Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reservedStrangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Sociohistorical Perspective From the time of Pilgrims, the U.S. has been the haven for many religious groups fleeing persecution and seeking religious freedom For almost all immigrant groups, religion has played a significant role Unfortunately, not all religions have experienced tolerance in the U.S. experience

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved CATHOLIC AMERICANS Throughout the 1850s, nativist hostility against Catholics intensified Today, Roman Catholics in the United States number about 66 million, making their religion the largest single denomination in the country

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved CATHOLIC AMERICANS John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president in 1960; in Congress, Catholics ranked first in 2008 among the denominations with 157 legislators (29 percent)

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved JEWISH AMERICANS The third wave ( ) of Jewish migration was the most significant Anti-semitism of varying intensity has continued to the present day Several cultural factors contributed to the success of Jewish immigrants In 2008 Jewish legislators in Congress totaled 44, or 8.2 percent

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE MORMONS The Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints evolved from a persecuted people to a respected church Worldwide, Mormon membership is now over 13.5 million, and such remarkable growth means that U.S. residents account for less than half of this worldwide major faith

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE MORMONS Mormons place heavy emphasis on family and education and have a program for young missionaries

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved MUSLIM AMERICANS Today, Muslim Americans number over 6 million To Muslims, religious beliefs and the social mores of public conduct and private experience are inseparable

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved MUSLIM AMERICANS Muslims reject the dominant U.S. group’s preoccupation with materialism and their self-indulgent pleasures at the expense of obligations to family and community

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Muslim Americans Worldwide, Islam embraces more than 1.4 billion people, making it second only to Christianity in membership To Muslims, religious beliefs and the social mores of public conduct and private experience are inseparable Muslims reject the dominant U.S. group’s preoccupation with materialism and their self-indulgent pleasures at the expense of obligations to family and community

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE AMISH Forming geminschaft communities, the Amish have remained remarkably constant in a radically changing dominant society Clothing and language serve as symbolic attributes

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE AMISH They have grown from 59,000 in 1970 to about 227,000 today Several Amish Congregations have accepted some elements of modern life

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE RASTAFARIANS The Rastafarians are a misunderstood religious minority that frequently experiences prejudice and harassment Although some Rastafarians do not wear their hair long, most do as a symbol of unity, power, freedom, and defiance to out-groups and in accordance with biblical tradition

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE SANTERIANS A fairly new religion in the United States is Santería or La Regla Lucumí, which originated in the region of West Africa now divided between Nigeria and Benin As it attracts more U.S. converts, its beliefs, rituals, and structure are changing

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved THE SANTERIANS Santeros (male priests) and santeras (female priests) fiercely preserve the traditions of Santería; full knowledge of the rites, songs, and language are prerequisites to any deep involvement in the religion

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved HINDU AMERICANS Hinduism is a set of practices and a range of philosophical concepts Hinduism is based on the monotheistic principle of Brahman, that all reality is unity

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved HINDU AMERICANS The Rigveda defined five social castes Hinduism has grown to become the world’s third largest religion, claiming over 914 million believers, or 13 percent of the world’s population

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Religion and US Society In a 2008 survey, 71 percent of U.S. residents said they believe in God; 57 percent said religion was “very important” in their lives in a 2009 Gallup Poll About half of the population of the United States belongs to a church or synagogue

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES The Functionalist View Durkheim identified religion as an integrative bond for society Religion gives meaning and purpose to people’s lives, and offers individuals emotional and psychological support in both good and bad times Religious teachings also help maintain social control, reinforcing important values and norms, and providing moral standards

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES The Conflict View Marx considered religion a social control mechanism designed to protect the interests of those in power The dominant religion of a society represents the ruling economic and political class, and it legitimates the existing social structure, blunting people’s frustration, anger, and pain with the promise of an afterlife reward

Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition by Vincent N. Parrillo©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES The Interactionist View For members of all faiths, the religious bond serves both to unite and insulate; it is preserved and maintained through daily interactions with like-minded individuals Societal labeling of dissimilar religious minorities often results in negative attitudes and actions toward them, with an avoidance response promoting sub cultural insularity