Church and State and Church and State

AP U.S Government and Politics

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Imagine the entire population of the U.S. is 100 people. Out of 100, what number of Americans would be Muslim?

AP U.S. Government and Politics

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What surprised you most about these numbers?

3. Based on these numbers, what generalization could you make about religion in American?

4. Based on the data from this chart, would it be accurate to call the United States a Christian nation?

5. If you were running for President of the United States and you had never been a religious person, but you needed to choose a religion to pretend to be to make the most people vote for you, what religion would you chose, and do you think it would work?

6. How do you think these numbers have changed in the last fifty years and in the last 10 years?*

7. How different do you think these numbers will be in the future?**

8. How do you think the fact that 71% of all Americans are Christians impacts American politics?

9. Is it reasonable to think that a country that is 71% Christian is going to have a high wall of separation between church and state?

10. Fact: one out of every 100 Americans is Muslim. What do you think the average American would guess that number is?

11. Fact: 23% of Americans are non-religious (unaffiliated). How do you think this growing number influences American politics?

12. Of all the American religious (and non-religious) groups listed above which do you think the is most reliably Republican and which is the most reliably Democratic?***

Visual Extension*

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WOW!

Learning Extension

The Pew Research Center has a great interactive map where you can look at the specifics of religious affiliation in your state. Check it out!

Action Extension

Talk to someone of a different religious background from your own and try to understand how their religion impacts their politics. Share your finding in class or online.

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