6.1: Religious Realms

Of the world’s billions of followers of a religion, most belong to one of two major world religion families - Abrahamic or Indian. Each of the Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) evolved in the Middle East, but today Jews, Christians and Muslims can be found in every part of the world. Indian Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, etc.) evolved on the Indian subcontinent and spread northeast across Asia. People who are not part of either of these grand traditions, may adhere to a local (or folk) religion, or may not practice any religion at all. The map below shows the distribution of the major world religions using national boundaries. Religions certainly cross boundaries, so this map is not as accurate as one might like, but it does provide a general picture of the distribution of world’s faithful.

Figure 6-5: World Map. Qualitative color scheme on this map represent the majority religion in each country of the world. What flaws can you see in this map? Source: Wikimedia

Figure 6-6: World Map depicting the importance of religion in people's daily lives (2005-2008) according to the Gallup Polling. Source: Gallup, Wikimedia.

In addition to the variety of world religions, there is wide variation in the religiosity of people who practice a faith. In some parts of the world, essentially every person’s life is centered around their faith and religious practice. This is particularly true in the Muslim world, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. In much of the developed world, religious fervor is not as great. The United States, contrary to what many people think,remains a relatively religious country; especially when compared to people living in other economically advanced countries.

Christianity

With about 2.2 billion adherents, Christianity, is the world’s largest religion, although many Christians in the developed world are not deeply committed to their faith. The erosion of involvement with religious activities and beliefs is called secularization and it would be fair to argue that many of Europe’s Christians are secularized.

Figure 6-7: Brandon, MB - This vintage photo features a Ukrainian Orthodox church, with its distinctive onion domes and crosses.

Christians are also split into various, generally peaceful, factions. Centuries of infighting among factions within the Holy Roman Empire led to the Great Schism of 1054. Thereafter the Catholics were split into Eastern Catholics, or “Orthodox” Christians, headquartered in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and the western branch, headquartered in Rome.

The Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, today includes multiple, national Orthodox churches (Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox etc.). Many people of Southeastern and Eastern European areas are Orthodox Christians. Several million Americans are Orthodox as well. Eastern Orthodoxy has many similarities and a few important differences with Western Christianity, but generally the two groups get along well. On the landscape, you may recognize the distinctive onion domes or helmet cupolas on Orthodox churches that distinguish them from Western Christian churches that often have steeples or towers.

Western Christianity

Western Christians were for many hundreds of years were exclusively members of the Roman Catholic Church, but it too broke into many smaller faiths during a period known as the Protestant Reformation which began in 1517. The Reformation happened when several highly religious Catholics began protesting various corrupt practices condoned by the Roman Church. The protestors demanded reforms and as a result became known as Protestants. They were upset about a lot of things, but key among their demands was an insistence that individuals be allowed to read and interpret Holy Bible without deference to the authority of the Pope. Because increasing numbers of Europeans could read, and many people fancied themselves capable of interpreting the Bible, many Protestants formed denominations of their own, splitting from one another like branches from a tree. A series of religious wars followed. Many people from northern Europe abandoned Catholicism altogether. Those who could not worship as they wished migrated or were forced to move to other locations.

The United States was a destination for many Europeans seeking freedom from religious persecution, but the road to religious freedom in North America was bloody. The Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock and their fellow colonists in New England, known as Puritans, are an important part of American history. Few Americans know the story of Fort Caroline, a settlement of French Huguenots, probably because they were slaughtered by Spanish Catholics over religious differences. Catholics were banned from living in Boston. Quakers could be hanged in the same city. It is one of the great American myths that religious refugees were themselves tolerant of other religions once they arrived in the New World. Quite the opposite is true. It took nearly 200 years of European settlement in America before the US Constitution attempted to legally separate church and state, and since then there has been numerous incidents of religious intolerance. Catholics, Jews and Asians of many faiths have been targets of violence. Today, religious intolerance in America is mostly directed toward Muslims by Evangelical Christians.

Figure 6-8: Newport, RI - St. Lucy's Catholic Church in Rhode Island is a reminder of that state's long history of religious tolerance. Catholics, Quakers and Baptists – among others – were persecuted in neighboring colonies for generations.

American Christianity

Though most Americans are Christians, there is significant variation within Christianity as it is practiced in the United States. The main differences appear in terms of religious denomination, but there are regional differences that are probably as important.

About 60 million Americans are Roman Catholic. They are the largest religious group in the country, and they are concentrated in New England, around the Great Lakes and along the southern US border from Louisiana to California. Massachusetts is about 50% Catholic, but several southern states are less than five percent Catholic. Many large cities, including those in the Midwest (e.g., St. Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, etc.) also have large percentages of Catholics. The pattern of Catholicism in reveals the effects of late 19^th and early 20^th century migration patterns from Europe.

Figure 6-9: US Map by County. This map depicts the distribution of predominant religious affiliation by county. Baptist
predominate the Old South, except Florida. Methodists and Lutherans dominate the Midwest. Catholics dominate the coastal
regions and most urban areas regardless of region. Source: http://www.usreligioncensus.org/ ASARB

Evangelical Protestants as a group represent the second largest grouping of American Christians. Evangelicals emphasize a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, are generally more literal in their interpretation of the Bible and are often be highly motivated to spread their beliefs. Evangelical congregations are often led by charismatic preachers. There are about 50 million Evangelicals in the US, distributed among dozens of denominations. Evangelicals are dominant in the Deep South and Appalachia, mostly where Catholics do not live. However, large numbers of Evangelical Christians live in places like Los Angeles (nearly 1 million) and Chicago (.5 million).

The largest Evangelical denomination are Southern Baptists (20 million), but numerous Pentecostal churches; and a large number of so-called Non-Denominational churches together contribute another 20 million or more to the total number of Evangelicals.

Figure 6-10: US Map by County - Predominant Protestant Christian denomination. Note the Baptist South, Methodist Midwest
and Lutheran north central. Source: ASARB (Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies)

Mainline Protestants make up the other large category of Christians in the United States. These folks tend to be more progressive (or liberal) theologically, politically and socially than their Evangelical brethren. They are less likely to be Biblical literalists and less likely to knock on your door to get you to come to their church. Among the Mainline Protestant denominations, the Episcopalians, Methodists (10 million), Lutherans (6 million) and the Presbyterians are most numerous. As one might guess, the Mainline Protestants are found in the middle of the United States. Methodists are common in the Great Lakes/Midwestern states (Pennsylvania to Nebraska); Lutherans are dominant (or nearly so) in the Upper Midwest. The United Church of Christ, which is what the old New England Congregationalists have “become” are common in New England.

Latter Day Saints

Figure 6-12: Salt Lake City, UT - The Great Temple in Salt Lake City is the heart of the Mormon cultural region and a symbol of the significant economic power of LDS members.

The other large Christian denomination in the US is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) that claims about 6 million members, most of whom live in Utah. Popularly known as “Mormons”, members of the Church of Latter-day Saints are not Protestants because they don’t trace their history to the reformation. Instead, this denomination originated in the early 19^th century during a period of great religious fervor known as the Second Great Awakening. During this time, church membership flourished and many new religious denominations appeared. Joseph Smith Jr. founded the Latter-day Saint Church after translating an ancient religious text he found near his home in Upstate New York. Known today as the Book of Mormon, it tells the story of an extinct culture of people living in North America well before the time of Jesus Christ. Members of the Latter-day Saint Church were brutally persecuted during the 19^th century, which caused them to flee into Utah, partly for safety. After renouncing polygamy in 1890, they gained a great deal more acceptance by fellow Christians. Like Evangelicals, they hold conservative cultural beliefs, have a strong focus on family life and hold tightly to religious convictions. In 2018, the Church suggested that the term “Mormon” be discontinued.

Figure 6-11: US Map by Counties - Some parts of the United States have a great mixture of religions, especially on the West Coast and New England. The Deep South and Utah have little religious diversity. Source: ASARB

Secular America, Diverse America

In many parts of the US, particularly in the West (but not Utah), no single religion or denomination is in the majority. Instead, these regions have more religious diversity. The map above uses a diversity index to display the likelihood that two people in the same county will belong to different religious groups. You’ll note that in parts of Alabama, Texas and Utah your neighbor is much more likely to go to the same church as you, than if you live in Oregon, Maine, Michigan or Ohio. The diversity of church membership seems to have a great number of implications for the politics and cultural life of these communities, especially in comparison to those regions where nearly everyone goes to the same church.

One of the clear implications is that in the most religiously diverse regions of the US, people stop going to church altogether. In parts of Oregon, Ohio, Michigan and Maine for example, less than 1/3^rd of the population appears to belong to any faith. Whereas, in Utah, the Dakotas, and parts of Texas, places where religious diversity is low, over 75% attend church. Nationally, about 13% of Americans are agnostic. Note that in the map below, West Virginia also appears to have low rates of adherence; but this seems out of line with other cultural traits there. Can you guess why this map shows some very rural areas with low rates of adherence? Why might people in remote rural locations not belong to a church included in a national survey of church membership?

Figure 6-13 US Map by County - Rates of religious adherence vary greatly in the United States. The counties in the lightest color have rates of adherence sometimes below 35%. Utah and the Great Plains states have rates above 75%. Source: ASARB