Religion in the United States Religious liberty 宗教自由 Three main faiths 三大宗教信仰 — Protestants 新教 — Catholics 天主教 — Jews 犹太教 Religious Diversity 宗教的多元化 American characteristics of Religion 美国的宗教特点

“WASP” culture “WASP”, which stands for “White Anglo- Saxon Protestants”, is believed to be the basis of the mainstream culture of the United States. 盎格鲁撒克逊白人新教文化被认为是美国 主流文化的基础。

Early American religions By the middle of the 18th century, many different kinds of Protestants lived in America. Lutherans 信义宗 from Germany Dutch Reformed Church 荷兰归正宗 flourished in New York and New Jersey Presbyterians 长老会 from Scotland Huguenots 胡格诺会 from France Congregationalists 公理会 Puritans dominated in Massachusetts, New England area Although the Church of England was an established church in several colonies, Protestants lived side by side in relative harmony.

The Great Awakening The Great Awakening of the 1740s, a “revival” movement which sought to breathe new feeling and strength into religion, cut across the lines of Protestants religious groups, or denominations. 18 世纪 40 年代的宗教大复兴运动力图把新的 感觉和新的力量注入北美各殖民地人民的宗教 信仰中去。这次 “ 复兴 ” 运动打破了新教各派的 界限。

18 世纪中期北美殖民地的新教复兴运动。发 起人为到北美传道的荷兰归正教会牧师富瑞林 怀森。该运动以奋兴传道方式来激发信徒的宗 教情感。运动的主要领导人爱德华滋和怀特菲 尔德均强调宗教感情和个人对上帝的爱，大大 促进了宗教生活的自由化、个人化和民主化。 由于该运动着重强调个人的悔改重生，倡导严 格的道德和敬虔的生活，所以被认为是 17 ～ 18 世纪初德国虔敬派和英国福音奋兴派在北美的 回音。

John Locke reasoned that the right to govern comes from an agreement or “social contract” voluntarily entered into by free people. 自理的权 力来自于一种协议，或社会契约，这是由自由民众自愿缔 结的。

A few American were so influenced by the new science and new ideas of the enlightenment in Europe 欧州的启蒙运动 that they became deists 自然神论者, believing that reason teaches that God exist but leaves man free to settle his own affairs 相信理智教导 人们上帝是存在的，但上帝允许人类自由地处理 自己的事物

自然神论者推崇理性原则，把上帝解释为非人格的 始因的宗教哲学理论。 神论者 自然神论, 又称理神论。在著名的《英语词典》中，把 自然神论定义为 “ 那些只承认一位上帝，不接受任何 启示宗教的人们的观念 ” 。自然神论反对蒙昧主义和 神秘主义，否定迷信和各种违反自然规律的 “ 奇迹 ” ； 认为上帝不过是 “ 世界理性 ” 或 “ 有智慧的意志 ” ；上帝作 为世界的 “ 始因 ” 或 “ 造物主 ” ，它在创世之后就不再干预 世界事务，而让世界按照它本身的规律存在和发展下 去；主张用 “ 理性宗教 ” 或 “ 自然宗教 ” 代替 “ 天启宗教理神论

Many protestants and deists could agree “all men are created equal, endowed with certain unalienable rights” and “the laws of Nature and Nature’s God” entitled them to form a new nation. 自然规律 和创造自然的上帝赋于他们权力建立一个新国家

Religious Liberty Among the rights that new nation guaranteed, freedom of religion was political necessity in a religiously diverse society. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States forbade the new federal government to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the free practice, or exercise, of religion. The United States have no state-supported religion. The government supports all religions.

The policy maker hope to insure that diversity of religious beliefs would never become the source of social or political injustice or disaffection. American courts have become more sensitive in recent years to the rights of people who do not believe in any God or religion. Protestant religion and republican forms of government, they felt, went hand in hand (agreeable).

“three faiths” model of the united states By the 1950s, a kind of “three faiths” model of the united states had developed. protestant, catholic and Jewish

The majority of Americans (60%) belong to the protestant church Main denominations of the protestant church 新教的 主要教派 the Baptists– white and black 浸礼教派 20 branches the Methodists 卫理公派教徒 Diversity of protestants 新教派别 Other small denominations 小教派 Protestants in the United States

The Baptist are the largest protestant group They believe in adult baptism by immersion, symbolizing a mature and responsible conversion experience. 他相信将身体浸在水中 的成年人洗礼仪式，认为这象征转变为成熟和负 有责任心 The Baptist

There were 25 million members of Baptists (19.4% of the population) as a main strength, which were divided more than 20 branches and concentrated in southern bible belt in the U.S..

Some White Baptists have liberal attitudes toward the blacks and stand up courageously in difficult circumstances for their beliefs in the equality of all human beings before God The majority practiced their Christian beliefs with their racial prejudice Most blacks are Baptist too, but they go to different churches from the white.

Methodists Methodists (2nd largest in Protestant) adherents of the group which grew up in 18th century following the lead of John Wesley in England. Most Methodists are united in the Methodist Church, which has a form of service based on that of the church of England

Diversity of protestants There are more than 100 other protestant sects, with combined membership of more than 20 million They express variety rather than doctrinal schism 教义上的差别 Some extremely intolerant( highly emotional and hysterical approach) / Some pragmatic in adapting themselves to modern society.

Four of the smaller sects are really quite large, with 2 million or more members. There are Latter Day Saints, the churches of Christ, the united Church of Christ and the International convention of Disciples of Christ. 现代基督教圣徒派，耶稣教，联合耶稣教，国 际耶稣信徒会

Catholics The largest single religious group is that of Roma Catholics More ¼ Americans are of the Roman Catholic faith The majority of the Catholics are descendants of immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Poland. /they were concentrated in New York and Massachusetts, still main population in those two states

By the civil war, over a million Irish Catholic, driven by hunger, had come to the untied states. And there was Anti-Catholic prejudices in U.S. at that time, the Catholics were discriminated against. Anti-Catholics prejudice was so strong that, on a few occasions, it broke out in mob violence.

Kennedy was Roman Catholic. by 1960, however, John F. Kennedy’s presidential election victory put to rest the catholic religion as an issue in national politics.

The Jews Until the late 19th century, most Jews in American were of German origin. Many of them belonged to the Reform movement, a liberal branch of Judaism which had made many adjustment to modern life. when Jews began coming to America in great numbers, anti-Semitism 反犹太主义 appeared They formed an organization to compact prejudice.

anti-defamation League 反诽谤联盟 help Jewish defend against injustice : It played a major role in educating Americans about the injustice of prejudice and making them aware of the rights, not only of Jews, but of all minorities Many Jewish remained religiously observant/ Others continued as ethnically Jewish, adopted a secular, nonreligious outlook.

Religious Diversity experimental tradition small sects and cults social disputes pastors

Experimental tradition Many religious communities ( 宗教团体 ) and secular utopias ( 世俗的乌托邦组织 ) ， experiments in new forms of social living ( 试 验新的生活方式的团体 ),were founded in 18 th and 19 th century America. Many small sects （教派） and cults( 信徒 ) appear in American society all the time.

① they regard the larger society as hopelessly corrupt. Prohibition of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine are common. ② dramatic expectations about the future- predictions of the end of the world or the dawning of a new age-form the main tenets, or doctrines, of the group. ③ often the founder is a charismatic 有魅力的 person, dynamic personality who claims some special revelation 启示 or relationship with God.

Some groups never win a large following Others grow smaller or disappear when the founder dies or his prophecies fail to come true. Other prosper, win large followings and “graduate” into the high ranks

Amish want to be left alone in their rural communities. They wish to keep their children out of high school so they will not be affected by modern society Some prefer faith healing to modern medicine or object to certain medical practices. Mormons, settled the state of Utah

Other religions are increasing their numbers and influence in America. 1.Over 2 million members of the Islamic religion live in America. immigrants or the children, some Americans converted to Islam 2. Buddhism is a growing faith in America. Recent immigration from Asia 3.Several hundred thousand Hindus have also come to America. Young Americans have shown great interest in these

American pastors are as varied as the flocks they serve. The protestant Episcopal church 圣公会 now ordains women as priests/ catholic have all-male clergy. The united Methodist church 卫理公 has appointed women as bishops, women can also be ordained as rabbis 法师 among some Jewish congregations. Catholic nuns teach and manage large hospitals.

American pastors of churches are expected to be active in the civic affairs of their communities. Often they have psychological training and spend part of their time counseling people with personal problems. They preach to congregations in different kinds of churches

American Character of religion 1. Americans with different religions live together under the same law. The Bill of Right of U.S. provided that where is no state religion and that church and state must be separated. 2. the religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress. The majority of Americans pour into the churches every Sunday morning.

3. Every church in U.S. is completely independent organization, and concerned with it own finance and its own building. There has been little concentration on doctrine or religious argument.

Social disputes Questions reflect continuing conflicts in American life. When a 1973 Supreme Court decision made abortion legal in America, many Catholics were shocked. Many evangelical Protestants and Orthodox Jews also objected 年，美国最高法院 宣布堕胎合法，许多天主教徒对次裁决感到震惊。新教 福音派、以及正统犹太教都反对堕胎。 Yet more liberal Protestant and Jewish clergymen joined non-believers in maintaining that abortion is a basic right in a pluralistic, or religiously varied, society. 自由新教徒和犹太教牧师加入到信仰者之列， 坚持认为流产是妇女的一项基本权利。