Church And State
Which is more religious: the U.S. Congress or the American people?
You will find more infographics at Statista
How accurate was your prediction?
What is the big story the graphic tells?
Why is that?
What is one consequence of that?
Roughly 48.9% of Americans are Protestants. Which American religious group (Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, etc.) is the most over represented in the U.S. Congress?
Why do you think that is?
Which religious group (Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, etc.) is the most under represented in the U.S. Congress?
All 9 Supreme Court Justices are either Catholic (6) or Jewish (3). There are no practicing Protestants on the Supreme Court. What about the Supreme Court would make its religious demographics so different from America’s?
By far the largest difference between the U.S. public and Congress is in the share who are unaffiliated with a religious group. In the general public, 23% say they are atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.” In Congress, just one person – Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who was recently elected to the Senate after three terms in the House – says she is religiously unaffiliated, making the share of “nones” in Congress 0.2%. How do you explain such a huge discrepancy?
How would American policy change if 23% of Congress members were “unaffiliated”?
Which religious group is most proportionally represented in Congress?
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution reads, “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Why do you think the Framers were opposed to religious tests for officeholders?
List one question you have about this data.
My student Justin Timberlake looked at this chart and said, “That’s great news!” Explain whether you agree with Justin Timberlake or not.
Did you know that there are three Hindu members of the U.S. Congress? You do now!
How has the religious makeup of American changed just since the 1970s?*
How does the religion of a presidential candidate impact voter preference?*
Congress is very Christian, but the GOP (Republican Party) is almost totally Christian (see below)*. Why do you think the GOP is even more Christian than the rest of congress?
The religious composition of the Congress has changed a lot over the past 58 years. In what way has it changed the most and in what way has it changed the least?*
Based on current trends and changes what do you imagine the religious composition of the U.S. Congress will be in 58 more years.
How different are the House and Senate in terms of religious composition and why do you think that is? *
Let’s say someone who was openly atheist or agnostic ran for Congress. How would that impact their political campaign?
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