Missionary Baptist Convention of America | 1992 | (NA) | 2,500 | (NA)
|
| Old Order Amish Church | 1993 | 898 | 81 | 3,592
|
| Orthodox Church in America | 1998 | 625 | 1,000 | 700
|
| Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. | 1998 | 1,750 | 1,500 | 4,500
|
| Pentecostal Church of God | 1998 | 1,237 | 104 | (NA)
|
| Presbyterian Church in America | 1997 | 1,340 | 280 | 1,642
|
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 1998 | 11,260 | 3,575 | 9,390
|
| Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. | 1995 | 2,000 | 2,500 | (NA)
|
| Reformed Church in America | 1998 | 902 | 296 | 915
|
| Religious Society of Friends (Conservative). | 1994 | 1,200 | 104 | (NA)
|
| Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | 1998 | 1,236 | 140 | 19,319
|
| Roman Catholic Church in the United States, The | 1998 | 19,584 | 62,018 | 45,000
|
| Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, The | 1996 | 37 | 65 | 37
|
| Salvation Army, The | 1998 | 1,388 | 471 | 2,920
|
| Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Canada | 1986 | 68 | 67 | 60
|
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | 1998 | 4,405 | 840 | 2,454
|
| Southern Baptist Convention | 1998 | 40,870 | 15,729 | 71,520
|
| Unitarian Universalist | 1990 | (NA) | 502 | (NA)
|
| United Church of Christ | 1998 | 6,017 | 1,421 | 4,317
|
| United Methodist Church, The | 1998 | 36,170 | 8,400 | (NA)
|
| Wesleyan Church, The | 1998 | 1,590 | 120 | 1,806
|
| Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod | 1997 | 1,240 | 411 | 1,222
|
See also
