November 2007 45
Spirit of Manifest Destiny tury America, unless teamed with, say, immigration.
The common man of America, though led by men who
Thus, the so-called anti-Catholic Riots in 1844 Phila-
saw religion in a cool, scientific way, nevertheless was
delphia are more accurately termed anti-Irish-immi-
drawn to and was very excited about down home reli-
grant riots.
gion. They read the Good Book, went to services and Of course, since Roman Catholicism is a top-down
camp meetings, sang and shouted and prayed, listened system and was very undemocratic until John XXIII’s
to hours-long sermons, and converted back and forth Vatican Council in 1963, it was suspect in America
from one faith to another. Sometimes they chose brand from the beginning. Even as late as John F Kennedy’s
new sects when interesting claims were made that so campaign in 1960, his Catholic faith played a large
and so had spoken to God or angels. When ordinary role in some of the opposition’s negative messages.
Americans spread west, they took ethics-based atti- Today, Roman Catholic bishops have veered away
tudes to match. John O’Sullivan, Democratic editor from key Vatican positions, choosing to go “Ameri-
of the New York Morning Post in 1845, editorialized: can” along the free-thinking route. (Jefferson doubt-
[It is] our manifest destiny to over spread and to pos-
less would be very proud of this turnabout.)
sess the whole of the continent which Providence has During the 1800-50’s, American religious practice was
given us for the development of the great experiment limited geographically by Native, nature-centered re-
of liberty [democracy].” ligion, along and sometimes within the fringes of our
It was democracy as religion’s handmaiden and reli-
growing country. Staunch Roman Catholicism pre-
gion aiding democracy. In a hard, workaday
For your information, a fairly up to date list of major US denominations
world without much to entertain, religious spirit
was everywhere alive and well.
US Religious Denominations 2001 - %
Total Christian 81.1
Religions America Began With
Roman Catholic 25.9
Whatever the readers’ thoughts on religion (and
Eastern Orthodox Catholic 0.3
associated political and social trends) today, a
legion of differences separate us from the 1800-
Total non-Catholic Christian 54.9
1850 era. ‘Back in the day’, doubtless 99% were
Baptist 17.2
sure or fairly certain God was present in their
Methodist 7.2
Lutheran 4.9
lives. Before modern sciences were born, and Presbyterian 2.8
before Charles Darwin and his evolutionary
Pentecostal/Charismatic 2.2
principles (1850’s), people readily accepted the
Episcopalian/Anglican 1.8
Mormon/Latter Day Saints 1.4
Bible as unvarnished truth.
Churches of Christ 1.3
Non-denominational Christian 1.3
America was the first nation to be founded by
Congregational/United Church of Christ 0.7
Protestant Christians escaping Church of En-
Jehovah’s Witnesses 0.7
Assemblies of God 0.6
gland and Roman Catholic intolerance, though Evangelical 0.5
curiously Roman Catholics now form the larg-
Church of God 0.5
est single denomination in the US. Religion in
Seventh-day Adventist 0.4
Other Christian (less than 0.3% each) 1.9
its broadest sense has always been a great ar
Christian - no denomination reported 7.2
-
tistic and civilizing factor, even at the tip of a
Protestant Christian - no denomination reported 2.4
Total non-Christian religions 3.9
sword. But inflexible dogmas and less than
saintly leaders have also caused chaos across
Jewish 1.4
history. America’s goal eventually had to be: Muslim 0.6
separate church from state.
Buddhist 0.5
As a numerically lopsided Protestant country,
Hindu 0.4
America’s religious differences came from
mostly personal viewpoints, since the Protes-
Unitarian Universalist 0.3
tant approach insists on individual Bible read- Pagan, Scientology, Sikh, Taoist, Santeria, Wiccan ++ 0.4
ing and reasoned choice. Religion as a result
No Religion/Atheist/Agnostic 15.0
was not particularly divisive in early 19
th
cen-
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