1) main principles:

- religious freedom
- separation between church and state
- diversity
- (relatively) high religiosity (public vs private beliefs)
- American constitution: Amendment 1
- right to act on religion

● Principle 1: Religious Freedom

- American Constitution
- Amendment No.1
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.
- Freedom to believe and to act on that believe
- A 1940 Supreme Court decision in Cantwell v. Connecticut
- no religious test should be required as a qualification to any Office or
public Trust under the US

● Principle 2: Separation of Church and State

- There is no established church.
- Government gives no financial support to any religion.
- Government does not favor any religion.
- Religion is not any part of any government institution.
- No prayer is allowed at schools.
- No religious symbols are allowed at schools.
- no church taxes
- no legal or official religious holidays
- no affiliation of political party to any religious group

● exceptions:
- armed forces pay chaplains of all faiths (hospitals, prisons, the army)
- no prayer allowed at schools but sessions of Congress commence
with prayer.
- students in parochial schools receive some help (e.g.health services)
- those whose religion forbids them to fight can perform other
services instead e.g. Jehovah witnesses
- no creche on public property, but on campuses there are designate
places of worship but for different religions/denominations
- a pledge of allegiance/flag salute “...one nation under God..”
- The National Prayer Breakfast- a yearly event held in Washington,
D.C., the first Thursday in February. Abraham Vereide - The founder.
 The event—a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—has taken
place since 1953 and has been held at least since the 1980s at the
Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue NW. Since 1953 a
president participates. 2023 - run by “National Prayer Breakfast
Foundation”. It is designed to be a forum for the political, social, and
business elite to assemble and pray together.
- IRFA – International Religious Freedom Act 1998-promotes
religious freedom as a foreign policy of the United States; promotes
greater religious freedom in countries that engage in or tolerate
violations of religious freedom, advocates on behalf of individuals
persecuted for their religious beliefs and activities in foreign
countries. Involvement of the government: (special ambassador at
the Dep. of State, US Congress Commission on international religious
freedom, Special advisor at NSC)

- Faith-based initiatives
a) Catholic/Protestant initiatives
- food banks, homeless shelter, Prison Fellowship
- refugee resettlement agencies
- are tax exempt non-profits; hire professional staff-
receive money from governments:fed, state, local
b) What is their goal?
- Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
(PRWOR) – rules about the conditions under which
faith-based organisations could receive federal funding.
- The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives was established by President George W. Bush
through an executive order on January 29, 2001,
representing one of the key domestic policies of Bush's
campaign promise of "compassionate conservatism."
The initiative sought to strengthen faith-based and
community organisations and expand their capacity to
provide federally funded social services, positing that
these groups were well-situated to meet the needs of
local individuals.

3) Result of separation:
- Positive
- Religious groups are independent.
- They support themselves (contributions of followers to maintain
themselves and pay expenses).
- They offer religious instructions.
- They form close networks.
 - Are they stronger?
- negative
- It is not possible to keep separation so it is hypocrisy

4) Diversity- principle 3
● One country, many faiths 2021
- Christianity 69
- 35 Protestants
- 22 Catholic
- 12 Christian
- 2 Jewish
- 1 Muslim
- 1 Buddhist
- 21 Nones
- 3 no answer
● Reasons:
- many immigrants brought their own religion
- colonial history: English Pilgrims, Puritans (City upon a Hill)
- now many Muslims from Arab countries
- protestant religions based on the Bible which is freely interpreted
- American Awakenings (1793, 1830-50) and religious revivals
- religious market
- American Progress by John Ghast -American destiny to bring
Christianity
-

● Manifest Destiny
● IFRA- international religious freedom act 1998
- promotes religious freedom as a foreign policy of the US
- promotes greater religious freedom in countries that engage in or
tolerate violations of religious freedom
- advocates on behalf

5) (relatively) High religiosity-principle 4

- due to the past: freedom of religion, expansion (multiplication of
churches on the frontier)
- 18th century
- de-establishment of earlier denominations (lutherans, Calvinists,
Methodists)by subsequent waves of awakening (congregational
trend-end 18th, early 19th c)
- religious market-nowadays
- privatisation of religion

● Division into: mainline protestants vs Reformed/Radical

a) mainstream/mainline protestant:
 - Openness to modernity, a commitment to ecumenism (work among
and between denominations), social liberalism-not universal
(homosexual marriages), strong support for justice
- reformed: radical in doctrine
- the bible- the man source of faith
- spirituality emphasise new birth
- religious activism- evangelism (reaching out, giving testimony)
- ca, 100 million
Mainline Protestant Churches
- Seven Sisters of American Protestantism
- The United Methodist Church,
- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in USA,
- The Presbyterian Church (USA),
- The United Church of Christ,
- The Disciples of Christ
- Quakers,
- Reformed Church in America
-
b) Reformed/Radical Protestantism
- Congregationalist
- Radical in doctrine (less formal in practice)
- The main source of faith – The Bible
- Often literal interpretation of the Bible
- Spirituality - emphasise new birth
- Religious activism – evangelicalism (reaching out, giving testimony)
- (ca. 100 million)

6) Distinction
- evangelicals: a true christian must be born again, the bible as
authority, a personal relationship with God is the centre of Christian
life,The Evangelicals want to convent others
- Fundamentalists: emphasise the purpose – saving of the souls, not
accommodation to modernity. Emphasise the Bible in literal way - its
main tenets, apolitically conservative . The Southern Baptist
Convention (16.1 million) - white. The National Baptist Convention (5
m) - black.

7) Fundamentalism
● A movement aimed at pushing back secular humanism – which threatens
the stability of American life (e.g. against abortion, Equal Rights
Amendment for Women, now transgender treatment)
● For legal and social equality of homosexuals, protection of family
● restoration of a prayer as a sign of commitment to God).
 ● Moral Majority- organization 1979
- Jerry Falwell (1933-2007)
- Pastor in Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA
- Founded Liberal Baptist College, 1980, now Liberal University
- Lobbying group
- For Republican Presidents (Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump)

8) Televangelists
● Types of evangelical churches: Megachurch, Televangelist-Billy Graham
● Electronic church – characteristics:
- Use of media to promote religion and gathering of parishioners
- Financial support for the church
- Charismatic personality of the preacher
- Religious experience
- Technological sophistication
- Economic gain
- They are fundamentalists - believe literally in the Bible.
- They form the Christian Right.

9) Megachurches – interdenominational
● Congregations gathering from 2,000 to 20,000 people once a week.
Examples:
Willow Creek Community –Non-denominational Church in South Barrington in
Chicago. (misconduct of its founder Rev. Bill Hybes #me to campaign)
The community church caters to the needs of the church goers, who come to the
meeting for different purposes, but it did not say what the doctrine teaches and
requires people to do.

10) Some denominations that evolved in the United States

● The Amish
● Practices
- Baptism
- Ordnung
- Services at home
- At school till 16 (middle school)
- No service allowed
- Farming main occupation
- Rumspringa

● America-born religious group

- Latter Day Saints – Mormons
- Christian Science
- Jehovah’s Witnesses 1.3 million (2020)
11) Contribution to democracy
● It encourages civic involvement
Charities
Volunteerism
People forge ties with clergy, social workers, community leaders, non-profit
organisation
● Civic meetings and functions – socialising
● Collections for the poor and prayer for officials
● They play the role similar to labour unions, fraternal orders, and extended
family ties as mediating structures.