Religion/Religious Belief Systems

The term religion comes from the Latin religare, which means “to bind together or to express concern.” In modern times, religion has become a visible institution that provides an organizational structure for faith in the divine, sacred, or supernatural. In addition, there frequently are moral codes, ritual practices, worship, and celebrations associated with each religion or religious belief system.

Religion and spirituality are two constructs that have become inextricably and inappropriately linked in the professional literature, despite their differences. Although religion and spirituality are not necessarily mutually exclusive, they remain separate and distinct constructs. For example, one may express her or his spirituality through religion, whereas another may feel that religion inhibits the full expression of individual spirituality. Hence, some people will find religion and spirituality to be mutually exclusive. It is important to note that there is no consensus on the definitions of the terms spirituality and religion, and many scholars continue to merge the two erroneously. People may generally have a similar lack of precision regarding their religious and spiritual self-perceptions; this presentation is most likely a reflection of their personal experiences with, and understanding of, religion and spirituality in their lives.

In the United States, there are approximately 12 major religions represented, with an unknown number of lesser-known groups as well. Of the major organized religions in the United States, the overwhelming majority of the population (77%) is Christian. The remaining major groups, with the percentage of the population in parentheses, are Judaism (2%), Islam (2%), Buddhism (1%), and Hinduism (0.5%). The rest of the 12 major American groups include Unitarian Universalist, Wiccan/Pagan/Druid, Spiritualist, and Native American religion, as well as secularism, atheism, and agnosticism; each represents less than 0.5%, except secularism (i.e., nonreligious persons), which represents 13%. It is important to note that these figures are estimates of the religious composition of the current U.S. population; the government no longer assesses religion as part of its annual census. It also bears attention that religious diversity tends to be greater near large metropolitan areas, and religious minorities tend to cluster as communities in specific demographic areas (e.g., East Coast and West Coast).

The religions in the United States are somewhat comparable to those in the world, with a few noted exceptions. The largest world religions include Christianity (2.1 billion), Islam (1.3 billion), secularism/atheism/agnosticism (1.1 billion), Hinduism (900 million), Chinese traditional religion (394 million), and Buddhism (376 million). Recent trends include the rapid rise of Islam in the United States and worldwide, as well as a significant increase in the numbers of Buddhists and Hindus in the United States.