How religious are Americans?
• 93% of Americans say they believe in God • 87% of Americans are Christians • 46% attend church every week or almost every week • 63% think that religion can answer all or most of today’s problems • 68% claim that they are a member of a local church • 7% say they have no religious prefen
This introduction explores the reasons for Americans to be so religious, a wide range of the religions that they claim to believe in, and the changing patterns in contemporary American religious life.
The reasons for Americans to be so religious
• Religion in America has never been identified with an oppressive or dominant social class or set of political institutions. • Most people want to identify themselves with dominant values, and going freely to the church of one’s choice is a way of doing so, and of gaining acceptance in the face of a subtle demand for conformity. • The church is a place where people can meet others with whom they would like to make friends.
The end
中赫时尚
God was left out of the Constitution but was furnished a front seat on the coins of the country.
－ American humor
Brain Storming
• What do you know about religion in the United States? • Do many Americans believe in God? • What religion is most popular in the United States? • Do Americans have a national religion? • How has religion shaped American values? • What are the main religious problems in American life? • What are some of the major religious bodies and their characteristics in the United States?