QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

1) Do many Americans believe in God?

2) What’s the most popular religion in US?

3) Do Americans have official national Religion?

4) How has religion shaped American values?

Parlin Pardede

Protestant50%

Catholic24%

Other Christian

10%

No Religion*)

10%

Jewish2% Islam

2%Other

religions2%

Religious Pluralism

Individual Right to practice his

religion

*) Atheist or Agnostics

All individuals stand alone before God

(1) Everyone is solely responsible for his/her relationship with God, and (2) seeks forgiveness directly from God

Pope & Priest are ‘Spiritual Fathers’ of people who

(1) told what was right or wrong and (2) granted forgiveness for sins

ANGLICAN CHURCH

PURITANCHURCH

PROTESTANTISM IN USA

Lutheran

Episcopalian

Church of Christ

Presby-terian

Methodist

Baptist

6/25/2011 6

PROTESTANT

COVERS 200 DENOMINATIONS DUE TO DIFFER-ENCES IN RITUAL, LANGU-AGE, ORGANIZATIONAL MATTER, ETC.

The Lutherans & Episcopalians have a rather formal service.

The church of god’s service is rather informal & greatly displays emotion.

The Methodists & Episcopalians have a strong central organization.

The Congregationalists' individual church is relatively independent.

Differences in theology are related to the method and time of baptism, god’s trinity or one entity, and interpretations of biblical passage.

Some churches use their native languages; others use English.

Parlin Pardede 7

SEPARATION OF

STATE & CHURCH

The government encourages

religions, and religious elements are

present in the conduct of her affairs.

On American currency, IN GOD WE

TRUST is printed. All congress’

sessions are opened with prayer.

But there is no state religion.

Though the presidents ever held

office up to now are Christians, they

come from various denominations.

Public school do not teach religion;

prayer at public school was banned

in 1960. Church schools do not

receive any public funds.

Though some groups openly

demonstrate their religious

convictions, for most Americans it

is a personal matter not usually

discussed in daily conversation.

≠

SELF IMPROVEMENT

Natural Sinfullnessof Human

Nature

Individuals should ask for God’s guidance, forgiveness & grace

Encourage a strong and restless desire for self improvement in religious, moral and daily life.

• Bulk number of “self-help” books• Educational institutions offer

“extension classes,” night classes, correspondence courses, televised courses, and on-line courses so that everyone have access for more education.

• “Non-formal educations” (workshops, seminars, or training) are widely available for those who want improve themselves.

• The belief in “God help those who help themselves”

PURITAN WORK-ETHIC

PURITAN

WORK-ETHIC

MATERIAL

SUCCESS

Material success was a sign of god’s favor: successful person were among god’s ‘chosen’ thus, work is accepted a duty

HARD WORK

To succeed necessitates hard work Americans typically admire a person who “gets right to work” on a task, works efficiently, and completes the task timely and meets high standards of quality.

SELF-DISCIPLINE

VOLUNTEERISM & HUMANITARIANISM

Americans voluntary act (not just wait for the government programs) to improve society, such as: • parent-teacher organizations in

elementary and secondary schools• Community “service clubs” which

raise money for worthy causes• organizations of families that play

host to foreign students,• “clean-up, paint-up, fix-up”

campaigns to beautify communities

• organizations working to preserve wilderness areas

• Habitat for Humanity builds houses for poor people

• Ect.

• Improving oneself necessitates helping others.

• Most churches today concern more with the contemporary social problems than with individual sin.

• Thus, American religious thinking is turned toward improving the world of here and now (by serving other persons) and less toward winning salvation in the next world through repentance.

1• Protestant-Catholic-Jewish Nation turns to multiple religions nation.

• Protestant ↓; Catholic , ‘Other/None’, Moslem ↑.

2

• Appearance of “religious expressive individualism” or “the switching of faith” from a denomination to another, or one faith to another, or “picking and choosing among the beliefs”.

3• Emergence of new religious organizational structures to meet special

“purpose/ethnic groups”.

4• Movement toward “new spirituality” among youths (who prefer to be spiritual

than religious) by exploring the beliefs of several religions.