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Text A Relliigiion iin the Uniited States

1．The fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the right of individuals to practice their own religion is at the center of religious experience in the United States．The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has produced religious pluralism; most of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States．Ninety percent of Americans say that they believe in God, although not all of them participate in traditional religious organizations．About 80 percent of Americans are Christians, about 2 percent are Jewish, and another 4 percent belong to other religious faiths such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

2．Religion has always played an important role in the history of the United States．The Catholic faith was first brought to the North American continent by the Spanish in the 1500s．For the next 300 years, Catholic missionaries and settlers from Spain and then Latin America came to what is now California and the Southwest．In the 1600s, the European settlers began establishing colonies along the east coast of North America． Although there were some Catholics, the vast majority of the European settlers were Protestants, most from England．As the new nation formed, it was the Protestant branch of the Christian faith that had the strongest effect on the development of the religious climate in the United States.

The Development of Protestantism

3．The Protestant branch of the Christian faith broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in Europe in the sixteenth century because of important differences in religious beliefs． (The Eastern Orthodox branch of the Christian faith had separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054．)At the time of Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church was the center of religious life in Western European countries; the Catholic pope and the priests played the role of parent to the people in spiritual matters．They told people what was right and wrong, and they granted them forgiveness for sins against God and the Catholic faith.

4．The Protestants, on the other hand, insisted that all individuals must stand alone before God．If people sinned, they should seek their forgiveness directly from God rather than from a priest speaking in God's name．In place of the power and authority of priests, Protestants substituted what they called the“priesthood of all believers”．This meant that every individual was solely responsible for his or her own relationship with God.

5．After the Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church, they found that they could not agree among themselves about many beliefs．Therefore, the Protestants began to form separate churches, called denominations．There was much bitterness among some of the religious beliefs in the 1600s, and many Protestant denominations experienced religious persecution．A number of people were even killed because of their beliefs．The result of this persecution was that many Protestants were ready to leave their native countries in order to have freedom to practice their particular religious beliefs．Consequently, among the early settlers who came to America in the 1600s, there were many Protestants seeking religious freedom.

6．The lack of any established national religion in America appealed strongly to European Protestants, whether or not they were being persecuted．A large number of Protestant denominations were established in America．At first, some denominations hoped to force their views and beliefs on others, but the colonies were simply too large for any one denomination to gain control over the others．The idea of separation of church and state became accepted．When the Constitution was adopted in 1789, the government was forbidden to establish a national church; no denomination was to be favored over the others．The government and the church had to remain separate．Under these conditions, a great variety of different Protestant denominations developed and grew, with each denomination having“a live and let live”attitude toward the others．Diversity was accepted and strengthened．Today, the various Protestant denominations have completely separate church organizations, and although there were many similarities, there are also significant differences in their religious teachings and beliefs.

The Protestant Heritage:Self-Improvement

7．Protestantism has been a powerful force in shaping the values and beliefs of Americans．One of the most important values associated with American Protestantism is the value of self-improvement．Christianity often emphasizes the natural sinfulness of human nature．Unlike Catholics, Protestants do not go to priests for forgiveness of their sins; individuals are left alone before God to improve themselves and ask for God's guidance, forgiveness, and grace．For this reason, Protestantism has traditionally encouraged a strong and restless desire for self-improvement.

8．The need for self-improvement, once established, reaches far beyond self improvement in the purely moral or religious sense． It can be seen in countless books, which explain how people can be happier and more successful in life by improving everything from their vocabulary to their tennis game, or even their whole personality．Books of this type are often referred to as“self-help”books, and many are best-sellers．They are natural products of a culture in which people believe that“God helps those who help themselves．”In addition, Americans attend thousands of self-help seminars and support group meetings to help them stop smoking or drinking, lose weight, be better parents, have happier relationships, and develop self-confidence.

Material Success, Hard Work, and Self-Discipline

9．The achievement of material success is probably the most widely respected form of self-improvement in the United States．The philosophy—commonly called the Protestant work ethic—stresses the moral value of work, self-discipline, and personal responsibility． According to this ethic, people prove their worth to themselves and to God by working hard, being honest and thrifty, and avoiding luxury, excessive pleasure, and waste．The accumulation of wealth is not considered evil unless it leads to a life of idleness and sin． The Protestant work ethic has much in common with the American emphasis on financial success, practicality, efficiency and self-sufficiency.

10．Protestant leaders view the work of all people as holy, not just that of priests.They also believe that the capacity for self-discipline was a holy characteristic blessed by God. Self-discipline is often defined as the willingness to save and invest one's money rather than spend it on immediate pleasures.Protestant tradition, therefore, may have played an important part in creating a good climate for the industrial growth of the United States.

Volunteerism and Humanitarianism

11．The idea of self-improvement includes more than achieving material gain through hard work and self-discipline.It also includes the idea of improving oneself by helping others.Individuals, in other words, make themselves into better persons by contributing some of their time or money to charitable, educational, or religious causes that are designed to help others. This philosophy is sometimes called volunteerism or humanitarianism.

12．Historically, some of the extremely wealthy Americans have made generous contributions to help others.In the early 1900s, for example, Andrew Carnegie, a famous American businessman, gave away more than $300 million to help support schools and universities and to build public libraries in thousands of communities in the United States.The motive for humanitarianism and volunteerism is strong:Many Americans believe that they should devote part of their time and wealth to religious or humanitarian causes in order to be acceptable in the eyes of God and in the eyes of other Americans.Many businesses encourage their employees to do volunteer work, and individuals may get tax deductions for money given to charity.