USA – religion

USA – religion

• when Pilgrim fathers came to America from England in 1620, they brought with them roots of English Protestant church; they issued the Mayflower compact, which was actually the 1st constitution and it tried to unificate the church in America

• in 1636 the first amendment to the Mayflower compact was added; the government can’t support any religion

• in the half or 18th century there was a Great Awakening – thousands of people became members of any church, they started to strongly believe in God and praying, Puritans became more educated

• the religious situation in 1950’s was known as a three faith model – Protestants, Catholics and Jews made the biggest groups

• it can be seen that religion has a big influnce in USA today – the president oaths on a Bible, he says „… and so help me God“, you don’t have to be a soldier if your religion forbids it …

Sects :
• a terrible thing happend in 1978 when Jim Jones let his believers drink the poisson; the result was 900 dead by suicide
Mormons – the largest sect in USA, they live in Utah and strongly keep the family solidarity
Jehova’s witnesses – the sect was founded in 1870 in New York by Charles Russel
Scientologists – they try to increase their spititual activities
The Amish – they aim on agriculture, they don’t often go to schools – they prepare themselves for good wives, mothers and farmers, they don’t like modern civilisation and they disdain for it, can’t make pictures and photos of people

Religions now :
56% Protestantism (including Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Mormon and others)
25% Roman Catholicism
2% Judaism
17% Other (including other Christian denominations, Islam, and Hinduism)
7 % have none