Over the years, the United States of America has been marked by religious pluralism and diversity. The foundation of religion is based on the native beliefs of the precolonial times. Religions in the USA include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism (McCutcheon, 2018). Since the 1990s, the influence of Christianity has increased, leading to the decline of the other religions. Through the constitution’s first amendment, the USA government allowed Americans to have the freedom of worship. As per this amendment, the federal and state governments were not to interfere with any religious activities. According to the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the amendment also remodeled the provisions. These constitutional framers barred all persons from using tests to occupy religious offices.
A diversity of denominations characterizes the United States of American religion. In the USA, the majority of the people identify as Christians. Of all the Christians in the USA, approximately 78% are catholic and protestants; this accounts for 51 % of the American population (McCutcheon, 2018). The United States of America is commonly called the Protestants nation because of the high numbers of protestants. The foundation of Christianity in the USA is based on the Great Awakenings. During this period, interdenominational evangelism and Pentecostalism emerged. Further, new denominations such as the Adventism and restoration movement also developed. The Puritans introduced catholicism from England, who were protecting their commonwealth. The development of Georgetown University, which was the first catholic university in 1789, formed the basis for the growth of the catholic denomination (McCutcheon, 2018). Catholicism, over time, has expanded to be the largest denomination in the United States. After Christianity, Judaism is the second-largest religion in the United States. The American Jews identify themselves in terms of ethnic and cultural grounds.
The universal religion is as diverse as the American religion. The primary regions are classified into two: Abrahamic faiths and Indian religions. Those considered Abrahamic include Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (McCutcheon, 2018). The Indian categories are Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. in the present day (McCutcheon, 2018) Christians have the largest population. It is approximated that there are more than three billion Christians globally. Christianity bases its foundation on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Globally the most prominent group is the Roman Catholic church. Other denomination with many followers includes the Eastern Orthodox churches and the protestants. The growth of Christianity was spurred through missionary missions and colonization.
The second-largest religion with many followers in the world is Islam. It is approximated that there are two billion Muslims in the world. The religion was established in Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia. Their God is named Allah, whose teachings are written in the Quran. Muslims believe that Allah speaks to them through his prominent prophet called Muhammad. Muslims are further divided into Sunnis, who form 80 percent of the total population, and the Shiah, who account for about 20 percent (McCutcheon, 2018). Hinduism is considered the third largest religion, with approximately one billion people. Its aspects, such as yoga, have spread all around the world. The current fourth-largest religion in the world is Buddhism. Its followers are approximately 500 million globally, with around half of them Chinese (McCutcheon, 2018). It has two main branches: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, and both of them have the vow of nonviolence.
Reference
McCutcheon, R. T. (2018). Studying religion: An introduction. Routledge. Web.