Mapping religion in America

web blog ^ | April 3, 2006 | Geitner Simmons

[scrabblehack]

Why the difference between Wisconsin and Michigan?

Consider the degree of religious adherence ? acknowledging one's membership in a particular religious grouping. According to this map, developed by the Cincinnati-based Glenmary Research Center, religious adherence is greatest in the middle of the country ? from Texas and Louisiana up through the Dakotas. Religious adherence in the Southeast, long dubbed the "Bible Belt," is more spotty that one might expect. The American West, with the exception of Utah, has long been described by scholars of the region as an area with weak religious intensity, and the map buttresses that conclusion. Religious adherence is generally strong in the Mid-Atlantic region. Of course, while North Dakota stands out on the map as an area of particular intensity, the population of that state is quite small compared to the populations of, say, Oregon or Florida, where religious enthusiasm is noticeably weaker.

[dangus]

Look at the map showing where Catholics are, and then look again at the general map. Where there are Catholics, there is strong religious adherence. (Surprised to see how Catholic the Plains states are?) I think liberal, white Protestants have come to identify religiosity with conservativism, whereas liberal Catholics feel more comfortable in associating with their church enough to be identified as Catholics. "Cafeteria Catholics," "A&P Catholics" (the reference is to Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday, two annual masses), etc. (The ones that truly are more religious do tend to be socially conservative.)

[dangus]

>> Thus leaving out the vast majority of the those who are followers of the Christ. <<

Non-denominationalists are only a relatively small portion of Christians... There are 250 million self-identified Christians in America, 140 million adherents of a given denomination, and about 5 million non-denominationalists.

(However, there certainly are large numbers of ecumenically-oriented churches that do formally claim a specific denomination.)

[Uri’el-2012]

>XS>> Thus leaving out the vast majority of the those who are followers of the Christ. <<

Non-denominationalists are only a relatively small portion of Christians... There are 250 million self-identified Christians in America, 140 million adherents of a given denomination, and about 5 million non-denominationalists.

(However, there certainly are large numbers of ecumenically-oriented churches that do formally claim a specific denomination.)

22 posted on 06/12/2006 9:48:20 AM MDT by dangus

Here in the west there many more non-denominational congregations than there are Denominational churches

So much so that the maps show that RC outnumber Christian .

b'shem Y'shua

[Alex Murphy]

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