Second Largest Religions in the States

Thought this was interesting (might be more so for those in the U.S.). It's a map of the second most common religions in America evaluated on a state-by-state basis. Atheists and agnostics are obviously not represented, but make up about 20% of the population.



Here is the original NPR story if interested.

Bahá'í ...

Wikipedia wrote: The Bahá'í Faith (Arabic: بهائية‎ Baha'iyyah) /bəˈhaɪ/[1]) is a monotheistic religion emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind.[2] Three core principles establish a basis for Bahá'í teachings and doctrine: the unity of God, that there is only one God who is the source of all creation; the unity of religion, that all major religions have the same spiritual source and come from the same God; and the unity of humanity, that all humans have been created equal, and that diversity of race and culture are seen as worthy of appreciation and acceptance.[3] According to the Bahá'í Faith's teachings, the human purpose is to learn to know and love God through such methods as prayer, reflection and being of service to humanity.

In only one state, and it's South Carolina (where I live)? ... who would've thunk? :blink:

Wonderful Information.

When do you think Jediism will get on a map like that?

That's pretty interesting, I had no idea how big Buddhism was. (I know that sounds silly, but I just never really think about it in the US for whatever reason.) lol

hellisforhorses wrote: That's pretty interesting, I had no idea how big Buddhism was. (I know that sounds silly, but I just never really think about it in the US for whatever reason.) lol

I don't think I really considered how extensive Buddhism was on the west coast either, hellisforhorses. However, spiritually oriented shops and booksellers are fairly prominent in the northwest (Buddhist and Hindu shops and markets, along with occult/Pagan stores and botánicas that also often cater to the needs of Buddhists), so it should be less surprising.

When I was wandering around Orcas Island a few months ago (one of the islands in a local area called the San Juans), I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing woman , who told me about her experiences as a Tibetan Buddhist and how her spiritual adventures took her from New York to San Francisco to Brazil to where she is now. She runs a clothing and jewelry shop, but I noticed on my last trip to that particular island that shops and organizations which are directly or indirectly related to Buddhism far outnumber the antique stores and whale watching businesses that were previously commonplace.

Seattle and the outlying areas have always been full of hippies, but it's only been recently (the past 10-15 years) that I've noticed obvious growth in terms of interest in and the influence of Buddhism locally. There are actually a few well-known and well established Buddhist temples in Seattle and San Francisco that I've been meaning to visit, but haven't yet done so. Colorado is also the home and destination of many Buddhists (particularly those involved with the Shambhala tradition).

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but a quick fact check shows this map to be totally false. I doubled checked Arizona to find the 2nd largest religion to be Mormon and the 3rd to be Jewish. Atheist are at 22% ,but since that is not a believe system I can see how that doesn't count. I just think it's important o be accurate.

Thanks, Vesha. The article about the map was posted on NPR and the Washington Post, so I was comfortable sharing it as I assumed there to be some truth to it. I don't read statistics or polls and immediately accept them as solid and reliable truths (in fact, it's tough to sway me toward anything I haven't proven or experienced myself ), but I still see much of the map's distribution as reasonable and think it's worth examining and evaluating (especially if you live in one of the states).

I didn't read the breakdown of the map on the 'Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies' site, but I'm guessing they included Mormonism/LDS when considering the whole of Christianity, which is why that might not be present. I'd assume Utah would have been a different color were that not so.

You know I was thinking that too ,but maybe this is a whole other argument ,but I would consider Mormonism as far from Christianity as Islam. To me the only difference is Mormonism excepts Jesus Christ as the son of god while Islam excepts Jesus Christ as only a prophet. Not to say the two are the same just equally different.

Now i would love to have someone else confirm this ,but i checked wiki and us censor data for Arizona and found the opposite and have look at similar data in the past to show the opposite.

In the World Religions textbooks with which I am familiar, Mormonism is always included in the chapter on New Religious Movements and not considered a form of Christianity. Also, Mormonism's mythology, non-creedal beliefs, and primary scriptural authority (Book of Mormon) preclude its designation as either Christian or even as a monotheism. Other recent polls show that now, in some states, less than half of the population self-identifies as Christian. The Pew Research Center is an excellent polling and statistical organization (see - religions.pewforum.org/maps).

Correction:

'Nones' on the Rise

"The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.

In the last five years alone, the unaffiliated have increased from just over 15% to just under 20% of all U.S. adults. Their ranks now include more than 13 million self-described atheists and agnostics (nearly 6% of the U.S. public), as well as nearly 33 million people who say they have no particular religious affiliation (14%)."
(source- pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise)

How many people are "NONE" because a list does not afford an "Other", or a person is afraid to admit to their non-standard beliefs?

There were threats of fines to any Australian who cited Jedi as their religion. I encourage people to put down their real religion, to counter scare-tactics by racists who encourage everyone to cite their religion as Christian, in order to "stop the Muslims building a mosque next door". Asses. Listing yourself as Jedi gets you put in the "not counted" section, and doesn't get put under "No Religion". So, you know, politics an' all.

Williamkaede wrote: How many people are "NONE" because a list does not afford an "Other", or a person is afraid to admit to their non-standard beliefs?

Indeed. So, how many?

There were threats of fines to any Australian who cited Jedi as their religion.

Citation, please.

I encourage people to put down their real religion, to counter scare-tactics by racists who encourage everyone to cite their religion as Christian, in order to "stop the Muslims building a mosque next door". Asses. Listing yourself as Jedi gets you put in the "not counted" section, and doesn't get put under "No Religion". So, you know, politics an' all.

Again, citation, please.

Though on that entire note I should say that I am aware of the severe problems in just about all life areas people suffer from for admitting they don't believe something similar to what the rest of their peers do. I even heard it can be positively dangerous to come out like that. But I am challenging the claim, if you made one such, that any governing body or government-based census office is posing those threats and I'm particularly curious about those threats of fines to Australian Jedi you mentioned.

Gisteron wrote:

Williamkaede wrote: There were threats of fines to any Australian who cited Jedi as their religion.

Citation, please.

From what I can tell, the $1000 fine was for suppling false information, not for putting Jedi on the form; i.e. if you put Jedi and are not one you are supplying false information. How they would go about proving that, who knows.

Link here

I wonder if the government's definition of religion could affect their view of false or misleading information.

"We do not recognise Jedi as a religion. Lol, fines for everyone."

Williamkaede wrote: I wonder if the government's definition of religion could affect their view of false or misleading information.

"We do not recognise Jedi as a religion. Lol, fines for everyone."

Have a read here for some perspectives on it;

http://www.templeofthejediorder.org/forum/General-Discussions/104620-noun-religion?start=20#117137

I ended up at the conclusion that;

"....basically, in Australia is seems the minimum is both;

1. belief in a supernatural Being, Thing or Principle; and
2. the acceptance of canons of conduct in order to give effect to that belief, though canons of conduct which offend against the ordinary laws are outside the area of any immunity, privilege or right conferred on the grounds of religion."

Edan wrote: From what I can tell, the $1000 fine was for suppling false information, not for putting Jedi on the form; i.e. if you put Jedi and are not one you are supplying false information. How they would go about proving that, who knows.

Yes, that was my information, too. I read an article from 2006 that said that despite the Jedi census phenomenon in 2001, where many Australians actually admitted that they just wanted to make fun of the system, still nobody had been prosecuted on that law in over fifteen years. So if anything, they are actually more generous about it than they should be according to their own rules.

Vesha wrote: Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but a quick fact check shows this map to be totally false. I doubled checked Arizona to find the 2nd largest religion to be Mormon and the 3rd to be Jewish. Atheist are at 22% ,but since that is not a believe system I can see how that doesn't count. I just think it's important o be accurate.

In all technicality, Mormonism is still a form of Christianity.