These are the two parts of the lecture on religion. It covers the topics of religious freedom and religious diversityin America : Protestantism and catholicism, as well as the non christian faiths with a specific focus on Judaism and Islam.

1. A Religious Nation
• Nine Americans out
of 10 say they believe
in god
• Bible remains the
American best seller:
about 9 million
copies each year.

2. No Official Religion

3. No Official Religion
• The Constitution prohibits the
establishment of a national religion and
protects citizens’ right to choose their own
religion.
• The separation between Church and State
prevents the government from favoring one
religion or denomination at the expense of
another.
Religious freedom is guaranteed.

4. Decentralized structure
• Apart from the Roman Catholic & the
Episcopalian churches, American churches
have no central authority.
• No church hierarchy for Protestants
• Church members organize in an assembly
and choose their own minister.
• Churches of first settlers split into
denominations resulting in many types of
Protestantism.

5. Religious diversity
• Religious diversity made possible by history
and size of the country : if one group
dissented or was the victim of religious
intolerance, it simply moved elsewhere and
founded its own church.
• Protestantism, Catholicism,
Judaism, Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism.
(1,500 religious affiliations)

6. The American paradox:
‘neutral’ State, but religious Nation
• Separation of State and Religion
But
• American society filled with religion &
Americans constantly mention God.
• The Pilgrim Fathers had a mission: create a
model society, in America considered as the
new Promised Land.

7. Replica of the Mayflower
Puritans landing, 1620

8. • Americans see themselves as the Elect,
chosen by God to create a unique model of
society, based on a high moral code, austere,
work ethic, predestination.
• The Influence of religion is visible
everywhere:

9. “In God We Trust” is engraved
on American currency

10. •The National motto is “One Nation Under God”

11. Each American President swears his
Oath of Office on the Bible

12. Religion is often a stepping stone to political careers
many of whom were preachers:
M L King Jr & Malcom X

13. 1962, compulsory prayer in public schools forbidden
Prayer used to be compulsory in school
until the School Prayer decision in 1962.

15. Religion, Class and Race
• Religious diversity highlights social and racial
differences.
• Blacks and whites attend different churches.
• Among protestants, Episcopalians are regarded
as the “élite” denomination, while Baptists and
Methodists less wealthy.
• Roman Catholics were working class (low-
income Irish members).
• Now Mainstream Churches middle or upper
class
• More radical churches appeal to the poor.

16. Religious Affiliation
of American Presidents

17. Religious diversity II
Non Christian faith
Pew Research C 2010

18. Judaism

21. Judaism
• 2% of American population.
• First Jews came from Spain and Portugal,
then from Eastern Europe: Russia, Ukraine,
Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Austria
• Most Jewish immigration to the United States
occurred from 1890-1924. The primary
reason for Jews immigrating to the US was for
religious freedom
• Were subject to discrimination and to hate
crimes (kkk)

22. Education
• Jewish immigrants took great pride in
education.
• They wanted their children to have better
jobs than their parents had when they came
to the US.
• Most took advantage of the education
system to climb up the social ladder.

23. Integration
• integrated well to their Wasp counterparts
• About 50% marry with non-Jews.
• American Jews play influential political and
cultural role through their organizations.

24. Profile of American Jews
Jews General average
Jobs in management,
business
59% 46%
professional/technical
positions
41% 30%
Average Household income $50,000 $42,000

25. Jews and the Media
• Seven Jewish Americans Control Most US
Media
• They namely control ABC, NBC, CBS, the
Turner Broadcasting System, CNN, MTV,
Universal Studios, MCA Records Universal
Records….

26. AMERICAN JEWS
70% attached to Israel
57% never been to Israel
44% building settlements
hurts Israel’s security
40% believe god gave
Israel to Jewish people

27. Today, the survival of Israel is one of their major
preoccupations.

28. They raise about 300M $ annually to support
Israel.

29. Islam

30. Muslims
represent less
than 1% of the
American
population today.
Islam is the
fastest growing
religion.
Islam in America

31. ISLAM IN THE UNITED STATES
•Most Muslims immigrants
from Muslim countries.
•24% of African Americans
converted to Islam from
Christianity. Many slaves
originally from Muslim
Africa.
•Appeal of Islam for
African-Americans is part
of a quest for their lost
roots.
US Department of State 2014

32. Facts about Islam
• They're better educated than most
Americans
• U.S. Muslims have the second-highest level of
education among major religious groups in the
country; Jews have the highest.
• And a greater proportion of them have college
degrees than the general U.S. population.

33. Gender
• They have more gender equality
• 90% agree that women should be able to work
outside the home.
• American Muslim women hold more college
or postgraduate degrees than Muslim men.
• More likely to work in professional fields than
women from most other U.S. religious groups.

34. History
• They've been here since the birth of the nation ..
• When Columbus made his journey to the US, it is
said he took with him a book written by
Portuguese Muslims who had navigated their way
to the New World in the 12th century.
• Others claim Muslims, most notably a man
named Istafan, accompanied the Spanish as guide
to the New World in the early 16th century.
• About a quarter to a third of the Africans brought
to the United States as slaves were Muslims.
Most were then forced to convert to Christianity.

35. Patterns of settlement
• .. and they're not just clustered in big cities
• American Muslims live in cities big and small
all across the United States. The first mosque
built in America was in Ross, North Dakota,
back in 1929.

36. Religious Practice
• They're as religious as Christians ...
• Most Muslims are very religious.
• About half say they attend the weekly Friday
prayers.
• But that makes them similar to Christians:
About 70% of Christians say religion is
important in their lives, and about 45% go to a
weekly service.

37. Contexts.org 2008

38. Nation of Islam

39. Contexts.org 2008

40. Image of Islam & Muslims
• Islam suffers from a poor image in the United
States further reinforced by the Word Trade
Center bombing in 1993 and the September 11th
attacks of the Twin Towers.
• Hate crimes against Muslims and South East
Asians such as the Sikhs (mistakenly) went up in
the months that followed 9/11.
• Often associated with terrorism, fanaticism and
anti-Semitism, Islam is widely misunderstood and
considered by many Americans with distrust.

41. Hate Crimes
Figures
FBI data 2014

42. Hate Crime incidents against muslims

44. FBI Database
Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil by Group, From
1980 to 2005

45. • Trump’s
controversial
statements…

46. Obama’s reply
When politicians
insult Muslims,
when a mosque is
vandalized, or a kid
bullied, that
doesn’t make us
safer. It diminishes
us in the eyes of
the world. And it
betrays who we are
as a country.

47. To a crowd of Jewish people on Israel

48. • Israeli media saw his comments as reinforcing
anti-Semitic stereotyping of Jews as rich
people who “control the world” and can “buy”
elections with their money