Americans People United States Religious Disagreeing Religion Law

The United States was the first country to not have an official "state-sponsored" (supported by the state) religion. The First "Amendment" (official change) to the U.S. "Constitution" (the most powerful law in the country) is part of the "Bill of Rights" and guarantees "freedom of religion," letting people decide which religion(s) they will follow.

People have immigrated to the United States from all over the world, bringing their religions with them. Today, Americans follow "diverse" (many different kinds of) religions.

Although it is hard to find "exact" (precise; accurate) numbers that everyone agrees on, most Americans are Christian. In a 2008 survey, 76% of the population was Christian. More than half of all Americans are Protestant, 25% are Catholic, and almost 2% are Mormon. Of course, there are many "denominations" (religious branches or types) within the Protestant category.

In recent years, more and more people have begun responding to surveys by saying that they have "no religious preference" or "no religious identification." Many of these people are atheists and agnostics, but others simply don't "identify with" (feel connected to) the categories listed on the surveys. In 2008, about 15% of Americans were in this category.

About 2% of Americans identified with Judaism, followed by Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religions.

Religious beliefs "vary" (are different) with geography. In the Southern "Bible Belt" (the southeastern part of the United States where there are very strong Christian beliefs), as much as 86% of the population believes in God, but in the Western states, that falls to about 59%.