Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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In recent years, the percentage of U.S. adults who say they regularly attend religious services has been declining, while the share of Americans who attend only a few times a year, seldom or never has been growing. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that the main reason people regularly go to church, synagogue, mosque […]
Islam is the most common state religion, but many governments give privileges to Christianity.
To find a church or house of worship that is right for them, many Americans say they attend services with congregations they are considering and talk to current members, friends or colleagues about recommending a house of worship. By comparison, fewer people use the internet or make phone calls to prospective congregations. This may be […]
About half of U.S. adults have looked for a new religious congregation at some point in their lives, most commonly because they have moved.
Note: All terms are defined as they relate to Catholicism and the Catholic Church. Annulment A ruling by an ecclesiastical tribunal that a marriage once thought to be valid by the Catholic Church fell short of at least one of the essential elements required for marriage, and therefore was never valid. Communion The act through […]
In a July 2012 Pew Research Center survey, two-thirds of American adults say churches and other houses of worship should not come out in favor of one candidate over another during political elections.
The Court’s Unanimous Decision On Jan. 11, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in a significant church employment dispute, giving religious organizations wide latitude in hiring and firing clergy and other employees who perform religious duties. In its unanimous decision, the high court explicitly recognized a legal doctrine known as the “ministerial exception.” Lower courts […]
