God or the divine is referenced in every state constitution
God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Aleksandra Sandstrom
Former Senior Copy Editor
Aleksandra Sandstrom is a former senior copy editor focusing on religion at Pew Research Center.
Publications
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Key findings about Puerto Rico
To mark the 100th anniversary of the U.S. government granting American citizenship to the residents of Puerto Rico, here are key facts about the territory.
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Majority of states have all-Christian congressional delegations
The vast majority of the nation’s federal lawmakers (91%) describe themselves as Christians, compared with 71% of U.S. adults who say the same.
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Faith on the Hill
The share of U.S. adults who describe themselves as Christians has been declining for decades, but the U.S. Congress is about as Christian today as it was in the early 1960s.
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If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans’ religious beliefs and practices
See a profile of American religious beliefs and practices if the country were made up of exactly 100 adults.
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If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans’ religious affiliations
Imagining the U.S. as a town of 100 people can help illuminate the nation’s religious diversity.
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Child marriage is rare in the U.S., though this varies by state
About 57,800 minors in the U.S. ages 15 to 17 are married – or five of every 1,000 in that age group. But the rate of child marriage varies widely between states.
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Many countries allow child marriage
Almost all of the world’s nations have laws specifying at which age a couple can marry, and in most of these countries, those under the age of 18 are allowed to wed.
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Most states allow religious exemptions from child abuse and neglect laws
All states prosecute parents whose children come to severe harm through neglect. But in thirty-four states (as well as the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico), there are exemptions in the civil child abuse statutes when medical treatment for a child conflicts with the religious beliefs of parents.
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Women relatively rare in top positions of religious leadership
We looked at nine major religious organizations in the U.S. that both ordain women and allow them to hold top leadership slots.
