1. in American history
   1. immigrants
      1. religious freedom
   2. English Puritans
      1. Pilgrim Fathers
      2. Massachusetts in 1620
   3. 18th c.
      1. German speaking Amish Mennonites
      2. Pennsylvania
   4. 1774
      1. Shakers
      2. New York
      3. from Quakers
   5. Maryland
      1. named after Virgin Mary
      2. Ireland and England settlers
   6. Mormons
      1. Utah
      2. Salt Lake City
   7. Adventists or the Seventh-day Adventist Church
   8. Jehovah’s Witnessess
   9. Church of Christ
   10. Scientist or Pentecostalism
   11. 18th-20th c.
       1. three Great Awakenings
2. Separation of religion and state
   1. First Amendment of the American Constitution
      1. religion and state are separated in the American political system
   2. tensions
      1. the presence of religion in the public education system
      2. Mormon Church
         1. polygamy
            1. illegal
      3. abortion
         1. legal in all states
         2. Roe vs Wade
3. Religion in American politics
   1. Cold War
      1. Ronald Reagan
         1. Soviet block- "the Evil Empire"
   2. 1992
      1. Samuel Huntington
      2. The Clash of Civilizations
      3. the global conflicts in the 21st century will be caused by the religious and cultural differences between civilizations
      4. inspired anti-Islamic rhetoric
   3. politicians
      1. "born-again Christian"
         1. Jimmy Carter and George Bush Jr.
   4. Christian Right
      1. politicians who belong to the Republican party and defend traditional family values, are against abortion and same-sex marriages
      2. opt for strong global military position of the USA
      3. Christian Zionism
         1. the belief that the current conflict in the Middle East is a part of God’s plan and preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus and that the role of America is to be on the right side, i. e. to support Israel, as the day of Armageddon will take place there.
4. Religious landscape
   1. 1. Christianity
   2. 2. Judaism
   3. 3. Buddhism
   4. 16%
      1. no specific religion
   5. WASP
      1. White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant
      2. somebody who is a Protestant and whose ancestors, came most often from England, Germany or Sweden
   6. televangelism
      1. television programmes with preachers promoting Christianity
      2. multi- million dollar business
      3. more than 1, 300 radio and TV stations
   7. Amish
      1. shape their life according to the Bible and some of their communities do not accept various modern inventions like electricity or cars
5. Changes in the religious life
   1. the number of Protestants fell
   2. WASPs are no longer the dominant political and social force in the USA
   3. division within Christian communities into conservative and liberal wings
   4. feminist theology
   5. gay marriages
   6. same-sex marriages
   7. molestation of children by the Roman Catholic priests
      1. pay huge amounts of money as compensations
      2. declare bankruptcy or to sell Church properties
   8. number of Muslims is growing