Université Panthéon-Assas mrsloukam@gmail.com
Englishmrsloukam.blogspot.com
RELIGION IN THE UNITED STATES |
Some key facts.
89 % of Americans claim to believe in GOD.
75.2% claim to be Christian. (Gallup) , 71% according to the PEW research center. 53.5% of them are Protestant.
Common wisdom has it that (on s’accorde généralement à dire que…) the U.S is one of the most religious-minded of all Western democracies. This widespread belief in God and in faith distiguishes America from other Western countries/ America is an outlier when it comes to religion (to be an outlier : faire figure d’exception)
Given the nature and historical importance of religion in America, the extent to which Americans hold religious beliefs is perhaps not surprising. It is a widely held view that the Puritan religion of many of the early settlers has helped promote the idea that material success is not shameful but a sign of God’s blessing, therefore taking part in shaping the American work ethic (see the video from the blog on Max Weber’s « The Protestant Ethic and the spirit of Capitalism »)
Religion seems to be part and parcel of American culture and history, some would add identity. (to be part and parcel of : être partie intégrante de)
The diversity of religious faiths and denominations is another striking feature of religion in the U.S. Because of the country’s multicultural heritage, many faiths have flourished in the U.S.
Catholics represent the largest single group of believers (23%)
The Mormons represent 2% of the population (about 6 million people). Utah is considered as « The Mormon State. »
The second largest religious community after the Christians are the Jews (1.6- 1.9%)
Then come the Muslims (1.5%), the Buddhists (1%) and the Hindus (0.6%)
There are more than 1,500 known sects or cults in the United States.
1.6% claim to be adamantly atheists (adamantly : catégoriquement)
The non religious/ non-affiliated group now represents 22.8 % of the population and is now the fastest-growing group in the United States.
The fastest-growing major religion is Islam (+ 0.7% in 7 years) before Buddhism (+ 0.4%)
The fastest-growing among the « minor » « non mainstream » religions is Satanism/Witchcraft (!)
Christians.
The Protestants are mainly divided into two main types of « churches » (the mainline or mainstream churches and the evangelical churches) and more than 200 denominations.
The mainline churches : Presbyterian (the Scottish/Northern Irish church), Episcopal (the Anglican church in America), the Lutheran, Congretionalist, the Disciples of Christ, the Baptists and the Methodist church. They have long been deep-rooted (profondément enracinées) in America. Socially speaking, the Presbyterian, Episcopal and Methodist Christians are mainly wealthy and from the elite. They tend to be more liberal in terms of theology and social issues. Their heartland is the East Coast, mainly New England.
The Evangelical denominations on the other hand include numerous denominations. They have been growing since the 1960’s and more importantly since the 1980’s and the apparition of televangelism and megachurches. They castigate the evils of today’s disoriented society (pornography, homosexuality, prostitution, abortion…) . They believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible as the Word of God and therefore defend creationism or « Intelligent design» ,as opposed to the Darwinian theory of evolution. They advocate the return to core moral values and spiritual conversion known as a second, or new birth, hence the adjective « born-again » Christian. Mr George Bush Jr is a born-again Christian for example. He converted to Evangelical Christianity in the 1980s (his family is Methodist except for Jeb Bush who converted to Catholicism when he married his Catholic wife).
Religion and politics.
The First Amendment of the Constitution denies the government any authority in religion and guarantees the free exercise of any religion. The decision was mainly influenced by some pragmatic concerns shared by minority religious groups. They indeed refused the idea of a national religion that would fail to represent them and would eventually lead to religious persecution.
However, the first amendment should not be interpreted as a rejection of religion in public life but rather as a refusal to officially favor any church at the expense of others. (See George Washington’s introduction to the Constitutional Convention : it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will… » - which hardly qualifies for a secularist comment)
Despite a long tradition of officially separating church from state, there are multiple instances of the country’s inclination to mix religion and politics.
-« In God We trust » has been engraved on American currency since 1957.
-Congressional sessions open with the pledge of allegiance » which refers to « a Nation under God »
-During the inauguration ceremony, each American president swears his oath on the Bible although it is not in the Constitution. George Washington ushered in the tradition. (usher in: introduire)
-More often than not, wearing their faith on their sleeves (évoquer ouvertement sa foi) helps politicians build up a successful career. They tend to politicize religion to gain even more votes, especially in the Bible-belt.
-Until 1962, it was common to open school days with a prayer and some Bible reading.
In the two landmark decisions, Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), the Supreme Court established what is now the current prohibition on state-sponsored prayer in US schools. Analysis of multiple polls since the 1970s by sociologist Philip Schwadel showed support for school prayer dipped slightly but remains popular with the majority of Americans, with a recent poll showing 65 percent support.
Comments/Discussions :
(overt) religious signs should/shouldn’t be confined to the public sphere. / One should show his/her belief/creed overtly.
Atheists seem to be frowned upon (mal vus) or even shunned (to shun : to refuse or reject socially) on the ground that they lack moral grounding. Or their moral grounding seems void since it is not religious. They are seen as lawless (« sans foi ni loi »). Godliness (la piété) is thus associated with morality.
According to a significant number of polls and surveys, the overwhelming majority of Americans set great store by/ set a high premium on religion and faith in God. Hence their rejection of atheists whom they see as untrustworthy and insensitive even if more and more Americans would be ready to vote for an atheist presidential candidate.
Thomas Paine, one of the Founding Fathers, was an avowed (déclaré)/ overt atheist.
Lincoln was unaffiliated. He did not officially belong to any church or religious group but imbued his speeches with references to God.