In this paperwork, I am going to discuss the different religions in the United States illustrating how these people live.
The United States has the largest number of religious groups than any other country in the world. The majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians. The majority of the Americans Christians are protestant and it is vital to note that protestant denominations differ widely in their values and practices. Roman Catholics consist of the next leading group of American Christians, while the Eastern Orthodox is third (Browning 58).
In United States, there exist numerous protestant denominations, such as, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, and so on. A good number of these protestant denominations are broken into separate groups. These separate groups comprises of varying thoughts about church set up as well as mysticism. The second largest religious group comprises of the Roman Catholics who are depicted as being more fused than Protestants. Roman Catholics have a well structured chain of command and debates are always welcomed and this could be the major reason as to why they are united- sharing of core beliefs is a common practice implemented by the Roman Catholics. As depicted in this paperwork, the third largest religious group comprises of the Eastern Orthodox Church which is mostly separated by nationwide foundations; for example, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church which are depicted as the major branches in America (Browning, 2007).
The Baptist Family comprises of those confederations of churches that have Baptist in their person's name. The Baptist followers are adult- only people who are mature enough to understand the meaning of baptism as well as its significance are baptized. The largest Baptist convention in the United States is the South Baptist Convention. Baptism is performed through immersing an adult person in water with the purpose of cleansing the person so that he or she can be pure.
Judaism is, also, present in the United States and it is divided into branches; for example, Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, and so on. These numerous branches have adopted their own ways of achieving their goals, thus, making it difficult to understand- the implementation of numerous roads that leads to the same destination. Other religions practiced in the United States consist of Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, as well as the African Methodist Episcopal Church (Timothy 19).
The African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded with the intention of rescuing the black Americans from slavery- the church was born in remonstration against slavery. The African who were brought to the American continent as labor were being treated as second class citizens. In order to bring to an end these acts of slavery, they came up with their own religious group with the intention of fighting for their rights (Timothy 183).
Despite the fact that the United States comprises of numerous religious group, a good number of Americans citizen do not have a religious vision of the human race- about eight percent are nonreligious. The term atheists can also be used to describe this nonreligious group- meaning that they do not believe in the existence of god or gods. This population of nonbelievers continues to increase in the United States.
The majority of religious group, in United States, have a specific day for honoring the divine. Christianity, Islam, as well as Judaism each have set aside one day of the week on which they normally congregate for devotion- Muslims congregate on Friday, Jews congregate on Saturday, and Christians congregate on Sunday. Special religious holidays are observed by each religion, since they are mainly vital in American faiths. The Christian calendar comprises of numerous holidays, but the significance of these holidays varies from one denomination to another. Literature review has it that the two most vital holidays practiced by Christians are Christmas holiday as well as Easter holiday. The Christmas holiday is celebrated annually on December 25 with the objective of commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Easter holiday is, also, celebrated annually on a Sunday in early spring with the objective of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ- Jesus Christ rising from the lifeless. All the Christians are expected to gather in church so as to celebrate these festivals. It is important to note that the Christians are expected to prepare themselves, first, prior to celebrating these festivals; for example, the Christians are required to fast and pray in contrition for their sins and in harmony with Jesus Christ personal torment and passing away as they get ready to rejoice his resurrection and their deliverance from transgression (Hackett 227).
The Muslims calendar has numerous holidays, like the Christian and Jewish calendars. All Muslims, across the world, are expected to celebrate the following two fastidious holidays: Eid ul-Fitr as well as Eid ul-Adha.
Eid ul-Fitr: this festival marks the end of Ramadan- a month including many sacred proceedings in the account of Islam (known as the lesser feast). While celebrating this festival, the Muslims are expected to fast, but the fasting should, only, take place during daytime hours. Eid ul-Adha or the feast of sacrifice (known as the greater feast) is celebrated with the objective of commemorating the enthusiasm of the Prophet Ibrahim to give up his son Ismail according to God’s instructions and the replacement of a sheep for Ismail. This festival, also, marks the end of Hajj, whereby, Muslims are involved in the act of slaughtering domestic animals and giving the meat to those in wants (Browning, 2007).
American Jews, also, have numerous holidays in their calendar, but they are said to commemorate two main holidays (high holidays) – Yom Kippur, as well as Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah festival is celebrated with the objective of marking the Jews New Year. Trumpets are blown during the celebration of this festival- the blowing of trumpets is symbolic, whereby, the Jews believe that the practice aids in casting away their sins. Yom Kippur, also, known as the Day of Atonement is celebrated after Rosh Hashanah has been celebrated. During this commemoration, the Jews ask God’s clemency for their sins, and they, also, solicit clemency of group they have offended in the precedent year (Hackett 252).
Religion plays a significant role in American public life, without being restricted or enforced by government- religious freedom has been at the compassion of the American revelation of independent liberty. Currently, some questions are cropping up concerning some religious group, such as Muslims. Acts of violence have been committed in the past by radicals claiming to take action in the name of Islam. These acts of violence have raised trepidation as well as puzzlement about Islam. This has led to a rise in bias against American Muslims and those professed to be Muslims. The Americans people have retaliated by attacking American Muslim institutions as well as complaining against the structure of mosques in neighboring society. It is vital to note that the United States constitution guarantee religious liberty for all Americans, therefore, these acts of retaliation are against the law and the parties involved can end up in courts- first amendment. The United States government is responsible of protecting the civil liberties of religious people and organizations to put into practice their faiths liberally and honestly without its intrusion. In spite of all these acts of discriminations towards Islam, Literature review has it that Islam is among the fastest growing religious group in United States (Browning 214).
The United States citizens have benefited a lot from these religious groups, since they have been able to live honestly. The probability of a true believer committing an offense is very slim as compared to a nonbeliever. The majority of these religious groups carry themselves with respect and decorum- cases of drug abuse are very rare among these religious followers. The people become aware of what the religious groups expects of them and the consequences of bad deeds.
Currently, the majority number of Christians lives in the United States, but this number has been declining, significantly, in recent years. Numerous religious groups exist in the United States than anywhere else on earth, thus, making it complicated to arrive at a good way to cluster them into convenient classes. Religious groups play a significant role towards the realization of a civilized world. All the religious groups in the United States are after achieving a common goal- self purity as well as getting closer to their god or gods. The religious festivals practiced by the religious groups in the United States plays an important role in bringing the believers together, thus, establishing a good relationship between the people- these festivals are conducted in church, whereby, all members are expected to gather. Some of the religious groups believe in the existence of one God; for example, the Judeo-Christian, while others believe in many Gods- others believe in the existence of no God. Monotheists is the term used to refer to those religious groups that believe in one God ,whereas, polytheists is the term used to refer to those religious groups that believe in the existence of many Gods (Hackett, 1995).
Works cited
Browning, Don S., and David A. Clairmont. American Religiouns and the Family: How Faith
Traditions Cope with Modernization and Democracy. New York: Columbia UP, 2007.Print.
Fulop, Timothy Earl., and Albert J.Raboteau. African-American: Interpretive Essays in History
and culture. New York: Rout ledge, 1997.Print.
Hackett, David G. Religion and American Culture: A Reader: New York: Rout ledge, 1995.Print.
