Religion in the us
America is a highly religious country, and has been since its earliest days. Nearly every religion in the world has adherents or organized institutions in the United States. American religious institutions are large, powerful and influential in social and political life. Even Americans who are members of no established religion are likely to believe in God. According to a Gallup opinion survey, nearly all Americans, 98% of them, believe in a higher power, compared to 84% in Switzerland, 73% in France and 60% in Sweden.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the first of the “Bill of Rights,” states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” These restrictions on federal action also apply to the states and their subdivisions. The “establishment of religion” clause lays down the doctrine of “separation of church and state.” Strictly speaking, it means that the United States was to have no state church, as was the case at the time in England (and still is the case). The more accurate way of putting it would be to call it the “nothing to do with religion” doctrine. Government under this concept governs with the consent of the people. The people have full religious freedom.
The United States has the largest Christian population of any country on earth. Although the proportion of Christians saw a slight decline in the last two decades of the 20th century, Christians still make up nearly four-fifths of the American population.
American Christianity encompasses many sects and theologies, and yet breaks down into three major classifications: Evangelical Protestants, Mainline Protestants, and Roman Catholics. The broad Evangelical classification is the largest group, and it is growing. Roman Catholics, nevertheless, outnumber any individual Protestant or Evangelical denomination.
American Christianity is by no means monolithic. Roman Catholic and Protestant theologies have radically different approaches to theological issues, and even lifestyle. Protestantism itself divides into dozens of independent denominations, each with different practices and administrative hierarchies.
A number of Christian groups do not fall into the broader classifications: the Eastern Orthodox Church, Armenian and Polish National Catholics, The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians and Christian Scientists, plus many smaller sects.
Among non-Christians, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism cover about 5% of the American population, with those having no religious affiliation accounting for the remaining 15%.
The Protestants
Today, a solid half of all Americans identify themselves as Protestants, but the Protestant heritage in the United States extends well beyond numbers. For the first two centuries of English-speaking habitation of the United States, encompassing the entire colonial era and the first fifty years of independence, Protestants made up virtually the entire population. Protestant values, particularly regarding the importance of individual freedom, self-reliance, hard work and thrift, had a deep effect on the development of American capitalism. Protestant values also shaped America’s deeply pragmatic approach to education as a means of self-improvement. Today’s emphasis on lifelong learning is one of the results. When non-Protestant immigrants assimilated into American society, they often unknowingly adopted Protestant values, even as their theological views varied. The process continues today.