Religion in the United States of America

The variety of religious beliefs in the United States surpasses the nation’s multitude of ethnicities,
nationalities, and races, making religion another source of diversity rather than a unifying force. This is
true even though the vast majority of Americans--83 percent--identify themselves as Christian. One-third
of these self-identified Christians are unaffiliated with any church. Moreover, practicing Christians belong
to a wide variety of churches that differ on theology, organization, programs, and policies. The largest
number of Christians in the United States belong to one of the many Protestant denominations- groups
that vary widely in their beliefs and practices. Roman Catholics constitute the next largest group of
American Christians, followed by the Eastern Orthodox.

The beginning of the 20th century saw the development of Fundamentalism, a conservative Protestant
movement that crosses many denominational lines and emphasizes a literal interpretation of the Bible.
Not as extreme as the Pentecostal movement, it forged a Bible Belt across the nation where
Fundamentalism is widely practiced. This Bible Belt stretched from the upper South, through the southern
plains, and into parts of California.

One result of the Fundamentalist movement was a series of state laws in the 1920s banning the teaching
of the theory of evolution. Fundamentalists saw this theory as contrary to a literal reading of the biblical
account of creation. These laws led to the highly publicized Scopes trial in 1925, in which the state of
Tennessee prosecuted biology teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution. Scopes was convicted and
fined 100$. The negative public response to the creationist point of view helped weaken Fundamentalism
influence and promoted a more secular, scientific curriculum in many of the nation’s schools.