Measuring Media: Faith-Based Initiative
While Obama adopted much of the program put into place by Bush, it has generated little of the contentious press coverage sparked by his predecessor’s effort.
A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.
Founded in 1830, Mormonism is now practiced by 1.7% of U.S. adults, comparable to the American Jewish population. Followers are concentrated in the West, and stand out for having exceptionally high levels of religious commitment and for very conservative political views.
About One-in-Six Americans Are Baptist
A graphical representation of America’s denominational distribution.
Government Partnerships With Faith-Based Organizations: Looking Back, Moving Forward
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, established by President Barack Obama, plans to expand partnerships between the government and faith-based and community organizations for the delivery of social services.
Most Latino Evangelicals Pray Every Day
Hispanic evangelicals are more likely to pray daily than Hispanics who belong to other major religious groups.
Brides, Grooms Often Have Different Faiths
Buddhists and the religiously unaffiliated are the most likely to have a spouse or partner with a different religious background, while Mormons and Hindus are the least likely to marry or live with a partner outside their own faith.
A Clash of Rights? Gay Marriage and the Free Exercise of Religion
Although churches and other religious organizations, including charities and schools, have typically been exempt from state and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, it remains unclear how these institutions might be affected by new laws that require equal treatment for same-sex marriages.
The Establishment Clause and Government Funding of Faith-Based Organizations
Most legal scholars agree that the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits at least some government funding of religion, but they disagree sharply on exactly what is permissible.
Prayer in America
Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults say they pray at least once a day although the frequency of prayer differs significantly by religious tradition, age, gender and income.
Obama’s Favorite Theologian? A Short Course on Reinhold Niebuhr
Journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in May 2009 for the Pew Forum’s biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life. Wilfred McClay, a historian specializing in American intellectual history, offered an overview of Reinhold Niebuhr’s unique form of progressive Christianity.
