History UsefulNotes / AmericanChurches

Orthodox Christians make up less than 1% of the American population, and are associated with particular ethnic groups even more than the Catholics. Basically, if someone is from Eastern Europe or the Balkans, they're more likely than not Eastern Orthodox, and vice versa. The main exception is UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}, a former Russian colony where Russian missionaries heavily evangelized among the natives. Oriental Orthodox aren't as common in America as they are in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} (America's little brother). The main Oriental Orthodox communities are from UsefulNotes/{{Ethiopia}}, UsefulNotes/{{Egypt}}, UsefulNotes/{{Eritrea}}, [[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaCaucasus Georgia]] (the country), and UsefulNotes/{{Armenia}} (which spreads out into UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}, UsefulNotes/{{Lebanon}}...[[note]]The Armenians complicate this situation a lot because historical Armenia is much larger than the modern state. Much of the world's Armenian Diaspora comes from the part of historic Armenia that fell under Turkish rule and was subjected to the horrific Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century. But even that aside, the Armenians were a well-traveled people with established communities in Lebanon and even Egypt long before the Genocide. Finally, a small part of historic Armenia is included in modern Iran, which recognizes the Armenian community and gives it special rights even under the Islamic Republic.[[/note]]). There are purportedly 700,000 to 1 million Oriental Orthodox Christians in America, but in very clustered communities. [[note]]Mostly in UsefulNotes/{{New York|State}}, UsefulNotes/NewJersey, UsefulNotes/{{California}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}. If the last one sounds weird, Michigan has a large population of Arabic-speakers — for the Egyptian Copts — and Armenians.[[/note]] The most common denominations of Oriental Orthodox in America are the Armenian Apostolic (mostly in California and to a lesser extent the Midwest, especially Detroit) and Ethiopian Orthodox (mostly in Greater DC, Greater Philadelphia, and the Midwest) churches.

After the 9/11 attacks, many Muslims support the Democratic Party.[[note]]Before the attacks, most Muslims voted Republican due to their affluence and social conservatism.[[/note]] Even so, they tend to be rather well-integrated compared to their European counterparts, having a higher average income and educational attainment than the national average. The first Muslim member of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Congress]] is Keith Ellison, an African-American Democrat from UsefulNotes/{{Minnesota}} elected in 2006; he was followed by another African-American, Andre Carson (Democrat of Indiana), after a special election in 2008.[[note]]Significant controversy rose from the American right over Ellison's election and subsequent use of the Quran in his oath of office. There were claims that it was (or [[ThereShouldBeALaw should be]]) prohibited. In actual fact, there are no laws dictating office holders be sworn in on any book at all, and trying to prohibit the use of the Quran in this (or any other holy book) would be against the Constitution.[[/note]] Ellison left Congress in 2018 to successfully run for attorney general in Minnesota; his seat was filled by one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}}-born Democrat Ilhan Omar. The other Muslim woman in Congress, also a Democrat, is Rashida Tlaib of UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}, a Detroit-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants who was also elected in 2018. Interestingly, Ellison and Carson are both relatively moderate "workhorse" Democrats, while Omar and Tlaib are both notably members of "the Squad", a grouping of far-left and Extremely Online young Democratic Representatives of color informally led by arch-lefty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Orthodox Christians make up less than 1% of the American population, and are associated with particular ethnic groups even more than the Catholics. Basically, if someone is from Eastern Europe or the Balkans, they're more likely than not Eastern Orthodox, and vice versa. The main exception is UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}, a former Russian colony where Russian missionaries heavily evangelized among the natives. Oriental Orthodox aren't as common in America as they are in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} (America's little brother). The main Oriental Orthodox communities are from UsefulNotes/{{Ethiopia}}, UsefulNotes/{{Egypt}}, UsefulNotes/{{Eritrea}}, [[UsefulNotes/GeorgiaCaucasus Georgia]] (the country), and UsefulNotes/{{Armenia}} (which spreads out into UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}, UsefulNotes/{{Lebanon}}[[note]]The Armenians complicate this situation a lot because historical Armenia is much larger than the modern state. Much of the world's Armenian Diaspora comes from the part of historic Armenia that fell under Turkish rule and was subjected to the horrific Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century. But even that aside, the Armenians were a well-traveled people with established communities in Lebanon and even Egypt long before the Genocide. Finally, a small part of historic Armenia is included in modern Iran, which recognizes the Armenian community and gives it special rights even under the Islamic Republic.[[/note]]). There are purportedly 700,000 to 1 million Oriental Orthodox Christians in America, but in very clustered communities. [[note]]Mostly in UsefulNotes/{{New York|State}}, UsefulNotes/NewJersey, UsefulNotes/{{California}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}. If the last one sounds weird, Michigan has a large population of Arabic-speakers — for the Egyptian Copts — and Armenians.[[/note]] The most common denominations of Oriental Orthodox in America are the Armenian Apostolic (mostly in California and to a lesser extent the Midwest, especially Detroit) and Ethiopian Orthodox (mostly in Greater DC, Greater Philadelphia, and the Midwest) churches.

Orthodox Christians make up less than 1% of the American population, and are associated with particular ethnic groups even more than the Catholics. Basically, if someone is from Eastern Europe or the Balkans, they're more likely than not Eastern Orthodox, and vice versa. The main exception is UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}, a former Russian colony where Russian missionaries heavily evangelized among the natives. Copts aren't as common in America as they are in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} (America's little brother). They're mostly from UsefulNotes/{{Egypt}}, UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Syria}}. There are purportedly 700,000 to 1 million Copts in America, but in very clustered communities. [[note]]Mostly in UsefulNotes/{{New York|State}}, UsefulNotes/NewJersey, UsefulNotes/{{California}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}. If the last one sounds weird, Michigan has a large population of Arabic-speakers — for the Egyptian Copts — and Armenians.[[/note]] The most common denominations of Oriental Orthodox in America are the Armenian Apostolic (mostly in California) and Ethiopian Orthodox (mostly in the Midwest) churches.

** Although two recent state governors are the American-born children of Indian immigrants, neither is a Hindu (or Muslim, Buddhist, or Sikh, for that matter). Nikki Haley, governor of UsefulNotes/SouthCarolina from 2011 until resigning in 2017 to become the country's UN ambassador, is Methodist, and Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana from 2008 until being term-limited out in 2016, is Catholic. However, both were raised in Indian religions before converting to Christianity (Haley as a Sikh and Jindal as a Hindu). Hindus have been somewhat more common in Congress; as of 2022, there are two Hindus in Congress, both relatively progressive Democrats (being Ro Khanna, D-CA-17, representing Silicon Valley, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-IL-8, representing Chicago's affluent western suburbs).

* There are about 1-1.5 million '''UsefulNotes/{{Hindu|ism}}s''' in the United States. Most of them are South Asian immigrants who, like their East Asian Buddhist counterparts, have their own stereotypes (such as the AsianStoreOwner and the BollywoodNerd). Hindu gurus had a large influence in the American New Age movement in TheSixties and TheSeventies, when it attracted a number of high-profile Western converts into denominations such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), stereotyped as the "Hare Krishna" guys in orange robes working as missionaries in airports. Most American perceptions of the religion stem from this, and from what is gleaned of the Indian community.
** Although two recent state governors are the American-born children of Indian immigrants, neither is a Hindu (or Muslim, Buddhist, or Sikh, for that matter). Nikki Haley, governor of UsefulNotes/SouthCarolina from 2011 until resigning in 2017 to become the country's UN ambassador, is Methodist, and Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana from 2008 until being term-limited out in 2016, is Catholic. However, both were raised in Indian religions before converting to Christianity (Haley as a Sikh and Jindal as a Hindu).

After the 9/11 attacks, many Muslims support the Democratic Party.[[note]]Before the attacks, most Muslims voted Republican due to their affluence and social conservatism.[[/note]] Even so, they tend to be rather well-integrated compared to their European counterparts, having a higher average income and educational attainment than the national average. The first Muslim member of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Congress]] is Keith Ellison, an African-American Democrat from UsefulNotes/{{Minnesota}} elected in 2006; he was followed by another African-American, Andre Carson (Democrat of Indiana), after a special election in 2008.[[note]]Significant controversy rose from the American right over Ellison's election and subsequent use of the Quran in his oath of office. There were claims that it was (or [[ThereShouldBeALaw should be]]) prohibited. In actual fact, there are no laws dictating office holders be sworn in on any book at all, and trying to prohibit the use of the Quran in this (or any other holy book) would be against the Constitution.[[/note]] Ellison left Congress in 2018 to successfully run for attorney general in Minnesota; his seat was filled by one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}}-born Democrat Ilhan Omar. The other Muslim woman in Congress, also a Democrat, is Rashida Tlaib of UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}, a Detroit-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants who was also elected in 2018. Interestingly, Ellison and Carson are both relatively moderate "workhorse" Democrats, while Omar and Tlaib are both notably members of "the Squad", a grouping of far-left and Extremely Online young Democratic Representatives informally led by arch-lefty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

After the 9/11 attacks, many Muslims support the Democratic Party.[[note]]Before the attacks, most Muslims voted Republican due to their affluence and social conservatism.[[/note]] Even so, they tend to be rather well-integrated compared to their European counterparts, having a higher average income and educational attainment than the national average. The first Muslim member of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Congress]] is Keith Ellison, an African-American Democrat from UsefulNotes/{{Minnesota}} elected in 2006; he was followed by another African-American, Andre Carson (Democrat of Indiana), after a special election in 2008.[[note]]Significant controversy rose from the American right over Ellison's election and subsequent use of the Quran in his oath of office. There were claims that it was (or [[ThereShouldBeALaw should be]]) prohibited. In actual fact, there are no laws dictating office holders be sworn in on any book at all, and trying to prohibit the use of the Quran in this (or any other holy book) would be against the Constitution.[[/note]] Ellison left Congress in 2018 to successfully run for attorney general in Minnesota; his seat was filled by one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}}-born Democrat Ilhan Omar. The other Muslim woman in Congress, also a Democrat, is Rashida Tlaib of UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}, a Detroit-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants who was also elected in 2018.

* The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the largest single denomination in not only the United States, but the world (although Sunni Islam is catching up with the second one). Historically, Catholicism was the religion of TheCity in general, and of [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot immigrant ethnic groups]] ([[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish]], Italians, Poles, French-Canadians and, more recently, Latinos) in particular. The association with immigrants and the supposed decadence of big cities, combined with America's longstanding Protestant tradition, led to widespread anti-Catholic prejudice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many claiming that the Catholics were agents of UsefulNotes/ThePope who were trying to subvert American society. However, outside of a few die-hard fundamentalists (such as [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]), this attitude has mostly disappeared, the pivotal moment being the election of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy as America's first Catholic President in 1960.[[note]]And even then, this was a ''huge'' deal at the time; many Protestants were still concerned that Kennedy would be a puppet of Rome. He had to give [[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Ready-Reference/JFK-Speeches/Remarks-of-Senator-John-F-Kennedy-at-American-Society-of-Newspaper-Editors-Washington-DC-April-21-19.aspx a speech]] specifically affirming that his first loyalty was to the US Constitution, and that his actions as President would not, and should not, be bound by the dictates of the Church. This speech wound up becoming a major landmark in the aforementioned separation of church and state. Previously, Catholic Al Smith had lost the election of 1928 in large part due to anti-Catholic prejudices.[[/note]] Historically, Catholics have generally been concentrated in the Northeast, the Midwest, the Southwest,[[note]]By which we generally mean Texas, New Mexico, most of Arizona, and Southern California. Utah, Colorado, and any part of Nevada not called Las Vegas need not apply.[[/note]] and Louisiana.[[note]]In the Northeast and most of the Midwest, this is pretty much entirely due to massive 19th-to-early-20th-century immigration from Ireland, Italy, and the Catholic lands of Central Europe (southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Lithuania, even Ukraine when you count Eastern Catholics). In Louisiana and the Southwest, the Catholic presence is older, dating from the era of French or Spanish rule (both in the case of Louisiana, just Spanish in the Southwest). (By the same token, small but important communities of French Catholics survived in small pockets of the Northeast and Midwest that used to be part of New France; the most significant of these is probably in the Great Lakes region (Detroit in particular has had a Catholic presence for over 300 years and a Catholic diocese for almost 200, and up until the Irish started arriving in force in the 1840s this was mostly a French community), but there's also St. Genevieve in Missouri and the large French-speaking Catholic population of New England descended from Québecois and Acadians who either immigrated or who found themselves living in the United States after the border treaties were settled.) That said, Louisiana got a pretty massive hit of European Catholic immigration--particularly Irish and Italian--around the same time as the Northeast, since it was the main city of the South at the time and doing a lot of trade. (Hence all the Irish and Italian names among the characters of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''.)[[/note]] More recently, a mix of Latino immigration and internal migration has made the Church more popular in UsefulNotes/{{California}}, the Southwest, and UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}.\\

* The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the largest single denomination in not only the United States, but the world (although Sunni Islam is catching up with the second one). Historically, Catholicism was the religion of TheCity in general, and of [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot immigrant ethnic groups]] ([[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish]], Italians, Poles, French-Canadians and, more recently, Latinos) in particular. The association with immigrants and the supposed decadence of big cities, combined with America's longstanding Protestant tradition, led to widespread anti-Catholic prejudice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many claiming that the Catholics were agents of UsefulNotes/ThePope who were trying to subvert American society. However, outside of a few die-hard fundamentalists (such as [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]), this attitude has mostly disappeared, the pivotal moment being the election of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy as America's first Catholic President in 1960.[[note]]And even then, this was a ''huge'' deal at the time; many Protestants were still concerned that Kennedy would be a puppet of Rome. He had to give [[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Ready-Reference/JFK-Speeches/Remarks-of-Senator-John-F-Kennedy-at-American-Society-of-Newspaper-Editors-Washington-DC-April-21-19.aspx a speech]] specifically affirming that his first loyalty was to the US Constitution, and that his actions as President would not, and should not, be bound by the dictates of the Church. This speech wound up becoming a major landmark in the aforementioned separation of church and state. Previously, Catholic Al Smith had lost the election of 1928 in large part due to anti-Catholic prejudices.[[/note]] Historically, Catholics have generally been concentrated in the Northeast, the Midwest, the Southwest,[[note]]By which we generally mean Texas, New Mexico, most of Arizona, and Southern California. Utah, Colorado, and any part of Nevada not called Las Vegas need not apply.[[/note]] and Louisiana.[[note]]In the Northeast and most of the Midwest, this is pretty much entirely due to massive 19th-to-early-20th-century immigration from Ireland, Italy, and the Catholic lands of Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Lithuania, even Ukraine when you count Eastern Catholics). In Louisiana and the Southwest, the Catholic presence is older, dating from the era of French or Spanish rule (both in the case of Louisiana, just Spanish in the Southwest). (By the same token, small but important communities of French Catholics survived in small pockets of the Northeast and Midwest that used to be part of New France; the most significant of these is probably in the Great Lakes region (Detroit in particular has had a Catholic presence for over 300 years and a Catholic diocese for almost 200, and up until the Irish started arriving in force in the 1840s this was mostly a French community), but there's also St. Genevieve in Missouri and the large French-speaking Catholic population of New England descended from Québecois and Acadians who either immigrated or who found themselves living in the United States after the border treaties were settled.) That said, Louisiana got a pretty massive hit of European Catholic immigration--particularly Irish and Italian--around the same time as the Northeast, since it was the main city of the South at the time and doing a lot of trade. (Hence all the Irish and Italian names among the characters of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''.)[[/note]] More recently, a mix of Latino immigration and internal migration has made the Church more popular in UsefulNotes/{{California}}, the Southwest, and UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}.\\

* The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the largest single denomination in not only the United States, but the world (although Sunni Islam is catching up with the second one). Historically, Catholicism was the religion of TheCity in general, and of [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot immigrant ethnic groups]] ([[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish]], Italians, Poles, French-Canadians and, more recently, Latinos) in particular. The association with immigrants and the supposed decadence of big cities, combined with America's longstanding Protestant tradition, led to widespread anti-Catholic prejudice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many claiming that the Catholics were agents of UsefulNotes/ThePope who were trying to subvert American society. However, outside of a few die-hard fundamentalists (such as [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]), this attitude has mostly disappeared, the pivotal moment being the election of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy as America's first Catholic President in 1960.[[note]]And even then, this was a ''huge'' deal at the time; many Protestants were still concerned that Kennedy would be a puppet of Rome. He had to give [[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Ready-Reference/JFK-Speeches/Remarks-of-Senator-John-F-Kennedy-at-American-Society-of-Newspaper-Editors-Washington-DC-April-21-19.aspx a speech]] specifically affirming that his first loyalty was to the US Constitution, and that his actions as President would not, and should not, be bound by the dictates of the Church. This speech wound up becoming a major landmark in the aforementioned separation of church and state. Previously, Catholic Al Smith had lost the election of 1928 in large part due to anti-Catholic prejudices.[[/note]] Historically, Catholics have generally been concentrated in the Northeast, the Midwest, the Southwest,[[note]]By which we generally mean Texas, New Mexico, most of Arizona, and Southern California. Utah, Colorado, and any part of Nevada not called Las Vegas need not apply.[[/note]] and Louisiana.[[note]]In the Northeast and most of the Midwest, this is pretty much entirely due to massive 19th-to-early-20th-century immigration from Ireland, Italy, and the Catholic lands of Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Lithuania, even Ukraine when you count Eastern Catholics). In Louisiana and the Southwest, the Catholic presence is older, dating from the era of French or Spanish rule (both in the case of Louisiana, just Spanish in the Southwest). (By the same token, small but important communities of French Catholics survived in small pockets of the Northeast and Midwest that used to be part of New France; the most significant of these is probably in the Great Lakes region (Detroit in particular has had a Catholic presence for over 300 years and a Catholic diocese for almost 200), but there's also St. Genevieve in Missouri and the large French-speaking Catholic population of New England descended from Québecois and Acadians who either immigrated or who found themselves living in the United States after the border treaties were settled.) That said, Louisiana got a pretty massive hit of European Catholic immigration--particularly Irish and Italian--around the same time as the Northeast, since it was the main city of the South at the time and doing a lot of trade. (Hence all the Irish and Italian names among the characters of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''.)[[/note]] More recently, a mix of Latino immigration and internal migration has made the Church more popular in UsefulNotes/{{California}}, the Southwest, and UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}.\\

* The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the largest single denomination in not only the United States, but the world (although Sunni Islam is catching up with the second one). Historically, Catholicism was the religion of TheCity in general, and of [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot immigrant ethnic groups]] ([[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish]], Italians, Poles, French-Canadians and, more recently, Latinos) in particular. The association with immigrants and the supposed decadence of big cities, combined with America's longstanding Protestant tradition, led to widespread anti-Catholic prejudice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many claiming that the Catholics were agents of UsefulNotes/ThePope who were trying to subvert American society. However, outside of a few die-hard fundamentalists (such as [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]), this attitude has mostly disappeared, the pivotal moment being the election of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy as America's first Catholic President in 1960.[[note]]And even then, this was a ''huge'' deal at the time; many Protestants were still concerned that Kennedy would be a puppet of Rome. He had to give [[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Ready-Reference/JFK-Speeches/Remarks-of-Senator-John-F-Kennedy-at-American-Society-of-Newspaper-Editors-Washington-DC-April-21-19.aspx a speech]] specifically affirming that his first loyalty was to the US Constitution, and that his actions as President would not, and should not, be bound by the dictates of the Church. This speech wound up becoming a major landmark in the aforementioned separation of church and state. Previously, Catholic Al Smith had lost the election of 1928 in large part due to anti-Catholic prejudices.[[/note]] Historically, Catholics have generally been concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest, and in Louisiana[[note]]Due to large scale European immigration in the later part of the 19th century in the former, and the historic French influence in the latter.[[/note]]. More recently, a mix of Latino immigration and internal migration has made the Church more popular in UsefulNotes/{{California}}, the Southwest, and UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}.\\

* '''Evangelical churches''', as defined by Wiki/TheOtherWiki, are Protestant churches that are distinguished by four key traits -- a focus on personal conversion (becoming "born again"), spreading the message of Literature/TheBible (evangelizing), placing high stock in Biblical authority, and a focus on Jesus' death and resurrection. Examples of such churches include most subgroups of Baptists, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the Presbyterian Church in America [[note]]Not to be confused with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which is mainline Protestant.[[/note]]. They usually adhere to conservative social values, and are very often [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist]]. [[note]]As always, there are exceptions to every rule. A number of more liberal, mainline churches call themselves evangelical (such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), and a substantial minority of individual evangelicals, particularly younger ones, reject Biblical literalism.[[/note]]\\

Americans have the tendency to believe that Europeans and Canadians view them as far more religious than the rest of the Western world. This may be partly true when comparing America to areas of Western Europe such as the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, or the Benelux countries (which are basically all what most Americans think of when they say "Europe"). However, people in these countries themselves usually don't view America as particularly religious compared to some of their own European neighbours in places such as UsefulNotes/{{Italy}}, UsefulNotes/{{Greece}}, or [[UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}. Furthermore, there are some parts of the United States, most notably New England, the Pacific Northwest and most of the Rocky Mountain region, that have rates of religiosity similar to those in Canada or in the aforementioned countries in Western Europe. The idea that America is seen as the most religious country in the Western world therefore probably stems from the situation in the DeepSouth, the [[DownOnTheFarm rural Midwest]] or UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}, where it's not as much of a joke as a non-native would think to say that the church ''is'' the local government, and vice versa.[[note]]Which could be an explanation for the relative strictness of the {{Media Watchdog}}s at the FCC, especially on matters of sex and profanity.[[/note]] These regions tend to have firmly established churches that are heavily integrated into the local community and are often a major part of community life. It's very common, especially in small rural towns, for churches to be the center of the community, and for everyone in that town, from the mayor to convenience store owners, to attend the church services on Sundays. However, similar situations can also be found in many areas in the southern and eastern parts of Europe, which therefore means that it's nothing exclusive to America at all, even within the limits of the Western world, contrary to popular American belief.[[note]]It would then also depend on whether Eastern Europe today is to be considered part of the Western world. Opinions still vary on that matter as well.[[/note]] And that's not even taking to account the fact that a good number of European countries have actual state churches, which, as stated at the top, would be completely unthinkable in America.[[note]]Which is also why it is generally not a good idea to talk about "Europe", especially in cultural matters, as if the entire continent had just one culture and one mentality, although it seems to be typical American practice.[[/note]]

In the United States, the First Amendment puts an extremely strong prohibition on the government regulating religion or endorsing one, up to and specifically forbidding a government church. This is known as the principle of "separation of church and state." Now, this doesn't give churches unlimited freedom to do anything they want -- church buildings still have to comply with building codes (although they're generally exempt from height limitations), and anyone claiming something ridiculous and illegal (like, say, HumanSacrifice) as part of their religion will be laughed out of court (and in the case of HumanSacrifice, promptly convicted of murder). And while the involvement of religious organizations in politics isn't forbidden by the Constitution, incorporated churches can lose their tax-exempt status if they do so (as they would then be considered a political lobbying group), causing them to keep a low profile in politics. Nearly all religious-based lobbying is done by non-profit groups for exactly this reason.

The government can't decide that your religion is unworthy, isn't right, or is a {{Cult}} simply because people think that it's heretical or blasphemous or crazy. To do that, they will go after something else: too many guns and paedophiles at Waco, too much polygamy and forced marriages of young girls to older men at that Fundamentalist Mormon compound in Texas. But if a bunch of adults decide to hold Satanic services involving devil worship, short of finding something actually ''illegal'' going on, there ain't a damn thing the government can do to stop it. [[note]]A few years ago the Oklahoma Satanists decided to hold a black mass in the Oklahoma City Civic Center. They agreed to change a few of their rituals to comply with local health codes (like using vinegar in place of urine). So they held their service where 28 people participated. Outside, over 250 people picketed the mass.[[/note]] So if you want to start a cult that says the world is cube-shaped and your deity is a talking lizard, you're A-OK (legally, anyway, which will not stop people from laughing at you or criticizing you/your beliefs; the First Amendment also guarantees freedom of speech and of the press).

A government agency, state or federal, can deny a permit to operate virtually any business, be it a pawn shop, a liquor store, or even a non-profit operation like a thrift store or a charity, but by law, it can't even require a church to ''have'' a permit. You might not be able to invite 10 people into your home for a Tupperware party, due to hard rules on commercial activity, but you can always invite 10 people over for a prayer meeting. Churches are also exempt from taxation, as this is considered a violation of the separation of church and state (although see above for one of the big exceptions). Thus, churches in the United States have a great deal of power in the way they operate themselves without fear of the government shutting them down, unlike, say, Falun Gong in China or a Christian church operating in Saudi Arabia.

Americans have the tendency to believe that Europeans and Canadians view them as far more religious than the rest of the Western world. This may be partly true when comparing America to areas of Western Europe such as the United Kingdom, Germany, or the Benelux countries (which are basically all what most Americans think of when they say "Europe"). However, people in these countries themselves usually don't view America as particularly religious compared to some of their own European neighbours in places such as Italy, Greece, or Poland. Furthermore, there are some parts of the United States, most notably New England, the Pacific Northwest and most of the Rocky Mountain region, that have rates of religiosity similar to those in Canada or in the aforementioned countries in Western Europe. The idea that America is seen as the most religious country in the Western world therefore probably stems from the situation in the DeepSouth, the [[DownOnTheFarm rural Midwest]] or UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}, where it's not as much of a joke as a non-native would think to say that the church ''is'' the local government, and vice versa.[[note]]Which could be an explanation for the relative strictness of the {{Media Watchdog}}s at the FCC, especially on matters of sex and profanity.[[/note]] These regions tend to have firmly established churches that are heavily integrated into the local community and are often a major part of community life. It's very common, especially in small rural towns, for churches to be the center of the community, and for everyone in that town, from the mayor to convenience store owners, to attend the church services on Sundays. However, similar situations can also be found in many areas in the southern and eastern parts of Europe, which therefore means that it's nothing exclusive to America at all, even within the limits of the Western world, contrary to popular American belief.[[note]]It would then also depend on whether Eastern Europe today is to be considered part of the Western world. Opinions still vary on that matter as well.[[/note]] And that's not even taking to account the fact that a good number of European countries have actual state churches, which, as stated at the top, would be completely unthinkable in America.[[note]]Which is also why it is generally not a good idea to talk about "Europe", especially in cultural matters, as if the entire continent had just one culture and one mentality, although it seems to be typical American practice.[[/note]]

* The '''Roman Catholic Church''' is the largest single denomination in not only the United States, but the world (although Sunni Islam is catching up with the second one). Historically, Catholicism was the religion of TheCity in general, and of [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot immigrant ethnic groups]] ([[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish]], Italians, Poles, French-Canadians and, more recently, Latinos) in particular. The association with immigrants and the supposed decadence of big cities, combined with America's longstanding Protestant tradition, led to widespread anti-Catholic prejudice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many claiming that the Catholics were agents of UsefulNotes/ThePope who were trying to subvert American society. However, outside of a few die-hard fundamentalists (such as [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]), this attitude has mostly disappeared, the pivotal moment being the election of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy as America's first Catholic President in 1960.[[note]]And even then, this was a ''huge'' deal at the time; many Protestants were still concerned that Kennedy would be a puppet of Rome. He had to give [[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Ready-Reference/JFK-Speeches/Remarks-of-Senator-John-F-Kennedy-at-American-Society-of-Newspaper-Editors-Washington-DC-April-21-19.aspx a speech]] specifically affirming that his first loyalty was to the US Constitution, and that his actions as President would not, and should not, be bound by the dictates of the Church. This speech wound up becoming a major landmark in the aforementioned separation of church and state. Previously, Catholic Al Smith had lost the election of 1928 in large part due to anti-Catholic prejudices.[[/note]] Historically, Catholics have generally been concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest, and in Louisiana[[note]]Due to large scale European immigration in the later part of the 19th century in the former, and the historic French influence in the latter.[[/note]]. More recently, a mix of Latino immigration and internal migration has made the Church more popular in California, the Southwest, and Florida.\\

They are the largest of the major Christian groups in America, and are most heavily concentrated in an area known as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt "Bible Belt"]], consisting of the South, Texas and parts of the Midwest. They have grown quite strongly in recent years, due to their focus on missionary activity. If a character is described as a "born-again Christian," then he or she is most likely an evangelical -- the two terms are largely seen as interchangeable in American usage. Eventually, they have become the stereotypical American churches.\\

Orthodox Christians make up less than 1% of the American population, and are associated with particular ethnic groups even more than the Catholics. Basically, if someone is from Eastern Europe or the Balkans, they're more likely than not Eastern Orthodox, and vice versa. The main exception is UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}, a former Russian colony where Russian missionaries heavily evangelized among the natives. Copts aren't as common in America as they are in Canada (America's little brother). They're mostly from Egypt, Turkey, and Syria. There are purportedly 700,000 to 1 million Copts in America, but in very clustered communities. [[note]]Mostly in New York, New Jersey, California, and Michigan. If the last one sounds weird, Michigan has a large population of Arabic-speakers — for the Egyptian Copts — and Armenians.[[/note]] The most common denominations of Oriental Orthodox in America are the Armenian Apostolic (mostly in California) and Ethiopian Orthodox (mostly in the Midwest) churches.
* The '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]''' (or the LDS Church, "saints" among themselves, or simply the Mormons) is a Nontrinitarian orientation (which means they reject the concept of the Holy Trinity as it is defined by others), and is based mostly in the state of Utah (despite originating in New York), although there are also significant populations in California, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. They are stereotyped as having deeply conservative social views — a view that is usually TruthInTelevision. Owing to their history of persecution and hard life on [[TheWildWest the frontier]], they also believe in self-sufficiency — the Church recommends that all Mormons keep a few months of supplies on hand, and the Church itself has a massive stockpile of food and supplies in the event of a disaster. They operate a significant charity effort around the world through [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDS_Humanitarian_Services LDS Humanitarian Services]]. Mormon charity tends to put more emphasis on helping people find jobs and become self-sufficient; examples include significant efforts to dig clean wells in parts of the world that lack clean water supplies, and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_Education_Fund Perpetual Education Fund]] which makes low-interest loans to people in third-world countries pursuing education.\\

Their religious beliefs often conflict with those of mainstream Christianity, particularly with regard to their belief in Literature/TheBookOfMormon, which they believe to be a holy text on par with and corroborative of the Biblical Gospels. This, combined with their past practice of polygamy (which is not helped by the existence of breakaway sects that ''still'' practice it, in violation of both the law and current LDS Church doctrine), means that they are still an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] in many parts of the country-from both conservatives who view them as heretics, and secularists who view them as a {{cult}} and associate them with the rest of the Christian Right. This became evident in the 2008 and 2012 Republican primaries, when Mitt Romney's Mormon faith caused issue with some Christian conservatives,[[note]]Most notably, in the '08 primary Mike Huckabee, a competing candidate who was running as a social conservative, caused controversy after making some derisive comments about Romney's Mormonism.[[/note]] and in the California Proposition 8 debate in 2008, going by some of the reactions from the anti-Prop 8 side to their influence over the gay-rights debate in California.

* '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} Jews]]''' are primarily concentrated on the East Coast (particularly the New York and Washington areas, where they make up a double-digit percentage of the population in some counties), South Florida (where many of them go to retire), and California, with small enclaves elsewhere in the country. The US has the world's second biggest Jewish population, after only Israel, with about 5-6 million. They tend to pull for the Democrats in large numbers [[note]] Jews are the second most loyal constituency to the Democratic Party, after only African Americans [[/note]] -- the only Democrat since [[UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt FDR]] who earned less than 70% of the Jewish vote was Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956 -- and usually have social views more liberal than the American mainstream.[[note]]They were heavily involved in the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, and it was a Jewish woman who wrote ''The Feminine Mystique'', the book often credited with kick-starting the second wave of feminism.[[/note]] In America, as in most other places, Jews are OnceAcceptableTargets -- antisemitism was prevalent in America as late as TheGreatDepression (during which time populist radio host Father Coughlin blamed the Jews for the stock market crash), but slowly began to fade after the atrocities of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII were brought to the surface. Today, antisemitism is significantly less common, and most Jews have turned to worrying about their children marrying non-Jews (which could result in their grandchildren not being considered Jewish, depending on the sect of Judaism they follow) and struggle over whether to preserve traditional Jewish culture or assimilate into American society. That said, antisemitism is still the most common form of religious hate crime, and certain antisemitic tropes have been incorporated into either paranoid conspiracy theories or radical anti-Israel rhetoric (in both cases, often by changing the word "Jews" to "Zionists" in claims that Jews drink blood, secretly control the world, etc. A new blood libel is also the claim that Jews/Zionists traffic black market organs taken from unwilling "donors"-some of whom are claimed as being murdered for it, like the original blood libel).

* There is significant debate on the number of '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} Muslims]]''' in the United States, with most estimates ranging from as low as one million to as high as seven million. Two-thirds of the Muslim community is foreign-born, while most of the rest consists of African-American converts (where we get the stereotypical "[[MalcolmXerox black Muslims]]"). Almost one-fifth of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPrisons American convicts]] are Muslims, most of whom converted to Islam while in prison (again, the "black Muslim" stereotype). They tend to be concentrated on the East Coast, in Detroit, in Houston, and in California.\\

After the 9/11 attacks, many Muslims support the Democratic Party.[[note]]Before the attacks, most Muslims voted Republican due to their affluence and social conservatism.[[/note]] Even so, they tend to be rather well-integrated compared to their European counterparts, having a higher average income and educational attainment than the national average. The first Muslim member of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Congress]] is Keith Ellison, an African-American Democrat from Minnesota elected in 2006; he was followed by another African-American, Andre Carson (Democrat of Indiana), after a special election in 2008.[[note]]Significant controversy rose from the American right over Ellison's election and subsequent use of the Quran in his oath of office. There were claims that it was (or [[ThereShouldBeALaw should be]]) prohibited. In actual fact, there are no laws dictating office holders be sworn in on any book at all, and trying to prohibit the use of the Quran in this (or any other holy book) would be against the Constitution.[[/note]] Ellison left Congress in 2018 to successfully run for attorney general in Minnesota; his seat was filled by one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, Somalia-born Democrat Ilhan Omar. The other Muslim woman in Congress, also a Democrat, is Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a Detroit-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants who was also elected in 2018.

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Atheis|m}}ts and other non-religious people''' (not a church, but here for completeness) make up about 15% of the American population. Their numbers are highest in the Western states and the Northeast, with the title of "least religious state" often fluctuating between Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and the various [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] states depending on the year and the survey. The vast majority of non-religious people tend to be either liberals (they voted about 71% for UsefulNotes/BarackObama) or libertarians, although there are a few prominent conservative atheists. They have long been an acceptable target in American culture, often being stereotyped as [[HollywoodAtheist bitter, elitist, amoral, un-patriotic]], and [[DirtyCommunists possibly Communist]] (the latter during the Cold War especially, when "In God We Trust" was made the US's national slogan as a political statement against "godless communism"), to the point where it's been [[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/way-more-americans-may-be-atheists-than-we-thought/ suggested]] that lingering stereotypes have caused pollsters to significantly underreport the actual number of atheists in the US, as many of them would be reluctant to express their non-belief to a stranger.

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Buddhis|m}}ts''' make up 1-2% of the American population. About 75-80% of American Buddhists are Asian, while most of the rest are white converts (although, as noted below, not entirely white). This latter group is typically stereotyped as consisting largely of {{New Age Retro Hippie}}s and {{Granola Girl}}s, while the former group is usually stereotyped as... well, Asian. There have been precisely three Buddhists in Congress, all Democrats: Mazie Hirono, a non-practicing ''Issei''[[note]]immigrant from Japan[[/note]] Japanese-American from Hawaii, and Hank Johnson, a Black convert from Georgia (yeah, it's kind of weird) were elected in 2006; Colleen Hanabusa, a practicing ''Yonsei''[[note]]fourth-generation—i.e., great-grandchild of the original immigrant(s)[[/note]] Japanese-American from Hawaii was elected in 2010.[[note]]For the record, the reason there aren't more Buddhist congresspeople despite the relatively large number of Asian representatives is that most Asian American politicians are Christians.[[/note]] Probably the most prominent Buddhist in the U.S. is golf superstar Tiger Woods (child of a black father and Asian mother, but with white and Native American heritage as well).

** Although two recent state governors are the American-born children of Indian immigrants, neither is a Hindu (or Muslim, Buddhist, or Sikh, for that matter). Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina from 2011 until resigning in 2017 to become the country's UN ambassador, is Methodist, and Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana from 2008 until being term-limited out in 2016, is Catholic. However, both were raised in Indian religions before converting to Christianity (Haley as a Sikh and Jindal as a Hindu).

*** Classical paganism, also known as Hellenic paganism, is the belief in the Greek Pantheon, although there are subsets that worship the Roman gods as well. They are not as large or widespread as Wiccans or Druids

** Anyone wondering why the United States has made no moves against the Scientologists, in contrast to many European nations, should go back and re-read the opening paragraphs of this page again. They ''can't''. However, prior to 1993 the IRS (the US tax service) did not recognize the Church as tax-exempt due to its profit-making practices, and some members were sent to prison for stealing IRS files on them in the largest ever infiltration of US federal agencies.

* '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahai_Faith Bahá'í]]''' is a monotheistic religion with millions of followers around the world. Bahá'í in America are divided among Persians, many of whom fled the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and the sort of NewAgeRetroHippie-types who might have become Buddhist but preferred something more Abrahamic. The most notable Bahá'í in America is none other than Rainn Wilson (playing Dwight Schrute in ''Series/TheOfficeUS''), whose parents were of the second category and raised him in the faith while living in a houseboat off the coast of Washington State.
* '''The Church of Satan''' was founded in TheSixties by Anton Szandor [=LaVey=] in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. Sources state that there are about ten to twenty thousand official members of the Church of Satan in the United States, and there are countless more who adhere to the philosophy or one of its offshoots. Despite their name and reputation, they [[NonindicativeName do not actually worship Satan]], being an atheistic organization rooted in a mix of pseudo-[[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzschean]] philosophy[[note]][=LaVey=] claimed inspiration from UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}}, but his philosophy is significantly different.[[/note]] and the theatrics of Creator/AleisterCrowley and other occultists. They chose the name because they feel that Satan, the original rebel in Christian theology, is a role model for people to look up to, and that the Christian message of tolerance, humility, and egalitarianism is self-destructive for both individuals and society. The Church of Satan is not to be confused with...

* There are between 1 and 1.2 million '''[[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism neopagans]]''' in the United States. The largest neopagan denomination is UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}}, which is estimated as having between 150,000 and 300,000 followers. They are typically seen as acceptable targets, due to the fact that they practice a faith claiming lineage from the pagan, pre-Christian religions of Europe. As such, they have often been falsely accused of Satanism and criminal activity (including child abuse and sacrifice) by conservative Christians (then again, some conservative Christians consider ''ALL'' other religions to be (unwitting at the very least) Satanism, except for Judaism which they consider proto-Christianity), although this has declined in recent years.

* There are between 1 and 1.2 million '''[[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism neopagans]]''' in the United States. The largest neopagan denomination is UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}}, which is estimated as having between 150,000 and 300,000 followers. They are typically seen as acceptable targets, due to the fact that they practice a faith claiming lineage from the pagan, pre-Christian religions of Europe. As such, they have often been falsely accused of Satanism and criminal activity (including child abuse and sacrifice) by conservative Christians (then again, conservative Christians consider ''ALL'' other religions to be (unwitting at the very least) Satanism, except for Judaism which they consider proto-Christianity), although this has declined in recent years.

Americans have the tendency to believe that Europeans and Canadians view them as far more religious than the rest of the Western world. This may partly be TruthInTelevision, especially when comparing America to European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, or the Benelux countries (which are basically what most Americans think of when they say "Europe"). However, people in these countries themselves usually don't view America as particularly religious compared to their own neighbours in other European countries such as Italy, Greece, or Poland. In fact, there are some areas of the United States, most notably New England, the Pacific Northwest and most of the Rocky Mountain region, that have rates of religiosity similar to those in Canada or in Western Europe. When one is in the DeepSouth, the [[DownOnTheFarm rural Midwest]] or UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}, on the other hand, it's not as much of a joke as a non-native would think to say that the church ''is'' the local government, and vice versa.[[note]]Which could be an explanation for the relative strictness of the {{Media Watchdog}}s at the FCC, especially on matters of sex and profanity.[[/note]] Such areas tend to have firmly established churches that are heavily integrated into the local community and are often a major part of community life. It's very common, especially in small rural towns, for churches to be the center of the community, and for everyone in that town, from the mayor to convenience store owners, to attend church on Sunday. However, all of this would also be a good description of the situation in many areas of Southern and Eastern Europe, and is therefore nothing exclusive to America at all, even within the limits of the Western world, contrary to popular American belief. And that's not even taking to account the fact that a good number of European countries have state churches, which, as stated at the top, would be completely unthinkable in America.[[note]]Which is also why the typical American practice of talking about "Europe" as if the entire place had only one single culture and especially one single mentality is not a good idea.[[/note]]

* There are about 1-1.5 million '''UsefulNotes/{{Hindu|ism}}s''' in the United States. Most of them are South Asian immigrants who, like their East Asian Buddhist counterparts, have their own stereotypes (such as the AsianStoreOwner and the BollywoodNerd). Hindu gurus had a large influence in the American New Age movement in TheSixties and TheSeventies, when it attracted a number of high-profile Western converts into denominations such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Most American perceptions of the religion stem from this, and from what is gleaned of the Indian community.

* There are between 1 and 1.2 million '''[[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism neopagans]]''' in the United States. The largest neopagan denomination is UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}}, which is estimated as having between 150,000 and 300,000 followers. They are typically seen as acceptable targets, due to the fact that they practice a faith claiming lineage from the pagan, pre-Christian religions of Europe. As such, they have often been falsely accused of Satanism and criminal activity (including child abuse and sacrifice) by conservative Christians (then again, conservative Christians consider ''ALL'' other religions to be (unwitting at the very least) Satanism, except for Judaism which they consider pre-Christianity), although this has declined in recent years.

* The '''Religious Society of Friends''', or Quakers (the term was originally applied as an insult, but the Friends embraced it) is not so much a sect as a (very) loose network of people who agree on certain principles, and agree to disagree on others. There is enough variety and universality among the Friends that a significant minority of them do not identify as Christian. The Friends have no clergy, and no creed, and are as a whole much more interested in activism and social justice than proselytizing. They've been the most consistently socially liberal sect in American Christianity for centuries: the Quakers allowed women preachers from their foundation in the 1650's, opposed slavery long before it was cool, and were one of the first sects to welcome openly homosexual members.

Americans have the tendency to believe that Europeans and Canadians view them as far more religious than the rest of the Western world. This may partly be TruthInTelevision, especially when comparing America to European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, or the Benelux countries (which are basically what most Americans think of when they say "Europe"). However, people in these countries themselves usually don't view America as particularly religious compared to their own neighbours in other European countries such as Italy, Greece, or Poland. In fact, there are some areas of the United States, most notably New England, the Pacific Northwest and most of the Rocky Mountain region, that have rates of religiosity similar to those in Canada or in Western Europe. When one is in the DeepSouth, the [[DownOnTheFarm rural Midwest]] or UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}, on the other hand, it's not as much of a joke as a non-native would think to say that the church ''is'' the local government, and vice versa.[[note]]Which could be an explanation for the relative strictness of the {{Media Watchdog}}s at the FCC, especially on matters of sex and profanity.[[/note]] Such areas tend to have firmly established churches that are heavily integrated into the local community and are often a major part of community life. It's very common, especially in small rural towns, for churches to be the center of the community, and for everyone in that town, from the mayor to convenience store owners, to attend church on Sunday. However, all of this would also be a good description of the situation in many areas of Southern and Eastern Europe, and is therefore nothing exclusive to America at all, even within the limits of the Western world, contrary to popular American belief.[[note]]Which is also why the typical American practice of talking about "Europe" as if the entire place had only one single culture and especially one single mentality is not a good idea.[[/note]]

Their religious beliefs often conflict with those of mainstream Christianity, particularly with regard to their belief in Literature/TheBookOfMormon, which they believe to be a holy text on par with and corroborative of the Biblical Gospels. This, combined with their past practice of polygamy (which is not helped by the existence of breakaway sects that ''still'' practice it, in violation of both the law and current LDS Church doctrine), means that they are still an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] in many parts of the country-from both conservatives who view them as a {{cult}}, and secularists who associate them with the rest of the Christian Right. This became evident in the 2008 and 2012 Republican primaries, when Mitt Romney's Mormon faith caused issue with some Christian conservatives,[[note]]Most notably, in the '08 primary Mike Huckabee, a competing candidate who was running as a social conservative, caused controversy after making some derisive comments about Romney's Mormonism.[[/note]] and in the California Proposition 8 debate in 2008, going by some of the reactions from the anti-Prop 8 side to their influence over the gay-rights debate in California.

They are also responsible for the growth of what are often called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachurch megachurches]]. While a more traditional church will have from a few dozen to a few hundred parishioners return every week, with "extracurricular" services largely limited to Sunday schools, bake sales and grade schools for some of the larger ones, a megachurch has a few thousand or even tens of thousands. and its services will often be more comparable to a rock concert than an old-time congregation. A large number of these churches have [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-site_church multiple sites]], usually with the head pastor/minister preaching live at the main campus and the message transmitted via satellite or Internet to the other locations. Megachurches are likely to have their own [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem K-12 schools]], fitness centers, day cares, shops selling Christian merchandise (some of it likely pertaining to, or created by, the head pastor/minister), and ministries targeting various UsefulNotes/{{subculture}}s,[[note]]though a surprising number of megachurches largely ignore singles as a targeted subculture[[/note]] making them one-stop shops for born-again suburbanites. The trend began in the middle of the twentieth century and is associated with the rise of the Religious Right and the growth of the evangelical and Pentecostal movements, as they tend to focus on conversion and personal morality/salvation. These churches have been the target of criticism by both Christians and non-Christians alike, for drawing parishioners away from traditional churches, for their "big box" feel and perceived focus on consumerism, their use of secular business models to bring in worshipers and dollars, and their tax-exempt status.[[note]]These churches bring in millions of dollars annually, tax free, and their leaders also get tax breaks. It has caused some friction. Think "money changers in the temple".[[/note]]

They are also responsible for the growth of what are often called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachurch megachurches]]. While a more traditional church will have from a few dozen to a few hundred parishioners return every week, with "extracurricular" services largely limited to Sunday schools, bake sales and grade schools for some of the larger ones, a megachurch has a few thousand or even tens of thousands, and its services will often be more comparable to a rock concert than an old-time congregation. Megachurches are likely to have their own [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem K-12 schools]], fitness centers, day cares, shops selling Christian merchandise (some of it likely pertaining to, or created by, the head pastor/minister), and ministries targeting various UsefulNotes/{{subculture}}s,[[note]]though a surprising number of megachurches largely ignore singles as a targeted subculture[[/note]] making them one-stop shops for born-again suburbanites. The trend began in the middle of the twentieth century and is associated with the rise of the Religious Right and the growth of the evangelical and Pentecostal movements, as they tend to focus on conversion and personal morality/salvation. These churches have been the target of criticism by both Christians and non-Christians alike, for drawing parishioners away from traditional churches, for their "big box" feel and perceived focus on consumerism, their use of secular business models to bring in worshipers and dollars, and their tax-exempt status.[[note]]These churches bring in millions of dollars annually, tax free, and their leaders also get tax breaks. It has caused some friction. Think "money changers in the temple".[[/note]]

** Although American Jews as a whole are largely Democratic, this is not the case for Orthodox Jews. While Jews as a whole voted 72% Democratic in 2012, [[http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Washington-Watch-Are-Jewish-voting-patterns-changing the Orthodox voted 86% Republican]].

A commonly-held view among Europeans and Canadians is that Americans are far more religious than the rest of the Western world, and to a great extent, this view is TruthInTelevision. There are some areas of the country (most notably New England, the Pacific Northwest and most of the Rocky Mountain region) that have rates of religiosity more in line with Canadian or European norms, but when one is in, say, the DeepSouth, the [[DownOnTheFarm rural Midwest]] or UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}, it's not as much of a joke as a non-native would think to say that the church ''is'' the local government, and vice versa. Such areas tend to have firmly established churches that are heavily integrated into the local community and are often a major part of community life. It's very common, especially in small rural towns, for churches to be the center of the community, and for everyone in that town, from the mayor to convenience store owners, to attend church on Sunday. This explains the relative strictness of the {{Media Watchdog}}s at the FCC, especially on matters of sex and profanity.

* '''The Church of Satan''' was founded in TheSixties by Anton [=LaVey=] in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. Sources state that there are about ten to twenty thousand official members of the Church of Satan in the United States, and there are countless more who adhere to the philosophy or one of its offshoots. Despite their name and reputation, they [[NonindicativeName do not actually worship Satan]], being an atheistic organization rooted in a mix of pseudo-[[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzschean]] philosophy[[note]][=LaVey=] claimed inspiration from UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}}, but his philosophy is significantly different.[[/note]] and the theatrics of Creator/AleisterCrowley and other occultists. They chose the name because they feel that Satan, the original rebel in Christian theology, is a role model for people to look up to, and that the Christian message of tolerance, humility, and egalitarianism is self-destructive for both individuals and society. The Church of Satan is not to be confused with...

* Much less common than the above, but still prevalent in America, are '''Anabaptists'''. They are the descendants of the Radical Reformation, alongside the Protestant Reformation, who believe that being baptized and joining a church should be a choice, offered [[UsefulNotes/{{Consent}} only to adults who had the knowledge to make such a decision]]. This sounds sensible now, but was pretty revolutionary in the 16th century. In fact, this was the origin of their name: anabaptists literally means "re-baptizers," a pejorative term used by the Catholics for their practice of baptizing adults who had formerly been baptized Catholics as infants. \\

They are also responsible for the growth of what are often called [[http://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Megachurch megachurches]]. While a more traditional church will have from a few dozen to a few hundred parishioners return every week, with "extracurricular" services largely limited to Sunday schools, bake sales and grade schools for some of the larger ones, a megachurch has a few thousand or even tens of thousands, and its services will often be more comparable to a rock concert than an old-time congregation. Megachurches are likely to have their own [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem K-12 schools]], fitness centers, day cares, shops selling Christian merchandise (some of it likely pertaining to, or created by, the head pastor/minister), and ministries targeting various UsefulNotes/{{subculture}}s,[[note]]though a surprising number of megachurches largely ignore singles as a targeted subculture[[/note]] making them one-stop shops for born-again suburbanites. The trend began in the middle of the twentieth century and is associated with the rise of the Religious Right and the growth of the evangelical and Pentecostal movements, as they tend to focus on conversion and personal morality/salvation. These churches have been the target of criticism by both Christians and non-Christians alike, for drawing parishioners away from traditional churches, for their "big box" feel and perceived focus on consumerism, their use of secular business models to bring in worshipers and dollars, and their tax-exempt status.[[note]]These churches bring in millions of dollars annually, tax free, and their leaders also get tax breaks. It has caused some friction. Think "money changers in the temple".[[/note]]