Surveying the Religious Landscape of the U.S.
Lecture by David M. Krueger
Click HERE to access the Powerpoint slides of Dr. Krueger from the U.S. Religious Landscape: Past and Present.
Clarifying Terms: Diversity and Pluralism
Diana Eck makes a distinction between "diversity" and "pluralism." Diversity is simply the demographic reality of variety or difference. Pluralism requires engagement with other religious groups. Historically, Americans have responded to diversity in three ways: exclusion (religious difference is perceived as a threat and something to oppose), assimilation (imagines the U.S. as a melting pot, newer groups expected to give up things that distinguish themselves from dominant U.S. religion i.e. white Protestantism), and pluralism (keep your own traditions but agree to common civic demands of American citizenship). See "From Diversity to Pluralism"
Demographics of Religion in the U.S.
The U.S. Census does not record religious affiliation. However, the are several organizations that conduct research on religious life in the U.S. Here are some of the best:
Public Religion Research Institute - PRRI’s research explores and illuminates America’s changing cultural, religious, and political landscape. Click HERE to view a 48-page document called "America's Changing Religious Identity."
American Religious Identification Survey 2008: http://commons.trincoll.edu/aris/
Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: http://religions.pewforum.org/
CIA World Fact Book on Religion: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html
National Congregations Study: http://www.soc.duke.edu/natcong/explore.html
North American Jewish Data Bank: http://www.jewishdatabank.org/
For political and other polling data, visit FiveThirtyEight
Gallup Polling: Use the key world "religion" to search for current polling data.
For those of the scholars who want to have a look at how American history is taught to American college students here is the link to a free online text book: U.S. History http://www.ushistory.org/us/index.asp
Maps
Here's a map showing various proportional representations of the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in the U.S. Click HERE.
Books and Articles
Albanese, Catherine. America: Religions and Religion, 5th Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013.
Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Religious Pluralism in the United States, 2007.
Eck, Diana. “From Diversity to Pluralism,” in On Common Ground: World Religions in America, 2006.
Manseau, Peter. A New Nation, Under Gods: A New American History, 2015
Public Broadcasting Service’s God in America series https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/view/
