Chapter 3

The American Religious Heritage

The care of every man's soul belongs to himself.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

THE RELIGIOUS HERITAGE OF THE UNITED STATES: STRENGTHENING

AMERICAN CULTURAL VALUES
1 The United States is and has always been a religious nation, by a number of measures. Ninety percent of
Americans still say they believe in God, or a higher power/universal spirit, although their beliefs and
practices are quite diverse. The majority of Americans are Christian, but all the major religions of the world
are practiced in the United States. In some parts of the country, large numbers of people belong to
churches and many .attend worship services more than once a week. Other areas are more secular, with
fewer people who are active in churches. Increasingly, young people do not belong to any church or other
religious group, but most still say they believe in God. Many refer to themselves as being "spiritual," not
"religious."

2 The landscape of religion in America

is complicated and constantly
changing, but it has always been a
very important aspect of the culture. In
Chapter 2 we introduced six basic
cultural values -- individual freedom,
self-reliance, equality of opportunity,
competition, material wealth, and hard
work. These values developed in and
were strengthened by the nation's
religious heritage. Several of these
values-individual freedom,
self-reliance, material wealth, and
hard work-were particularly affected.
In this chapter, we will first examine
how the historical context shaped the
nation's religious heritage and helped
produce and reinforce these cultural
values. Then we will look at how these values affect the religious landscape today.

3 From the beginning, religion played an important role in the history of the United States. The Catholic faith
was first brought to the North American continent by the Spanish in the 1500s. For the next 300 years,
Catholic missionaries and settlers from Spain and then Latin America came to what is now Florida,
California, and the Southwest. Many of the cities were named by these missionaries and settlers-St.
Augustine, San Francisco, Santa Fe, and San Antonio, for example. French Canadian Catholic
missionaries also came with the explorers and traders from Quebec, down the Mississippi River to New
Orleans. In the 1600s, European settlers began establishing colonies along the east coast of North
America. Although there were some Catholics, the vast majority of the European settlers were Protestants,
most from England. As the new nation formed, it was the Protestant branch of the Christian faith that had
the strongest effect on the development of the religious climate in the United States.
The Development of Protestantism

4 The Protestant branch of the Christian faith broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in Europe in the
sixteenth century because of important differences in religious beliefs. (The Eastern Orthodox branch of the
Christian faith had separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054.) At the time of the Protestant
Reformation, ·the Roman Catholic Church was the center of religious life in western European countries;
the Catholic pope and the priests played the role of parent to the people in spiritual matters. They told
people what was right and wrong, and they granted them forgiveness for sins against God and the Christian
faith.

5 The Protestants, on the other hand, insisted that all individuals must stand alone before God. If people
sinned, they should seek their forgiveness directly from God rather than from a priest speaking in God's
name. In place of the power and authority of priests, Protestants substituted what they called the
"priesthood of all believers." This meant that every individual was solely responsible for his or her own
relationship with God.

6 After the Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church, they found that they could not agree among
themselves about many beliefs. Therefore, the Protestants began to form separate churches, called
denominations. (The traditional Protestant denominations in the United States are Baptist, Methodist,
Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and United Church of Christ). There was much bitterness among some
of the religious groups in the 1600s, and many Protestant denominations experienced religious persecution.
A number of people were even killed because of their beliefs. The result of this persecution was that many
Protestants were ready to leave their native countries in order to have freedom to practice their particular
religious beliefs. Consequently, among the early settlers who came to America in the 1600s, there were
many Protestants seeking religious freedom.

7 In the previous chapter we noted that this desire for religious freedom was one of the strongest reasons
why many colonial settlers came to America. Generally speaking, the lack of any established national
religion in America appealed strongly to European Protestants, whether or not they were being persecuted.
A large number of Protestant denominations were established in America. At first, some denominations
hoped to force their views and beliefs on others, but the colonies were simply too large for any one
denomination to gain control over the others. The idea of separation of church and state became accepted.

8 When the Constitution was adopted in 1789, the government was forbidden to establish a national
church; no denomination was to be favored over the others. The government and the church had to remain
separate, and freedom of religion was guaranteed by the first amendment. Under these conditions, a great
variety of different Protestant denominations developed and grew, with each denomination having a "live
and let live" attitude toward the others. Diversity was accepted and strengthened. Today, the various
Protestant denominations have completely separate church organizations, and although there are many
similarities, there are also significant differences in their religious teachings and beliefs.

Self-Reliance and the Protestant Heritage of Self-Improvement

9 Protestantism has been a powerful force in shaping the values and beliefs of Americans. One of the most
important values associated with American Protestantism is the value of self improvement, an outgrowth of
self-reliance. Christianity often emphasizes the natural sinfulness of human nature. However, unlike
Catholics, Protestants do not go to priests for forgiveness of their sins; individuals are left alone before God
to improve themselves and ask for God's guidance, forgiveness, and grace. For this reason, Protestantism
has traditionally encouraged a strong and restless desire for self-improvement.
10 Perhaps the most dramatic example of the idea of self-improvement is the experience of being "born
again." Individuals who have had this experience say that opening their hearts to God and Jesus Christ
changed their lives so completely that it was like being born again. Many evangelicals, or religious
conservatives, believe this is an important experience to have.

11 The need for self-improvement has reached far beyond self-improvement in the purely moral or religious
sense. Today it can be seen in countless books that offer advice to people on how to stop smoking, lose
weight, or have better relationships. Books of this type often offer advice on how to be happier and more
successful in life. They are referred to as "self-help" books, and many are best sellers. They are the natural
products of a culture in which people believe that "God helps those who help themselves."

Material Success, Hard Work, and Self-Discipline

12 The achievement of material success is probably the most widely respected form of self-improvement in
the United States. Many scholars believe that the nation's Protestant heritage is also largely responsible for
bringing this about. The idea of mixing materialism and religion may seem contradictory; religion is
considered to be concerned with spiritual matters, not material possessions. How can the two mix?

13 Some of the early European Protestant leaders believed that people who were blessed by God might be
recognized in the world by their material success. Other church leaders, particularly in the United States,
made an even stronger connection between gaining material wealth and being blessed by God. In 1900, for
example, Bishop William Lawrence proclaimed,4 "Godliness is in league with riches .... Material prosperity
is helping to make the national character sweeter, more joyous, more unselfish, more Christlike."

14 American religious leaders, however, never encouraged the idea of gaining wealth without hard work
and self-discipline. Many scholars believe that the emphasis on these two values made an important
contribution to the industrial growth of the United States. Protestant leaders viewed the work of all people
as holy, not just that of priests. They also believed that the capacity for self-discipline was a holy
characteristic blessed by God. Self-discipline was often defined as the willingness to save and invest one's
money rather than spend it on immediate pleasures. John Wesley, the leader of the Methodist faith, told his
followers, "Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can." Encouraging people to save may also have
helped create a good climate for the industrial growth of the United States, which depended on hard work
and a willingness to save and invest money.

15 The belief in hard work and self-discipline in pursuit of material gain and other goals is often referred to
as "the Protestant work ethic" or "the Puritan work ethic." It is important to understand that this work ethic
has had an influence far beyond the Protestant church. Many religious groups in the United States share
this work ethic, and even Americans who have no attachment to a particular church are influenced by the
work ethic in their daily lives. Interestingly, the United States is the only industrialized country that does not
have a legal requirement for workers to have a certain number of paid vacation days. Americans take an
average of only two weeks of vacation time a year, while workers in other countries take as many as four,
five, or even more weeks. Also, many Americans who could retire at age 65 or 66 continue to work for more
years. Many Americans are proud to be called "workaholics," people who work long hours, often seven
days a week.

Volunteerism and Humanitarianism

16 The idea of self-improvement includes more than achieving material gain through hard work and
self-discipline. It also includes the idea of improving oneself by helping others. Individuals, in other words,
make themselves into better persons by contributing some of their time or money to charitable, educational,
or religious causes that are designed to help others. The philosophy is sometimes called volunteerism or
humanitarianism.

17 Historically, some extremely wealthy Americans have made generous contributions to help others. In the
early 1900s, for example, Andrew Carnegie, a famous American businessman, gave away more than $300
million to help support schools and universities and to build public libraries in thousands of communities in
the United States. John D. Rockefeller, another famous businessman, in explaining why he gave a large
sum from his private fortune to establish a university, said, "The good Lord gave me my money, so how
could I withhold it from the University of Chicago?" Julius Rosenwald, part-owner of the Sears Roebuck
company, helped pay for the building of 5,000 black schools in the rural South. In the twenty-first century,
Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and other wealthy Americans have established charitable foundations and have
donated huge sums of money. Traditionally, many average Americans have also agreed that they should
devote part of their time and wealth to religious or humanitarian causes. Their motivation may be part
idealism and part self-improvement, a desire to be acceptable in the eyes of God and also in the eyes of
other Americans.

18 The spirit of charitable giving and volunteerism continues in America today. Some religious faiths believe
that it is the responsibility of their members to contribute 10 percent of what they earn to their church and
other charities. Incidentally; individuals may get tax deductions for giving money to charity. This spirit of
giving can be seen outside religious contexts as well. Many businesses encourage their employees to do
volunteer work, such as helping clean up parks, helping a child who is having difficulty in school, or working
in an animal shelter in their spare time. Parents often try to teach their children that they have a
responsibility to help others. A recent Parents magazine had a cover story advising parents how to "raise a
child who gives back." The article said that children should be taught the value of volunteering, including
giving money to charity. "Volunteering boosts kids' self-esteem and teaches them to be grateful," the article
promised, a good illustration of the American mixture of idealism and self-improvement.
September 11, 2001 and the National Religion

19 All Americans and many people around the world can remember exactly what they were doing at the
moment they heard that terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September
11, 2001. People in New York City and Washington, D. C., were especially devastated. Everyone knew
someone who was touched by the tragedy. Immediately; there was an outpouring of love, charity; and
patriotism around the country. So many people volunteered to help that officials had to limit the numbers.
Millions of dollars were raised for the families of the victims, and Americans felt a huge surge of pride and
love for their country. Eighty percent of them displayed the American flag-in the windows of their houses, on
their cars, even on their clothing. Crowds spontaneously sang "God Bless America," a patriotic song that is
more popular (and much easier to sing) than the national anthem, along with "America the Beautiful" and
"My Country 'Tis of Thee."

20 This mixture of religion and patriotism is an example of what some scholars have called the "national
religion" of the United States. The roots of the national religion go back to colonial times. In the countries
from which the American colonists emigrated, the dominant values of the nation were often supported by an
organized national church. Although Americans made certain that no organized national church would exist
in their young country; they have, over the years, developed a number of informal practices that combine
national patriotism with religion. The main function of this national religion is to provide support for the
dominant values of the nation and comfort in times of grief. Thus, it does in an informal and less organized
way what nationally organized churches did for European nations in earlier times.

21 Some observers of American society believe that the various practices that are called the national
religion can have harmful effects, however. Sometimes these practices can help to create a climate in
which disagreement with current national practices is discouraged or not tolerated. There have been times
when citizens have disagreed with their government's decision to wage war, for example, and other
Americans accused them of being unpatriotic. This happened during the war in Vietnam, when protesters
were told, "America-love it, or leave it." A similar division of opinion occurred over the U.S. decision to
invade Iraq in 2003.

The Religious Landscape Today: Polarization Vs. Pluralism

22 The religious landscape in the United States is complicated and changing. In American Grace: How
Religion Divides and Unites Us, Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell discuss two forces at work in the
United States today: religious polarization and pluralism. There is growing polarization between
evangelicals, or religious conservatives, and secular liberals. Increasingly, Americans find themselves at
one end of the spectrum or another, while the number of moderates in the middle decreases. Evangelicals
believe in strictly following the teachings of the Bible (as they and the church leaders interpret it) and
regularly attending worship services. They are socially (and often politically) more conservative than
religious moderates or liberals. They may be against abortion and gay marriage, for example, and they may
believe in creationism instead of evolution. The debate between religious conservatives and liberals can
grow quite heated. Some commentators have even described this split as "culture wars." However, Putnam
and Campbell say there is another force at work:

America peacefully combines a high degree of religious devotion with tremendous

religious diversity - including growing ranks of the nonreligious . . . . How can religious
pluralism coexist with religious polarization ? The answer lies in the fact that, in America,
religion is highly fluid… Religions compete, adapt and evolve as individual Americans
freely move from one congregation to another, and even from one religion to another.
23 What American value has allowed religious pluralism to coexist with religious polarization? The
fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the right of individuals to practice their own religion
is at the center of religious experience in the United States. The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has
produced a climate of religious pluralism, and most of the religions of the world are now practiced here.
Although the overwhelming majority of Americans are Christians, other religions and people from other
cultures make important contributions to the religious landscape. There are now about as many Muslims
living in the United States as there are Jews. People of Hispanic origin now make up nearly one-half of the
Catholic Church here. In addition to Buddhism and Hinduism, Asian immigrants have brought with them
other traditional religions of East Asia-Daoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism. And the Native American
religions are still practiced and studied today, particularly for their teachings about living in harmony with
nature.

24 The Census of American Religious Congregations has been tracking 236 different religions in the United
States, from Albanian Orthodox to Zoroastrian, every ten years. They report in the latest census that
Muslims (Islam) and Mormons (Church of the Latter-day Saints) are two of the fastest growing religious
groups in the country. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of Muslims grew by 66 percent and the number
of Mormons grew by 44 percent, while the number of Protestants fell by 5 percent to below 50 percent of
the population for the first time. (There are also estimates of about one million Buddhists and Hindus.)
Remembering that the total population of the United States is now over 310 million, here are America's top
10 religions:
1. Catholic 58.9 million
2. Baptist 27.2 million
3. Methodist 12.2 million
4. Non-denominational Evangelical Protestant 12.2 million
5. Lutheran 7.2 million
6. Latter-day Saints 6.4 million
7. Pentecostal 5.8 million
8. Presbyterian Reformed 5.0 million
9. Islam (Muslims) 2.6 million
10. Judaism (Jews) 2.3 million

* Source: The Association of Religion Data Archives

25 One of the most dramatic developments in recent years is the rapid rise in the number of people who
say they have no religious affiliation. Almost 20 percent of adults and one third of those under 30 do not
consider themselves to be a part of any particular church or faith. They are referred to as the unaffiliated, or
the "nones" (since they choose "none" when asked about their religious affiliation), and now number 49
million. Interestingly, 68 percent of them say that they believe in God, but they have no desire to be part of
organized religion. Often they refer to themselves as being "spiritual, but not religious." They are more
liberal and more secular than Americans who are affiliated with some religious group.

26 Another important development is the decline in the membership of traditional mainline Protestant
churches. In the list of top ten faiths above, only four are traditional Protestant denominations (Baptist,
Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian). Mainline churches tend to be moderate and more liberal than the
evangelicals and religious conservatives, with the exception of the Baptist Church . Most Baptists are
evangelicals. (Pentecostals are evangelicals, too, but they are not generally considered as traditional
mainline Protestants .)

27 There has also been a rise in the number of non-denominational evangelical Protestants. These
churches are not affiliated with a traditional Protestant denomination and are often community churches
organized by dynamic religious leaders . Some of them are "megachurches." Rick Warren's Saddleback
Church in Orange County, California, which was founded in 1980, now has 100,000 members and an
average weekend attendance of over 20,000. Megachurches have contemporary worship services and
often focus on helping people live "happy, fulfilled Christian lives," a modern message of self-improvement
They are an example of how some American churches have evolved and adapted to meet changing needs,
particularly of young people.

Religious Diversity in the United States: A Spiritual Kaleidoscope

28 This chapter began with the assertion that the United States has been and still is a religious country, but
that the religious landscape is complicated and changing. The historical "live and let live" tolerance of early
Protestant faiths has led to a modern acceptance of diverse religions by most Americans. Although there
are some who are intolerant and would disagree, the majority of Americans believe that there are many
paths to God and their particular religion is not the only valid faith. The traditional lines drawn between
members of different religions have broken down so that Americans frequently marry people of different
faiths. This is especially true of younger Americans. More and more people work with, live near, and are
friends with people of different cultures and faiths. This has created a spiritual kaleidoscope, where people
move between faiths, sometimes creating their own collection of beliefs drawn from a number of different
religious traditions.

29 The belief that the individual, not the organized church, should be the center of religious life has
encouraged a tolerance and acceptance of all faiths by most Americans. Most also believe that religious
freedom must be protected-that everyone has the right to practice his or her own religion without
interference by the government or anyone else. America's religious heritage seems to have encouraged
certain basic values that members of many diverse faiths find easy to accept. This has helped to unite
many different religious groups in the United States without requiring any to abandon their faiths. Cultural
and religious pluralism has also created a context of tolerance that further strengthens the American reality
of many different religions living peacefully within a single nation.