What is the biggest religious group in the U.S. Congress?

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What is the big story this data tells?

3. Why do you think that is?

4. What is one consequence of this story?

5. How do you think this impacts U.S. policy?

6. What most surprised you about the data?

7. How do you think this data has most changed over the past 20 years?

8. How different do you think this chart will be in 20 years?

9. What would this chart have looked like in 1790?

10. In your opinion, is the increasing Religious diversity of Congress positive or negative?

11. Which religious group do you think is most over represented in the U.S. Congress and why?*

12. What is one impact of this over representation?

13. Claim: Christianity is more over represented in the house than in the Senate. Using the data from the chart, Explain whether the claim is true.

14. What explains that difference?

15. How religiously different are the Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress?

16. What explains that difference?

17. The First Amendment guarantees freedom from religion and freedom of religion. How do you think the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment impacts the US Congress?

Learning Extension

Read the Pew Report on the religious makeup of the 116th Congress.

Action Extension

Contact your U.S. Representative or Senator and ask them to explain how religion impacts their work. Share their response in class or on line.

Visual Extension

Bonus (unrelated and completely off-topic) charts

Separated at Birth Extension