Nothing like a great religious holiday such as Easter to rediscover the passion of Americans for their beliefs. Among Western democracies, the United States ranks far at the top for the importance of faith and religious practice in the lives of its citizens.
Not a day goes by here, rarely two in a row, without some public reference to the faith. It often takes the form of simple calls like that of the head of the Capitol police department who, Friday, asked her compatriots to keep the family of the police officer killed by a driver “in their prayers”.
Frequently, these demonstrations are even more spectacular and controversial like the flags waved by extremist militants of the “Proud Boys” during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, displaying “Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president. ”
Joe Biden does not hesitate to put his Catholic faith forward. His Easter message, for example, is filled with a religiosity that few presidents have expressed over the past decades: “As we commemorate this most sacred day, let us recommit ourselves to the lessons of Easter. Let us love and care for our neighbors, as Jesus did and as we have seen so many ordinary and extraordinary people do during this difficult year ”.
Not always had good press, the Catholics
Much easier these days for Joe Biden as a Catholic to be at the top of the state. For decades, Americans polled by the Gallup firm claimed unequivocally that they would never vote for a Catholic: one in three voters in 1940 and again one in four in 1959 when John Kennedy sought to become the first president of the Catholic faith in American history.
Kennedy apparently succeeded in convincing his fellow citizens that his allegiances were indeed to his country and not to the Vatican as his detractors prophesied. In the months following his swearing-in, only 13% of Americans were resistant to the idea of voting for a Catholic.
In January 2020, in the midst of the race for the Democratic nomination, barely 4% of voters expressed the same opinion. Today, the reluctance concerns more Muslims – 32% of people polled do not imagine themselves electing one of them to the presidency – and atheists: 38% do not want to know anything about them at home -White!
They slowly come off
The Americans say they care about it, yet they are secularizing themselves like all Westerners. Gallup noted last year that 47% of adults said they belonged to a church, a synagogue or a mosque, twenty points lower than at the beginning of the century!
The same goes for the “very important” place of religion in their life: at 70% half a century ago, they are only 48% of this opinion. Still, 48% is one in two Americans! It is clear that in this regard, we do not recognize ourselves among our neighbors to the south.
Power in the United States: Fundamentally Christian
President
- Joe Biden, Catholic
Vice president
- Kamala Harris, Protestant Baptist
Congress
- 55% protestant
- 30% Catholic
- 6% Jewish
- 1.7% Mormon
- 0.6% Muslim
Supreme Court
- 6 Catholics, including Chief Justice John Roberts
- 2 Jews
- 1 Anglican, but baptized Catholic
Is it necessary or not to believe in God?
To have moral behavior and good values …
United States
- No: 54%
- Yes: 44%
Canada
- No: 73%
- Yes: 26%
Germany
- No: 61%
- Yes: 37%
France
- No: 84%
- Yes: 15%
Sweden
- No: 90%
- Yes: 9%
Indonesia
- No: 2%
- Yes: 96%
Tunisia
- No: 6%
- Yes: 84%
Israel
- No: 48%
- Yes: 48%
India
- No: 18%
- Yes: 79%
Source: Pew Research Center, Spring 2019