B. On a Personal Note

Write about one of these topics.

1. Have you ever experienced discrimination? What happened? Tell how you were treated, how it made you feel, and how you responded.

2. In any country you've lived in, have you noticed that some racial, religious, or ethnic minority group has been segregated or discriminated against? What group is it? How are they treated?

3. Do you believe that people should marry someone of their own race, or do you think that it doesn't matter?

Religion in American Life

BEFORE YOU READ

Discuss

1. Do you think Americans are religious? What evidence supports your answer?

2. Do you think a total separation of government and religion is good or bad for a country?

Guess

Try to answer the questions. Then look for the answers in the reading.

1. What percentage of Americans are Christian? Check (Ö) one:

________46% _______ 66% _______ 86%

2. About what percentage of Americans attend religious services regularly?

Check (Ö) one:

________ 25% ________ 45% _______ 65%

3. Are American high school students allowed to say prayers in school? Check (Ö) one:

_______Yes _______ No

Religion in American Life

Major American Religions

Christianity (belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ) has always been the dominant American faith. Today, about 86% of Americans are Christian (approximately 59% Protestant and 27% Catholic). However, this is a nation with great religious diversity. American Christians are divided into many different groups, including Roman Catholic, the various national denominations of the Eastern Orthodox churches, and hundreds of different Protestant denominations and sects. The largest Protestant groups are the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, and the National Baptist Convention. Among the non-Christian religions, Judaism is the largest, with roughly 2% of the population. In addition, the U.S.A. has a great variety of other religions, including about 5 million Muslims, nearly 2 million Buddhists, and about 800,000 Hindus. Amer­icans are proud of their nation's religious diversity and of the religious freedom that all enjoy.

Perhaps the greatest influence that Protestantism has had on American life comes from its philosophy regarding a person's relationship to work. This philosophy­ - commonly called the Protestant work ethic - stresses the moral value of work, self-­discipline, and personal responsibility. According to this ethic, people prove their worth to themselves and to God by working hard, being honest and thrifty, and avoiding lux­ury, excessive pleasure, and waste. The accumulation of wealth is not considered evil unless it leads to a life of idleness and sin. The Protestant work ethic has much in com­mon with capitalism and with the American emphasis on financial success, practicality, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.

Two interesting Protestant groups founded in the U.S. are the Mormons and the Christian Scientists. The Mormons (officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were organized in New York in 1830. Because it was customary for Mormon men to have more than one wife, Mormons were forced out of several estab­lished communities. They traveled westward and settled in the unpopulated valley of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, where they built a successful community. Then the federal government passed laws against polygamy and refused to admit Utah as a state until 1896, after the Mormons discontinued this practice. Today, there are 4.8 million Mor­mon church members in the U.S. Most of them live in Utah and in eastern Idaho, where they are the major religious sect.

The Christian Science Church was founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879. Christian Scientists believe that healing of sickness results from spiritual understanding rather than standard medical treatment. The Christian Science movement now has about 3,000 congregations in 57 countries. About two-thirds of these are in the U.S.

Another interesting Protestant group is the Amish. Originally from Switzerland, this group (about 40,000 people) is now centered in the U.S. and Canada. Within the U.S., they have developed farming communities in 23 states, mostly in Pennsylvania and the midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. The Amish are easy to spot. Their clothing is old-fashioned and plain. The men have beards and wear wide-brimmed hats and the women wear long dresses and bonnets. Jewelry and buttons are not allowed. The Amish travel in horse-drawn wagons because their religion forbids them to use cars. They have no telephones or electricity in their homes. Amish children are educated through eighth grade only and are trained to be farmers.

The combined Protestant groups form the largest religious body in the United States. But Roman Catholicism is by far the largest unified religious group. Since many Catholics send their children to parochial (private religious) schools, Catholic funds have helped to build thousands of elementary and secondary schools, plus many fine colleges and universities. Catholics have also played a prominent role in American pol­itics. However, not until 1960, when John F. Kennedy was elected president, did a Catholic hold the highest office in the land.

The largest non-Christian religion in the United States is Judaism. There are about 6 million Jews in the U.S. They belong to three major groups: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. During the Sabbath, observed from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, Orthodox Jews do not work, and they travel only on foot. Jewish tradition imposes cer­tain dietary restrictions, prohibiting pork, certain seafoods, and the serving of milk products at meals that include meat or poultry.

The Jewish people are relatively few in number in the U.S. and worldwide, but their intellectual and cultural contributions have been very great indeed. Among the great twentieth - century musicians, for example, were many Jewish violinists, pianists, and composers. American Jews have also been prominent lawyers, judges, authors, and doc­tors. Twentieth-century thought was greatly influenced by the original ideas of three European-born Jews: Karl Marx (the founder of communism), Albert Einstein (one of the founders of the Atomic Age), and Sigmund Freud (the founder of psychoanalysis).

Two other religions of significant size in the U.S. are Islam and Buddhism. Islam is the second largest religion in the world (after Christianity). The word Islam means both "surrender" and "peace." The name refers to the peace that comes from surrendering to the will of God. Worldwide, Islam has about 1 billion followers in many different countries. It is the religion preached by the prophet Muhammad, an Arab born in Mecca about A.D. 570. Believers in Islam are called Muslims. During the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim lunar year, Muslims are required to fast (not eat or drink) from sunrise to sunset. At the end of this period, they celebrate a three-day festival, the Breaking of the Fast (Bairam). Buddhism is the religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (who was given the title Buddha, which means "enlightened one"). Americans take great interest in ideas from Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, which is the dominant religion in India. Many have found great benefits in meditation. Many are fas­cinated by the idea of reincarnation (the transference of a soul from one living being to another).

Check your comprehension.

In terms of numbers of members, what are the three main religions in the U.S.?

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