How religious is America?

[Fake Boris]

America is religious up to one of its significant historical principle, Manifest Destiny. It's basically a missionary ideology.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Elok
Actually, there were several state religions in the colonial days. Virginia, for example, was strictly Anglican for some time. And of course the Pilgrims started a Puritan theocracy, not a secular state, at Plymouth Rock.

There were attempts to form state religions in a number of states in the years after the revolution. In Virginia Patrick Henry managed to get a bill passed forming a state religion, but thanks to Thomas Jefferson it never got funded. After the passage of the US Constitution all fo the states which had formed their own state religions repealed the enabling bills.

[Dinner]

It depends upon the state. Places like New York and California tend to be secular in their outlook while states in the south and in the midwest tend to be very religious. This is the cause of a social divide between those two areas with the secular states mainly voting for the Democratic Party and the religious states mainly voting for the Republican Party.

[DanS]

I sense a deliberate confusing of the terms "secular" and "atheist."

In any event, church is full in my bluest of blue areas. The green party gets more votes than the GOP does.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Footie Mad
I've gotten impression that it's the norm to say "grace" before dinner in America, is this correct?

Not where I live though the bible belt states likely still maintain this tradition.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Footie Mad
I've gotten impression that it's the norm to say "grace" before dinner in America, is this correct?

Depends on the family and situation. Normally, you wouldn't say grace at a restaurant, for instance. If a family is eating at home together (not all do), then I wouldn't be surprised when grace is said.

Growing up, my family said grace. I didn't have the sense that we were abnormal for our area (Midwest).

[OzzyKP]

My family only really prays before a meal when its a holiday or something. We might have done it when I was really young for regular meals, but I don't remember.

I think its definitely part of the cultural split in the country. A lot of urban folks fall in the secular/athiest group. I'm definitely the odd man out among pretty much every one I know in DC since I attend church every week. Many people I know are openly hostile to religion. Many though are mostly secular folks, Jew and Christian, who only attend services on holidays, but they wouldn't consider themselves agnostic/athiest/non-religious, they just don't do the weekly thing, which is cool.

I imagine it works similarly in Europe. Rural areas are more religious/conservative and urban areas are less religious/more liberal.

But to be fair, we do have a lot of rust belt Dems who are liberal economically and very religious. So its not entirely partisan. But I've seen stats that people who attend church every week vote Republican 2 to 1 over Democrats or something like that.

But I'm just rambling. Its an interesting topic.

[Dry]

I'm not sure prayer before meal can be used as indicator, because there is a difference between protestant and catholic habits.
At school, we were the only protestant family and despite some were true catholics families, we were also the only one praying before meal.
I've been told that in old traditional catholicism, it was not allowed for a non-priest to talk directly to God. Only priests could do that.
When I was a child, the closest to a prayer I've heard from a catholic was just the Pater Noster, or simply a silence and a cross sign. That was the most they dared. The few catholics that dared to say more in their payers were indeed the priests.
Maybe it has changed since, but these old habits still influence people's behavior. I couldn't believe my eyes/ears when I recently, met this convinced catholic who still did not dare to read the bible... and do not pray before meal... only cross sign. Very rare probably - I hope -, but they still exist.
I guess, in America, surrounded by all those protestants, the catholics have developed more ... liberal behavior of bypassing the priests and talking directly to the Maker (dam' communists ).

[DanS]

I've been told that in old traditional catholicism, it was not allowed for a non-priest to talk directly to God. Only priests could do that.

That's the first I've heard of such a thing. Sounds extremely dubious. Like an old wive's tale.

The prayer before meals that I was taught was...

"Bless us oh Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from they bouty, through Christ our Lord, amen."

I'm guessing that this or similar has been the prayer for RCs since time immemorial.

[OzzyKP]

Yea, the people in my school said that Catholics didn't believe in Jesus, they just worshiped the Virgin Mary and the Pope. Oh, and were canibals.

I enlightened them.


But generally I think whatever religion is in the minority becomes more liberal. Most every Catholic church I've been to in the US has been fairly liberal (compared to those crazy Protestants ya know). In fact the only times I remember hearing a Sermon about going to Hell and a lake of fire and all that stuff was when I went with a friend to his Baptist church, and just a few weeks ago from my church's new Decon who recently converted to Catholicism after spending his life as... a Protestant.

I wouldn't be surprized at all if in majority Catholic countries than the fire & brimstone folks are the Catholics, and the Protestants are groovy, liberal types.


Just a guess.

[MrFun]

Re: Re: How religious is America?

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse

Firstly, many ethnic groups, starting with the Puritans in fact, went to America to escape religious persecution. That continued right into the 20th century. So there is a strong emphasis on religion as part of personal freedom in the American culture. Contrast this with Australia where religion is associated with the establishment and the ruling class. Very few go to church in Australia. Its like going to see the boss.

The irony is that those European colonists who fled to North America for their own religious freedom wanted to deny that same freedom to other colonists of different Christian denominations, and deny it to Amerindians and blacks.

[Bosh]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove


There were attempts to form state religions in a number of states in the years after the revolution. In Virginia Patrick Henry managed to get a bill passed forming a state religion, but thanks to Thomas Jefferson it never got funded. After the passage of the US Constitution all fo the states which had formed their own state religions repealed the enabling bills.

Really? I could have sworn that Connecticut has a State Religion until 1833...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Bosh
Really? I could have sworn that Connecticut has a State Religion until 1833...

1818 actually, and you are correct. Connecticut adhered to their original charter, which had the Congregational church as state religion until the Constitution of 1818.

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Re: How religious is America?

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
I however go to church

You must like to go see the boss.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Vince278
By percentage we are:

Protestant - 52%
Catholic - 24%
Non-religious/Secular - 13%
Mormon - 2%
Don't know ( ) - 2%
Judaism - 1.5%
Islam - 0.5%
Buddhism - 0.5%
Agnostic - 0.4%
Hindu - 0.4%
Atheist - 0.4%
Wiccan - 0.1%
and many others - the rest%

Why is non-religious separate from atheism or agnostism?