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Christians in the United States are members of a bewildering variety of denominations，each independent of the other.According to statistics of 2001，about 84%of Americans are Christians（56%Protestants，28%Roman Catholics）.2%Jewish people，4%other religious sects，and 10%none religiously affiliated people.

The Protestants，in general，believe that all individuals must stand alone before God.If people sinned，they should seek their forgiveness directly from God rather than from a priest speaking in God’s name.In place of the power and authority of priests，Protestants substituted what they called the“Priesthood of all believers.”This meant that every individual was solely responsible for his or her own relationship with God.Because of the differ-ences in believes，the Protestants formed many separate churches.In the United Sates the Protestant churches mainly include the following ones.

The Baptist family of churches is the largest Protestant family in the US.The Baptist Church has no recognized founder.Some Baptists trace their theological roots back to radical reformers in Europe in the 1500s.Early Baptists were split into two groups：the General Baptists，who believed that Christ died for all people，and the Particular Baptists，who held the Calvinist doctrine that Christ died for the elect.In 1608，agroup of English Puritans seeking to escape persecution，settled in Amsterdam and founded the first Baptist church.In 1611members of this congregation returned to England and established the first Baptist church there.In the US the first Baptist church was established by Roger William at Providence，Rhode Island，in 1639.Now the local Baptist congregations in the US have great independence，determining many of their own policies.At the same time，these churches share many practices.A Baptist child is not counted as a member until he is baptized.Most Baptists take a strong stand on the authority of the Bible，and many believe that it should be interpreted literally.Baptists believe that heaven and hell are real places and that there will be a physical resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgment.In general，they believe in the Trinity¹ and the virgin birth of Christ and hold that one is saved by faith in Christ and by the grace of God.Baptists have traditionally been strong supporters of separation of church and state.The Southern Baptist Convention，a predominantly white church，is the largest Protestant denomination in the US.Many Baptist denominations have mounted energetic missionary cam-paigns to bring the Christian message to people around the world.Baptist churches now have some 36million members in the US，who mainly live in the southern and border states.

Methodist churches trace their origins to John Wesley（1703-1791），a minister in the Church of England who sought to bring a new sense of warmth and commitment to individual’s religious life.He urged his followers to set aside regular times to study the Bible and pray together.Wesley’s opponents laughingly called his followers Methodists because of their discipline and se-riousness.Methodism grew with astonishing swiftness in the US.By 1820it was the largest religious family in the US，and remained the largest one until the 1920s.Although Methodists accept the Trinity and practice baptism and communion，they hold that individual love of God and individual religious experience mean more than formal doctrine.Salvation is achieved by a life of holiness，repentance，and faith，and is available to everyone.Most believe in judgment after death，in which the morally good will be rewarded and the wicked punished.Methodists now number about 14million in the US.

Lutherans trace their churches back to the German reformer Martin Luther（1483-1546）.Luther sought to reform the doctrine and practice of the Roman Christian Church in Europe.He complained about the corruption among the clergy and advocated worship in the language of the people rather than in Latin.He also came to favor a married，rather than a celibate，clergy.By the study of the Scriptures，he convinced that salvation was obtained through the grace of God and not through the mediation of the priesthood.This belief conflicted with the fundamental Church practice of the sale of indulgences，which entitled the purchaser to forgiveness of sins.Luther attacked this custom in his 95Theses²（1517），and he was excommunicated in 1521.

The basic Lutheran principle is“justification by faith”—that man’s faith in God，rather than man’s good works，will bring about his salvation.If people have faith in Christ，repent their sins，study the Scriptures，and receive the sacraments，Lutherans assert，their hearts will be alerted and they will live the true Christian life.Lutherans regard the Bible as their sole guide；although they employ ordained ministers，they believe that every person is a priest and can approach God directly.They accept the Trinity and the virgin birth of Christ.

Immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia brought the Lutheran faith to North America，concentrating first in Pennsylvania.Later immigrants settled in the upper Midwest.By 1900scores of small Lutheran church bodies were divided from one another by language，theology，and degree of assimilation into American society.The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America represents a uniting of many of those earlier churches.The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod，a national church despite its name，is more conservative theologically.There are now over 8million Lutherans in the US.

D.Latter-Day Saints（Mormons）

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints，known popularly as the Mormon Church，was founded in the US in 1830at Fayetteville，New York State.Its headquarters today are in Salt Lake City，Utah.Two men played outstanding roles in the founding and development of Mormonism：Joseph Smith（1805-1844）and Brigham Young（1801-1877）.

Smith，son of a poor New England farmer，declared in 1827that a vision had led him to dig up golden plates covered with sacred writings.Translated by him，they were published as the Book of Mormon，which tells of a visit by the resurrected Jesus Christ to pre-Columbian America.As result of other revelations，he affirmed that he had been chosen as a priest and was to found a new religion.Smith assembled a community of believers that settled first in western New York and later in Ohio，Missouri，and Illinois.Wherever it went，it aroused the antagonism of neighboring non-Mormons，in part because Mormons allow men to take more than one wife.In 1844，after introducing polygamy，Smith and his brother were murdered by a mob.

Brigham Young，a New York painter and glazier，was selected to head the Mormons after Smith’s death.Under his lead ership the Mormons trekked west in 1846-1847，and settled in the then-uninhabited basin by the Great Salt Lake.With Young in command，the Church flourished，and when Utah was made a Federal Territory he was appointed its first governor.Young，continued to promote polygamy among the Mormons，had 27wives.Today，the majority of religiously affiliated people in Utah are still Mormons.There are also many adherents in surrounding states，especially western Colorado and Arizona.

Mormons believe in a purposeful universe in which humans have been placed to make themselves more like God by faith and works.They hold that God was once a man，and men，too，may become gods.They believe in the Trinity as 3distinct personages and practice baptism.Missionary work is emphasized，and abstinence from coffee，tea，and alcohol is considered important.The Mormon Church has a membership of about 4.6million in the world，most of whom live in the US.

There are more than a hundred other Protestant sects in the US Some are of recent foundation，and the dominant trend is fundamentalist³.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single Christian denomination in the United States.It claims nearly 32%of all religiously affiliated people—28%of the total US population.Many US Catholics are descendants of immigrants from Ireland，Germany，Poland，Italy，and France.They are now concentrated in the Northeast and the industrial Midwest.Hispanic-Americans in Florida and the Southwest are also predominantly Catholic.The Roman Catholic Church is hierarchically organized.Bishops，who administered church affairs in a given region，are appointed by higher authority.The world leader of the Roman Church is the Pope，who directs the church from Vatican City in Rome.Priests are male and in most parts of the church must be and remain unmarried.Orders of the nuns and monks provide many educational and charitable services.Many local churches operate parochial elementary schools.Regional bodies and religious orders operate high schools and help administer many seminaries and church related colleges.In recent years the number of applicants for the priesthood and for religious orders has sharply decreased，even as membership in the church has continued to increase.Catholic leaders have taken strong stands on many contemporary issues.The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken relatively liberal positions on efforts to bring about world peace and economic justice.In areas of personal conduct，the church is more conservative.It leads the campaign to outlaw abortion and opposes artificial means of birth control.

The first great schism in the Christian church occurred in 1054between the Western church，centered at Rome，and the Eastern church，centered at Constantinople（present-day Istanbul）.In 1054Eastern Christianity was predominant in Greece and the Middle East，and missionaries had already introduced the faith to Russia.The Russian church celebrated its 1000th anni-versary in 1988.Immigrants from these countries brought Orthodox churches to the United States.

There are about 2million members of the Orthodox Churches in the US，mainly descendants of people who migrated from Russia or Greece or from other Orthodox parts of eastern Europe.Orthodox churches are organized hierarchically.Arch-bishops and bishops possess special spiritual authority and admin-ister church affairs.Religious observances tend to be solemn and elaborate.Ancient liturgies in the ancient languages have been carefully preserved.Orthodox clergy are male，and in most churches they are allowed to marry.Because of differences in calcu-lating feast days，Easter and other movable feasts may occur on different dates in the Orthodox churches.

In the United States，many Orthodox churches have served as cultural centers for immigrants seeking to preserve their own ethnic heritage.At the same time，however，many denominations are active members of ecumenical groups such as the National Council of Churches.