Ten More Tidbits on Religion in America
I got to mulling over what I think is a real lack in the teaching of American history and how much most people *don't* know about the American religious landscape-...and I came up with ten more things that most people have little clue about (but I bet alot of people who read this do...):
1. The Episcopal Church is really the Church of England in America. But since we haven't had close ties with England in a couple of centuries, it would have been dumb to call it the C of E in America. They're kinda like Catholics--only with money.
2. Because of the flap over women's ordination in the Episcopal church, some priests left and converted to Catholicism. If you see a Catholic priest with a wife, dont' get too excited--he was originally Episcopalean.
3. The Civil War had a distinct theological underpinning. The North found reasons to abolish slavery in the Bible. The South found reasons to keep slavery in the Bible. These differences split many protestant denominations. This is why there are Southern Methodists, Southern Baptists, Southern Presbyterians. The only denomination that still has the rift is the Southern Baptists, who remain recalcitrant on the language of slavery.
4. Catholic parishes used to be organized around neighborhoods. While some of this remains, there is more flexibility in what parish you can belong to. If you don't like the priest in your local parish, you're free to join one in another town.
5. Just because you're Catholic doesn't mean you're like your Catholic neighbor. Depending on what part of Europe your ancesters were from, you could be any interesting flavor of Catholic. What makes the churches different are the saints. Irish Catholics have different patron saints than Italian Catholics, than Polish Catholics, than French Catholics than German Catholics...etc, etc.
6. This occurs even among some protestant denominations. That's why there are Dutch Reformed, Hungarian Refomed, Scottish Reformed. They are all presbyterian, but part of church life revolves around the ethinic heritage of the people who attend.
7. We have more varied Christian denominations in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world! Aside from the more well known (Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian) there are Unitarian Universalists, Congergationals (descendants of the Puritans), LDS, Seventh Day Adventist, United Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran, Assemblies of God...and more....not to mention a smattering of freelance cogregations, such as Amiee Semple MacPherson's Foresquare Church, that are regional.
8. Orthodox churches are NOT protestant. They are a kind of Catholic that has a national identification. Most Greeks are Greek Orthodox. Period. Most Russians were Russian Orthodox (until the Revolution). Period.
9. No matter how hard the Founding Fathers tried to keep religion from interferring with the economic status of Americans, old ways die hard. By keeping early universities allied with religion, higher education was parsed out along denominational lines. Even into the 20th century, most highbrow colleges and universties had *mandatory* chapel on sunday and sometimes on wednesday, too.
10. Catholic schools were started in this country in part because Catholics did not want their children saying a protestant version of the Lord's Prayer, which was mandatory before the Pledge of Allegiance (and sometimes with it). It was considered an infringement on their freedom of religion...but the general populace during the 19th and early 20th centuries didn't see it that way. They just thought Catholics should suck it up if they wanted public school educations. So much for the idea of freedom of religion.
I must now run and go sell cheezy lingerie at the local mall....class dismissed.
Religion
1. The Episcopal Church is really the Church of England in America. But since we haven't had close ties with England in a couple of centuries, it would have been dumb to call it the C of E in America. They're kinda like Catholics--only with money.
2. Because of the flap over women's ordination in the Episcopal church, some priests left and converted to Catholicism. If you see a Catholic priest with a wife, dont' get too excited--he was originally Episcopalean.
3. The Civil War had a distinct theological underpinning. The North found reasons to abolish slavery in the Bible. The South found reasons to keep slavery in the Bible. These differences split many protestant denominations. This is why there are Southern Methodists, Southern Baptists, Southern Presbyterians. The only denomination that still has the rift is the Southern Baptists, who remain recalcitrant on the language of slavery.
4. Catholic parishes used to be organized around neighborhoods. While some of this remains, there is more flexibility in what parish you can belong to. If you don't like the priest in your local parish, you're free to join one in another town.
5. Just because you're Catholic doesn't mean you're like your Catholic neighbor. Depending on what part of Europe your ancesters were from, you could be any interesting flavor of Catholic. What makes the churches different are the saints. Irish Catholics have different patron saints than Italian Catholics, than Polish Catholics, than French Catholics than German Catholics...etc, etc.
6. This occurs even among some protestant denominations. That's why there are Dutch Reformed, Hungarian Refomed, Scottish Reformed. They are all presbyterian, but part of church life revolves around the ethinic heritage of the people who attend.
7. We have more varied Christian denominations in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world! Aside from the more well known (Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian) there are Unitarian Universalists, Congergationals (descendants of the Puritans), LDS, Seventh Day Adventist, United Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran, Assemblies of God...and more....not to mention a smattering of freelance cogregations, such as Amiee Semple MacPherson's Foresquare Church, that are regional.
8. Orthodox churches are NOT protestant. They are a kind of Catholic that has a national identification. Most Greeks are Greek Orthodox. Period. Most Russians were Russian Orthodox (until the Revolution). Period.
9. No matter how hard the Founding Fathers tried to keep religion from interferring with the economic status of Americans, old ways die hard. By keeping early universities allied with religion, higher education was parsed out along denominational lines. Even into the 20th century, most highbrow colleges and universties had *mandatory* chapel on sunday and sometimes on wednesday, too.
10. Catholic schools were started in this country in part because Catholics did not want their children saying a protestant version of the Lord's Prayer, which was mandatory before the Pledge of Allegiance (and sometimes with it). It was considered an infringement on their freedom of religion...but the general populace during the 19th and early 20th centuries didn't see it that way. They just thought Catholics should suck it up if they wanted public school educations. So much for the idea of freedom of religion.
I must now run and go sell cheezy lingerie at the local mall....class dismissed.
Religion
posted by Tish Grier at 4:10 PM
3 Comments:
I was thinking as well, that we have a great diversity among regional protestants as well. The East coast and Southern states (the "bible belt") are much more conservative than in the mid-west "bread basket" and west of the Rockies you'll find much more main-stream and liberal congregations of the same denominations.
For instance, just because your a Southern Babtist from say, Oklahoma or Texas, doesn't mean you worship or have the same lifestyle agenda as your "brothers" and "sisters" in California.
You would think that there would be a more cohesive community in churches, as we all tend to gravitate toward sameness, so, it suprises me everytime I travel and visit a different church family or a different denomination, that culturaly we are as expressive in America as differing countries are in Europe and the rest of the world. America has taken the "great melting pot" of social acceptance and has used it in every form of life as we know it, religion being only a small sample.
I also think, it SHOULD be this way. I think if we can get past the mundane moron who calls himself "middle America" and realise tolerance can make us stronger and more capable politicaly as well as socialy we'll continue to be a forerunner in global dynamics. In other words, it's time we pulled our head out of our butt.
Just a thought.
Ed
Re #2--if the priest does not wish to rise above a parish priest, a converted Episcopalean can indeed take the post. This is what is going on in my friend Cathy's parish in Maryland. Their married, former Episcopalean priest has been instrumental in bringing in many programs to help married couples. She does, however, admit is it strange having a married priest.
Re#7-- I learned of "parish hopping" here in Mass. This is phenom of the last 20 years. I can go to the Irish/Italian church in Springfield if I so choose and skip the two French ones down the street from me. Alot of people in Chicopee who do not live up the street from St. Rose of Lima (a Portuguese church) also attend there because they like the church. Also, many people, who do not live near the church, have started going to one particular church because the priest has stood his ground against the status quo--he's a really intersting guy. Things have changed a bit on the parish level!
Re#7--I don't know if Primitive Baptist is a separate church from regular Baptist. Baptist is an odd denomination and encompasses lots of flavors of Baptist. AME is interesting because it evolved out of slaves' inability to worship at the whitefolks church. I'd say these churches are more a result of pre-Civil War conditions--and they occurred in the North as much as the South. There are two Presbyterian churches in Princeton--one, which is still more "mystical" than the other, is the former slave church, and it is still where the blacks, hispanics, and poor whites go. You don't go to 1st Presby if you don't have money.
Foursquare Church is one of the independents that you speak of.
The Salvation Army is a form of Presbyterian, from Scotland, yet I don't believe that they are part of the Presby Church in USA (the governing body of Presbyterianism)
Re #8--even though the Greek Orthodox church and the Russian Orthodox church have what are called Primates (don't giggle too much) who are technically the heads of their churches, they are not on par with the Pope and keep close ties with the Pope. Orthodoxy is fascinating, as it ups the mystical angle on things. Strangely, eastern European Catholics, such as Poles and Hungarians, are similar to Greek and Russian Orthodox in their thinking regarding icons.
Maronite Rite Catholics (Lebanese) are also considered under the auspices of Roman Catholicism. Coptics (Egyptian) may also be, although don't quote me on that one.
and Cherie...I love your observation that even though we are States, we are like different countries. I've noticed that on my travels, and in living in Mass, where I had to learn a whole different set of mores. Heck, living in the rural western part of the state is drastically different from living east of Worcester--so much so it feels like another state. I really think that it is highly important for people to get out of their little backwaters (even if their backwater is a big city) and see the rest of the country--and go to the churches. That's the best way to see how even within religious traditions, chruch and community life is very different.
No matter how much we believe ourselves to be secular, churches are still the places where communities achieve a level of cohesiveness that city hall is unable to convey.
maybe I should go back to grad school for theology.
sxxyd:
yes, very interesting. And a clear argument for why church and state should be separate.
Ed..
MDivs can be very diverse. My friend Ruthie's sister, a former Frontline production person, is going for an MDiv at Harvard, without the intention of being a minister. I think she's planning to go into some form of journalism from there, but I know she's not planning on ministering.
I think if I get the writing off and make it to a certain level as a freelance journalist, going and getting the MDiv might be good...and fun.
Then again, I might just chuck it all and become a nun. That was, after all, my intention after graduation.
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