USA - Population statistics by religion

Religare.Ru, January 15, 2004

The population of the USA is 278,357,000, of which 84.7% are Christian (235,741,652 people). [The proper English names will vary from the following names.]

Nestorian Church
Assyrian Church of the East (since 1907) - 35,000 (+5.14% growth in year), Patriarch moved from Iraq to the USA in 1940 (resides in Illinois).

Eastern Churches
Armenian Church of North America (1889) - 450,000
Armenian Apostolic Church of America (1933) - 180,000
Coptic Church (1964) - 180,000 (+5.89%), from Egypt
Ethiopian Church (1959) - 3,000, founded by black Americans
Malankar Syrian Church (1968) - 30,000 (+14.57%) (from India)
Syrian Church (Jacobite) (1895) - 33,000 (-1.65% - negative growth)

Orthodox Churches
Greek Orthodox Archdioceses of North and South America of the Ecumenical (Constantinople) Patriarch (1864) - 1,950,800 (+0.10%)
American Orthodox Church (1792) - 2,030,000 (+3.04%), obtained autocephaly from ROC MP in 1970.
Russian Orthodox Church in America (1950) - 15,000 (-4.7%)
Albanian Orthodox Church - 28,000 (-3.27%)
Antioch Patriarchate, Archdiocese of North America (1920) - 350,000 (+3.73%), 95% of parishioners are Arab.
Volga Orthodox Church (1907) 40,000 (-3.02%)
Roman Orthodox Church (1929) 8,000 (+1.9%)
Serbian Orthodox Church (1894) - 83,800 (-2.3%)
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America (1924) - 7,500 (-6.88%)

Catholic Churches - 20% of population (56,715,013)
Maronite Catholic Church - 55,485 (-3.96%)
Melkite Catholic Church - 25,200 (+0.93%)
Armenian Catholic Church - 37,500 (+7.14%)
Rumanian Catholic Church - 5,250 (+7.69%)
Chaldean Catholic Church - 60,000 (+7.69%)
Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Philadelphia Metropolitan (1913)
Byzantine Rite (Pittsburgh Metropolitan) - 101,122 (-1.56%)
Ruthenian Rite - 91,415

Anglican
Episcopalian Church in the USA (1578) - 2,445,286 (-1.07%)

Protestants - In the beginning of the 20th century, 65% of the population was Protestant, at the end - 44%

Baptists
American Baptist Church in the USA (1639) - 2,280,000 (+0.33%)
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) (1845) - 21,500,000 (+1.67%), 99% white, 7.7% of US population, 9.1% of the Christians in the country
General Baptist Conference (1852) - 167,874 (+1.03%)
Korean Baptist Convention (1970) 210,000 (+63.26%), Korean immigrants
Schisms:
National Association of Baptists of free will (1701) - 345,000 (+0.84%), white parishioners
General Assembly of Baptists (1714, 1870) - 115,000 (+0.56%)
North American Baptist General Conference (1840) - 90,700 (+1.67%), Baptists who immigrated from Germany in the 19th century
Russian-Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Association (1901) - 2,000 (-2.73%), Russian Baptists who emigrated to North Dakota in 1901
General Conference of Baptists of the Seventh Day (1671) 7,680 (-0.16%), English immigrants
Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention (1945) - 5,000 (+0.42%), refugees from the USSR

Methodists
United Methodist Churches (1766) - 11,091,032, 96% white, 4% black.

Lutheran
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1623) - 5,226,798 (-0.4%)
Apostolic Lutheran Church of America (Church of Leastadius) (1872) 7,816 (-2.83%)
Church of Lutheran Brotherhood of America (1900) - 17,793 (+2.33%)
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (1941) - 7,298 (-1.97%), center: Stockholm
Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1946) - 16,900 (-0.67%), Latvians deported or emigrated from USSR
Schwenkfelder Church in USA (1782) 2,475 (0.38), immigrants from Silesia, disappeared from Europe
Wisconsin Evangelical-Lutheran Synod (1850) - 419,928 (+0.39%), Russian tradition (included in Lutheran Synodal Conference).

Disciples
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (1809) - 1,037,757 (-1.82%)

Adventists
Adventist Church of America (1854) 27,700 (-1.46%)
Church of Seventh Day Adventists (1844) 957,000 (+1.26%), 18% black

Conservative Methodists, Free Methodists, Wesleyans
Apostolic Christian Church of America (1847) - 19,509 (+1.06%)
Christian and Missionary Alliance (1881) 371,865 (+3.7%)
Christian Congregation (1887) - 130,000 (+1.05%)
Church of God (Anderson) (1880) - 232,876 (-2.04%)
International Church of the Nazarene (1907) - 864,703 (-0.09%)
Unified Brotherhood in Christ (1767) - 40,000 (0%)

Pentecostal
Baptistic:
Assembly of God [General Conference] (1906) - 2,161,610 (+1.47%), 95% white
Calvary Pentecostal Church (1931) - 19,000 (+0.95%), white, missions in Brazil and India
Church of God of Prophecy (1923) - 146,000 (+0.79%)
Pentecostal Church of God (1919) - 101,786 (-2.25%), white
Holiness:
Mission of Apostolic Faith (1900) - 5,940 (-0.65%), Portland, Oregon, 65% white, 35% black
International Pentecostal Charismatic Church (1898) 262,000 (+0.19%), white
Church of God (Cleveland) (1886) - 855,000 (+1.43%), 95% white, distributed in 107 countries.

Congregational
Armenian Evangelical United Church (1920) - 35,000 (+2.26%)
Christian Catholic Church (1896) - 2,000 (-1.61%)
Christian Unification of America (1864) - 10,100 (-0.34%)
American Evangelical Church of the Gospel (1885) - 132,000 (+1.12%)
Evangelical Free Church of America (1884) - 214,186 (+3.09%)

Reformists
Unified Reformed Presbyterian Church (1782) 37,988 (+0.37%)
Christian Reformed Church in North America (1837) - 226,136 (-0.93%)
General Conference of the Church of God (1830) - 46,500 (-0.29%)
Cumberland Presbyterian Church (1810) - 91,040 (-0.04%), white
Greek Evangelical Church (1960) - 4,000 (+5.70%)
Hungarian Reformed Church in America (1891) - 9,780 (-0.56%)
Korean American Presbyterian Church (1976) - 52,000 (+5.26%)
Dutch Reformed Congregation (1865) - 8,753 (+0.72%)
Presbyterian Church (USA) (1706) - 3,553,335 (-1.17%)

Mennonites, Anabaptists
Brethren in Christ Church (1778) 40,642 (+3.09%)
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (1859) - 12,535 (+0.91%), schismatics, formerly the Mennonite Church
Conservative Mennonite Conference (1910) - 10,100 (+0.04%)
Evangelical Mennonite Church (1865) - 4,600 (-0.49%)
Brotherhood of Evangelical Bible Churches (1889) 5,200 (-0.89%), formerly Evangelical Mennonite Brotherhood, Russian immigrants
Mennonite Church General Assembly (1863) - 159,165 (+1.14%), Germany
Amish Mennonite Church of the Old Order (1720) - 127,800 (+5.7%), Iowa; Amish, sect of American Mennonites who follow bishop Amman (17th century).
General Conference of Mennonite Fraternal Churches (1876) - 82,130 (+5.81%)
General Conference of Mennonite Churches (1860) 43,162 (-0.51%), large communities in Canada and South America

Quakers
General Congress of Quakers (1656) - 31,700 (-1.81%)
Unified Conference of Quakers (1902) - 80,000 (-0.89%), 26% of all Quakers in the world.

Moravian
Moravian Church in America (1734) - 57,857 (-2.17%)

United Churches
United Church of Christ (1620) - 1,993,459 (-1.18%)

Salvationist
Salvation Army (1880) - 445,566 (+0.51%)

Independent Christian Churches, congregations

Disciples
Church of Christ (Non-Instrumental) (1870) 1,681,031 (-3.41%), 10% black, don't use music in services
Church of Christ (Instrumental) / Christian Church and Church of Christ (1935) - 1,213,188 (-0.85%), schism, use music in church services

Conservative Methodists, Free Methodists, Wesleyans
Apostolic Christian Church of America (1847) - 19,509 (+1.06%), Swedish tradition, pacifists.

Baptists
American Baptist Association (1905) - 900,000 (+0.14%)
International Baptist Bible Brotherhood (1950) - 1,500,000 (+0.90%), white, 48 countries
Baptist Missionary Association of America (1950) - 289,969 (+0.93%)
Conservative Baptist Organization of America (1947) - 292,000 (-1.72%)
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (1932) - 333,000 (-0.31%), anti-modernist
National Baptist Convention of America (1880) - 4,270,000 (+1.04%), split from the National Baptist Convention, USA
National-Baptist Convention, USA (1773) - 9,410,000 (+1.54%)
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (1988) - 3,000,000 (+14.29%)
National Old Christian Baptist Church (1865) - 1,300,000 (-1.72%), black
Old Christian Baptist / Baptists of the Old School (1830) - 125,000 (+0.90%), splinter group
Progressive National Baptist Convention (1961) - 3,000,000 (+6.4%), black, schism from National Baptist Convention, USA

Church of homosexual tradition
Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) (1968) - 152,296 (+6.71%)

Evangelist, independent
American Evangelistic Christian Church (1944) - 29,700 (+1.59%), center in Chicago
Congregationalists
Congregationalist Christian Church (1955) - 139,999 (-0.28%), 35% black

Lutheran, independent
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (1976) - 180,000 (+5.26%), split from Lutheran Churches Missouri Synod
American Association of Lutheran Churches (1987) - 15,150 (+12.5%), schism from Apostolic Lutheran Church of America (Church of Leastadius), Finnish-speaking
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (1976) - 180,000 (+5.26%), schism from Missouri Synod
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (1897) - 28,469 (+4.27%), Norwegian tradition

Messianic Jews
Church of God and Holy Christ ("Black Jews") (1896) - 30,000 (-2.02%)

Methodist, independent
African Methodist Episcopal Church (1787) - 3,300,000 (+3.13%) African Methodist Episcopal Church (Zion) (1796) - 1,142,016 (-0.54%)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1870) - 800,000 (+1.16%), black parishioners from the former Methodist Episcopal Church of the South.

Alternative Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church Overseas (1920) - 50,000, center in New York

Old Catholic
Mariavite Old Catholic Church (1930) - 358,176 (+2.36%), from Poland
Polish National Catholic Church of America (1897) - 350,000 (+1.01%)

Reformists, independent
Second Cumberland Presbyterian Church (1869) - 15,000 (+0.13%), black
Presbyterian Church in America (1970) - 221,392 (+4.42%)

Reformed Orthodox
American Orthodox Catholic Church (1961) - 1,500 (-1.14%), white (Russian), black
American Orthodox Catholic Church Archdiocese of North and South America (1964) - 13,000 (-0.30%)

Schism
African Orthodox Church (1919) - 5,100 (-0.65%)
American Catholic Church, New York archdiocese (1927) - 3,600 (-0.77%), black

Fundamentalists
Itinerant Preachers (1910) - 270,000 (+4.05%), Irish preachers, also in Europe, Australia
Free Baptist Church (1956) - 250,000 (+8.85%)

Charismatic, independent
American Evangelical Association (1954) - 500,000 (+12.73%)
Apostolic Commission of Churches of Christ (1989) - 58,000 (+16.67%), started in Nigeria
Apostolic Ministers Conference of Philadelphia (1970) - 100,000 (+6.65%), black
Assembly of God (Spain) (1915) - 200,000 (+4.20%), Spanish-speaking pentecostals
Assembly of God International Brotherhood (1911) - 700,000 (+1.35%), Scandinavian tradition
Assembly of the Lord Jesus Christ (1952) - 130,000 (+3.14%), also 7,000 members in Chile
Association of Faith Churches and Services (1978) - 145,000 (+5.88%)
Association of International Preachers Assembly (1962) - 260,000 (+0.16%)
Association of Viennese Churches (1978) - 165,000 (+5.88%), integrated Charismatics
Universal Church of the Bible Way of our Lord Jesus Christ (1951) - 600,600 (+11.23%), black
International Church "Calvary Church" (1965) - 400,000 (+19.16% growth)
Calvary Temple (1950) - 300,000 (+14.57%), the largest organization of white charismatics
Christian Evangelical Assembly (1934) - 120,000 (+2.81%)
Church of God In Christ (1895) - 5,499,875 (+5.06%), black, the largest Pentecostal church in the USA.
Church of Jesus Christ (1927) - 12,000 (+3.56%), missions in Africa, India, Australia, Israel and Mexico
International Brotherhood of Christian Faith (1977) - 200,000 (+5.56%), integrated non-denominational charismatics
United Baptist Church of the Full Gospel (1993) - 1,100,000, first bishop Paul Morton, black, missions in Bahamas, South Africa and Russia
International Churches of Christ (1979) - 152,600 (+6.25%), 113 countries
International Conference of Charismatic Churches (1965) - 150,000 (+8.39%)
International Preachers Assembly (1962) - 400,000 (+15.9%)
Pentecostal Assembly of the World (1906) - 1,270,000 (+12.99%), black Pentecostals, missions in the Caribbean region, India, Israel and Nigeria

Sects of Christian tradition

Scientists, Church of Christ, (Christian Science) - 900,000 (-0.42%)
Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) (1830) - 4,430,000 (+2.87%)

Jehovahs Witnesses (1872) - 2,260,000 (+3.32%), were 1,000,000 in 1970, 22% black

Other religions

Judaism - 5,621,339 (2% of the population)
Judaism is third in the USA after Protestantism and Catholicism. Considering that they are only 2% of the population, they play a significant role in the life of American society. American Jews are divided into three main branches:
Orthodox - 28% of all Jews in the USA;
Conservative - 42%
Reformed - 30%

Muslim - 4,131,910 (1.5% of the population)
Immigrants from Islamic countries started appearing in America in the 1860s. Today there are three groups of Muslims in the USA:
1. Orthodox (basically Sunni), by 1995 their number grew to 3 million (72.6% of US Muslims).
2. Nation of Islam (1977), includes World Community of Islam, Black Muslims, Bilalians. The Nation of Islam is considered heresy in the Islamic world
3. Akhmadiya (Cadiani). Muslim community in India, founder - Mirza Gulam Akhmad Cadiani (1835-1908). Many Islamic countries (e.g., Pakistan) do not accept Akhmadiya as a Muslim community, the overseas headquarters was established in Washington as of 1921. The followers are black Americans and immigrants from Pakistan.

Buddhists - 2,449,570 (0.9% pop.) Buddhist consist of the Japanese and Chinese population of the USA, but also include immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia and other Buddhist Asiatic countries. The largest Buddhist organization is the American Buddhist Church (founded 1899).

Hindus - 1,031.677 (0.4% pop.) One million immigrants from India and new Hindu sects like the Divine Light Mission headed by Guru Maharaj Ji; International Society of Krishna Consciousness, the Bengalese movement Shri Chimnoy Center; Society of Shri Ayurveda.

Bahaists - 753,424 (0.3% pop.)

New Religious Movements - 810,859 (0.3% pop.)
Basically Japanese syncretic sects. The largest of these is Nichiren Shoshu of America / True Church of Nichiren (founded in USA in 1960), which is known in Japan as Soka Gakkai (Value Creation Society) - nearly 300,000 members (70% not of Asian origin).
Noted of the many small Japanese new religious movements:

In the USA there are new religious movements from Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and China.

Ethnic religions - 434,851 (0.2% pop.). American Indian - 312,000 people, 9% of the Indians practice traditional religion, 91% are Christian.

Not religious - 25,077,844 (9% population).

Atheists - 1,149,486 (0.4% population).

Source: World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd edition. A comparative survey of churches and religions in the modern world. Oxford University Press. 2001.

USA - Neo-nazis edging out racists

Apn.Ru, December 11, 2003

The election campaign in Russia and discussion of its results are accompanied with anxious commentary about possible concentration of extremist tendencies. Meanwhile, in the USA, where, by the way, in contrast to Europe, propagation of national animosity and Fascism are not prohibited by law, a surge of neo-Nazism may be observed.

According to the information from the Washington ProFile information agency, 150-200,000 people subscribed to racist or neo-Nazi magazines, took part in rallies or gatherings that were organized by this type of organization, or gave them money. For propagation of their views and recruitment of new members they were diligent in using the resources of the Internet and small radio stations.

Today there are approximately 300 such groups in the USA. The majority of them are very small, and consist of no more than ten people. Several of these organizations are religious and even peace-loving sects that think that white people should get defined privileges in society. At the other end of the spectrum are found organizations like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which has a long and vivid history, has thousands of members and has created its own philosophical system of violence and brutality. The majority of these groups assert that they are founded on the principles of Christianity, which is usually diluted with militarist or anarchist ideology.

The main object of hatred tended to be dark-skinned people, though in recent years a large degree of hatred has been directed at immigrants and Muslims. As a result, groups that are founded on a racial ideology, like the KKK, are experiencing a decline, but at the same time similar social structures with ideologies similar to that of Adolf Hitler, such as the "National Alliance" or "World Church of the Creator" are experiencing an influx of new members. These groups have become all the more aggressive. Formal boundaries between racist and neo-Nazi groups are gradually eroding. From internal discord and rifts among various leaders, membership in both groups is loose, therefore members of extremist organizations often transfer from one group to the next, occasionally working as activists between several similar structures at the same time. And the organizations themselves arrange joint operations and are involved with each other in propagating their ideas.

For a period of many years, probably until the end of the 1960s, the KKK was the most well-known and largest structure of this type. In 1965 it had 40,000 members. By the end of the 1970s, though, most people who shared the thesis about the superiority of the white race already belonged to other organizations. These organizations developed from informal clubs into highly organized paramilitary organizations with well-trained, well-equipped camps. Sometimes these groups run a racket or even rob a bank. In the 1990s, many of these groups transformed into political organizations that endeavor to exert influence on the country's legislature.

Today there are a minimum of 26 KKK groups in America. The largest and fastest-growing of these calls itself the "Knights of the KKK" and is found in the State of Arkansas. It is headed by Tom Robb. In 1974, this organization was created by David Duke, one of the most well-known and charismatic leaders of the racist movement (and a favorite of a certain component of the Russian "patriots" - APN). Duke got a good education, served in the Army and worked in the US State Department. In 1980, he left the Knights and created a new organization - the National Association for the Advancement of White People, which he referred to as a political KKK without the white sheets. In 1988, Duke was elected to the US Congress, where he served until 1992. In August 2002, Duke obtained an honorary doctorate degree from Kiev University.

Nonetheless, the "knights" continue to actively operate without their former leader. They conduct mass demonstration in the southern USA and has become the first of these groups which began attracting skinheads and actively developing ties with neo-Nazis. The Aryan Nation, which is founded in the state of Idaho, presents of of the largest groups that is trying to unite the KKK and neo-Nazis. The process of unification began in 1979, when the founder of the group, Richard Butler, convened the first World Congress of the Aryan Nations, which was attended by delegates from the USA, Canada and Europe. Another well-known group, which was founded in 1973, calls itself the Church of the Creator. Members conceive of themselves as soldiers who are waging a war between the "clean" Aryan nations and the "dirty" nations. In 1993, members of this organization were arrested for trying to kill Rodney King. Black Rodney King became well-known after he was beaten by police in Los Angeles. The court acquitted the police, which served as the reason for mass disorder in this city in 1992. Members of "Church of the Creator" were also making preparations to blow up churches where African-Americans prayed.

The overwhelming majority of these groups are convinced that the government of the USA is under the control of a conspiratorial group of "coloreds and/or Jews." They believe it's necessary to overthrow the "Government of Zionist Occupation" with the aid of terror and violence. However, in recent times, they have also begun to actively operate with the assistance of legitimate political methods. They accuse rights advocate organizations of hatred toward people in the past and consider whites who reject their principles to be traitors.

Other similar programs have a religious foundation. For example, certain groups consider that Jews are the "children of the devil," or that white people are the present-day offspring of a lost tribe of Israel. There are also groups that blacks, Asians and Hindus are descended from semi-human creatures of God who were created before Adam, for which reason they can be killed, as they allegedly don't have human souls. The highest goal of all these group is to create a society run by white people, in which representatives of other races do not have rights.

Guatemala - Mormons seized and murdered

Dni.Ru, January 8, 2004, Yashchenko Sergey

A bandit armed with an automatic weapon captured a minibus with 13 American tourists. After fatally wounding one of them and robbing the rest, he fled. All this occurred in Guatemala, in the small town of Colomba. The tourists were members of the Mormon sect, who were visiting the mountainous region of the country, which was described in one of the sacred books of this religious sect, reported the Guardian.

USA