Religious Literacy Dan Mages

Americans are both deeply religious and profoundly ignorant about religion 9 out of 10 believe in God 8 out of 10 say that religion is important to them personally More than 7 out of 10 report praying daily Annual giving to religious institutions exceeds $88 billion

Religious cont… Even the 14% who report that they have no religion often consider themselves spiritual. Fewer than 1 out of 5 reject the possibility of life after death. 9 out of 10 “no religion” respondent’s say they pray

Religious Ignorance Gospels Sacraments Pentateuch Faith is almost entirely devoid of content. One of the most religious countries on earth is also a nation of religious illiterates.

Religious Ignorance Can Be Deadly Balbir Singh Sodhi Madeleine Albright George W. Bush

Religion Has Always Played A Major Factor in US Politics and International Affairs Civil Rights Environmentalism Everything from the American Revolution to the Civil War Social Reform Movements Abolitionism Temperance Woman’s Rights

Religion in Contemporary Debates Abortion Stem Cell Research Captial Punishment Animal Rights Global Warming Intelligent Design Ten Commandments on public property “God” in the Pledge of Allegiance State Lotteries Birth Control Euthanasia Gay Marriage Welfare Policy Military Policy Foreign Policy

The US is not only one of the most religiously diverse places on earth but also the world’s most Christian country There are some 250 million Christians More than any country in the history of the world 50% of Americans consider themselves Protestant 25% of Americans consider themselves Roman Catholic 10% consider themselves Christians of some other stripe. The US population is more Christian than Israel is Jewish or Utah is Mormon!

The World’s Most Christian Country cont… 2/3rds of Americans are church members 2/5ths attend a religious congregation either weekly or almost every week Virtually every home has at least one Bible 34% believe the Bible is the literal word of God Christian music sales exceeds a billion dollars annually

Christianity Dominates the Corridors of Power 92% of the 109th Congress were Christians 100% of the 50 governors Among both state and national politicians there were zero Muslims, zero Buddhists, and

A Nation of Religions L.A.is the most religiously diverse city in the country Flushing, NY YOGA Martial Arts Mosques