Religious Pluralism
Some Pray, Others Reason for the United States’ Well-Being
[05.03.2012]Today, across the country, Americans will observe the 61st Annual National Day of Prayer, which was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress. The first Thursday of May is reserved for this nationwide opportunity to pray for the United States’ wellbeing, and there are tens of thousands of prayer events scheduled across the country to commemorate it. According to the Christian Broadcasting Network, the number of prayer events… more
Study Shows that Mormons Are the Fastest-Growing Religious Group in the U.S.
[05.02.2012]A new survey shows that mainline Protestants, the religious group that has dominated America’s religious terrain for most of the country’s existence, and Catholics, the largest single denomination in the country, may be beginning to ceding size and influence to new religious groups. The 2012 Religious Congregations and Membership Survey (RCMS), released on May 1, shows that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (in other words, Mormonism) reported… more
In Search of Secularism: “Reason Rally” Gathers Non-Believers on the National Mall
[03.30.2012]by Michela Corcorran, PRRI intern Atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists alike gathered on the National Mall last weekend to celebrate secular values, and protest the influence of religion in politics. The “Reason Rally,” sponsored by many of the country’s foremost secular organizations, welcomed an estimated 20,000 people to its cause on Saturday. The rally hosted a number of prominent speakers, including prominent atheist scholar Dr. Richard Dawkins. It also… more
Faith on the Move
[03.09.2012]Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life just released a new report, Faith on the Move, that examines the religious affiliation of international migrants, who are defined as someone who has been living for one year or longer in a country other than the one in which he or she was born. Pew’s analysis focuses on seven major religious traditions: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, adherents of other religions, and… more
Number of U.S. Mosques Doubled in the Past Decade
[03.01.2012]There has been no shortage of controversy about Muslims’ place in American society over the past ten years – and yet, according to a new report, the number and size of Muslim religious bodies is growing rapidly,. In a study of mosques across the country, a coalition of researchers discovered that the number of U.S. mosques has more than doubled over the past decade, with Muslim houses of worship expanding… more
Figuring Faith | The State of Anti-Shari’a Bills
[03.01.2012]The number of mosques in the United States has doubled in the past decade, according to a new study – and the number of Muslim clergy who say that America is hostile to Islam has declined over the same period. One of the perennial friction points for Muslims in America has been some Americans’ anxiety about the possibility of the implementation of Islamic law in U.S. courtrooms, resulting in the… more
Mormons and White Evangelicals: Not So Different After All?
[01.12.2012]A new survey from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life investigates how Mormons feel about American society and their place within it amidst increased scrutiny as the result of two Mormon contenders for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney and John Huntsman. The Pew Forum found that while some Mormons feel misunderstood and alienated from the American mainstream, others have a sense of optimism that the U.S. is ready to… more