Religious Freedom in the United States

When the puritans first settled in North America their intention was to escape religious confines. They sought to form their own nation where there would be religious freedom and a separation of church and state. However, unknowingly these refugees built a foundation that would later suppress foreign religion. Due to this historical Christian tie, a sense of public Protestantism has manifested in American culture. As a result Christianity dominates the religious realm in the United States while other “ethnic religions” are forced to either change their religion or adopt Christian beliefs. Still, these diverse minority groups struggle to keep their faiths alive in the United States.

            Public Protestantism became ingrained in American Culture during the 17^th century when the puritans settled and instilled certain ethos and priorities that held a prominent role in government¹.  As a result Protestantism found it’s way atop the social order. Christian influence did not slow down; by 1893 Christians attempted to further expand their supremacy at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The fair was purposely set up to make Christianity glow as the religion of the world, with all of the other religions left organized to appear primitive². The end result was actually quite the opposite for religious leaders such as Swami Vivekananda, shocked the public with beautiful speeches about their religion. However, Vivekananda was not successful in presenting his religion of Hinduism but rather he was successful in presenting a new form of export Hinduism that was better accepted by Americans.

            Religion that did not originate in United States often changes drastically upon entering American society. This change can be referred to as the difference between “ethnic religion” and “export religion”.  Ethnic religion is the religion practiced by the immigrant while export religion is the new Americanized form of that religion that often followed by the next generation. Religions are forced to change once they enter the United States so that they become “normal” and fit into a society dominated by Protestantism⁴. These religions are susceptible to racialization. Racialization is when we put a certain face on religion^3; it is apparent in the depiction of monks in the United States.

            In the United States there is an image that links all eastern monks together. Though these monks can be a part of completely different religious backgrounds they are tied together by the persona of Oriental Monk. The oriental monk is seen as a caregiver, a sort of nurturer⁵. Thus, here in the United States, religions like Hinduism and Buddhism have changed into lifestyles rather than religion. Americans have taken these religions and cultivated them into lifestyles rather than follow the original texts and foundation of the religion. Conservatives of the ethnic religions try to return to their roots but the most successful groups conform to the export tradition of the religion. Sadly, it seems that true religious freedom does not exist here in the United States.

            It is apparent that the United States is not truly a haven for those seeking religious freedom. Rather, diverse minority traditions are forced to conform in a Christianized society. Outsiders deem these groups as “different” and do not accept them unless they fulfill certain standards. As a result these ethnic religions have transformed into new export religions. Protestantism governs what religion is in America. Still, we find followers of ethnic religion doing whatever they can to keep their religions alive in the U.S.

¹Khyati Y. Joshi, “The Racialization of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism in the United States” (Massachusetts: Routledge, 2006), 215

²Richard Seager, The Midway Plaisance and the Magic of the White City, (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1995), 26.

³ Joshi 214

⁴ William Hutchinson, Pluralism in the United States, (Ann Harbor Michigan: Sheridan Books, 2003).

⁵Jane Iwamura, The Orient Monk in American Culture, (California: UC Press, 2000), 36.

Conservative Protestantism and Premillineal Dispensationalism

The United States is home to an array of modern religious interpretations. To exercise free religion is parallel to being American; it is ingrained in American identity. Even today we can look to American history and trace our own religious views. However, religion in America is not as simple as being Christian or not Christian. Rather, we find that within many denominations there lie a number of sects with their own distinct views. My grandmother is a part of the evangelical movement here in the United States. Her development as a Pentecostal Christian is a product of evangelicalism and the ideas that spread within the effort, ideas that support contraction, such as the contemporary theory of premillennial dispensationalism.

Evangelicalism, like other religious movements, acquired man new facets over the past two centuries. To evangelize is “to gospel the masses, to bring them the New Testament Word”¹. Evangelists seek to spread protestant ideas and convert those who do not follow New Testament; they exemplify the mission mind at work. Revivalism during the Second Great Awakening was a solid foundation for what evangelicalism is today. Leaders such as Charles Grandison Finney spread the gospel to a variety of social groups, including women and even African Americans. Finney moved away from the formal style of preaching that dominated his era to a more direct and personal style that called forward people of conviction². My Grandmother owns her own church and preaches at every sermon and on every Wednesday she preaches in a new environment just as Finney would have done. Also, she does mission work in Africa annually where she spreads the word God to those who have never heard the New Testament. She is the epitome of Evangelism, moreover, conservative evangelism.

            Religious contraction is present in conservative protestant communities. Contraction is the process of returning to the roots of ones religion. Within Protestantism, fundamentalist are the prevailing example of contraction. They focus on ideas such as the coming of Jesus, and being saved. Most importantly, these followers of contraction have an avid mission mind and seek to convert non-followers of the New Testament.³ Pentecostals also follow this strict adherence to the bible. They believe in the idea of “full gospel”: Jesus saves-John 3:16; heals-James 5:15, Baptizes with the holy spirit-Acts 2:4 and will return to receive all of those who are saved-Thessalonians 4:16-17.⁴ My grandmother strictly abides by each of these beliefs and even uses her own body as a vessel to heal those in her church. She does not follow liberal Protestantism; instead she contracted lives her life strictly by the bible.

Another idea that plays a prominent role in my grandmother’s religion is premillennial dispensationalism. Premillennial dispensationalism offers a way to interpret the bible in a futuristic manner. Still, it is considered conservative because it adheres to the book of revelations. Only instead of interpreting the book as an account of the past they use the book to interpret the future. John Nelson Darby first introduced the idea in the 19^th century. Dispensations are specific time periods concerning Christ and his return.⁵ According to premillennial dispensationalists, there will be a dark era where many religious leaders will abandon their beliefs. Efforts will be made to end the dark age but none will be capable of stopping the ultimate demise. There will be a rapture of the church but all who are not saved will remain on earth where an antichrist will rule. Eventually god will come and defeat Satan and save all who accept him as their lord.⁶ My grandmother was sure to make me watch the Left Behind movies when I was only a boy. These were movies about the rapture and are actually mentioned by Albanese in her book Religions and Religion. Gloria is a firm believer in the rapture and the prophecy of an anti Christ.

Gloria Murphy is much more than a protestant. We can further examine her religion by looking to the central ideas that define her religion. Most prevalent is her evangelical background. Nevertheless, her religion cannot be described as simply Evangelical. She is a conservative evangelical who practices contraction over expansion. Furthermore, she has her own personal belief in premillennial dispensationalism, an idea not followed by all evangelicals.

 ¹ Catherine Albanese, America, religions and religion, (Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co, 1992), 115.

² Hambrick Stowe, Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism, (Grand Rapids Michigan: W.B. Eardmans , 1996), 76.

³ Maltby Paul, Christian Fundamentalism and the Culture of Disenchantment , (Charlottesville : Virginia Press, 2013), 28.

⁴ Handbook of Pentecostal Christianity, (Dekalb: Northern Illinois Printing Press, 2012), 43.

⁵ Clarence Bass, Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Book House , 1960), 33.

⁶ Clarence Bass, Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Book House , 1960), 56.

Blog #2 History and Religion

Faith is a belief in a certain code of ethics, or a standard of merit. For some, their faith is much more profound than a simple lifestyle. This is when faith changes from ordinary to an extraordinary state that is more spiritual. In fact we do not even look at many faiths as extraordinary anymore; numerous religions have slipped their way into every day life. We pledge allegiance to our nation under God and are read bible versus before our high school football games. These influences become even more prominent in smaller communities. A perfect example of this is my grandmother, Gloria Murphy, was born and raised in a southern community that was rich with Christian culture. Today Gloria is a Pentecostal preacher here in California. Gloria is a product of the environment and era that she was raised in; she was able to find comfort and support from the gospel while living deep in the south at the peak of televangelism. Still, other forces existed which would shape her religion for she is also a product of post-pluralism.

            In my prior blog I spoke about my grandmothers first personal connection with religion. She was a single mother trying to survive with a lower class income. She found solace in prayer and other Christian practices. She was raised Christian, not uncommon in the south, but she was given the choice to practice her faith. In her community televised preaching strived for many of these televised churches were based in the south. Evangelists had finally found their way onto the television by the 1950's and were preaching true fundamentalist Christianity that attracted southern Christians like my grandmother¹. After World War 2 televangelism saw great growth with great speakers such as Billy Graham leading the way. These televangelists would preach the gospel as well as many conservative ideas related to anti communism². Gloria was another individual who fell in love with the new age of televised preaching. She would watch many televangelists however she had one who was her favorite. This man’s name is Benny Hinn and he preached the Pentecostal doctrine my grandmother so appreciates. However, we can look to Benny Hinn as an example of post-pluralism.

            Post-pluralism is the idea of religions sharing ideas and thus another sect of a religion is formed. For example the Ghost dance was a native interpretation of a Christian idea. The Televangelist Benny Hinn was a Pentecostal preacher and the leader of a large televised ministry. Similar to the words of Mary Baker Eddy, Hinn claimed he could heal any sickness. He led “miracle crusades” where it is said he healed cases of anything from cancer to blindness. Later investigations questioned such claims. One cannot deny the connection between Hinn and Eddy. Eddy truly believed that sickness was an illusion that could be healed with proper spiritual technique³. Hinn would use his special prayer technique to heal those who came to his televised show. Gloria was unaware of the fact that she was not following a simple Pentecostal preacher but rather a Pentecostal who preached Christian Science ideals as well. Soon Gloria became even more connected with God as she witnessed her own personal healings of prayer. As I noted in my earlier blog she had two separate cases where her daughters were healed through prayer. Also these healings occurred in the 1980’s when televangelism saw it’s largest growth².

            Thus we can see that Gloria stumbled upon her religion through personal choice but was also guided by history and her surroundings. Growing up in the south left her with an innate Christian background that gained depth through southern televangelist ministries such as Benny Hinn. Due to the prevalence of televangelism in the 1980’s my grandmother became a devout believer in Pentecostal ideas as well as religious healing.

1. Alexander, Bobby Chris,     Televangelism reconsidered :   ritual in the search for human community /    Atlanta, Ga. :   Scholars Press,   c1994. 

2. Balmer, Randall. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America.Expanded ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

3. Voorhees, Amy Black.     Writing revelation   Mary Baker Eddy and her early editions of Science and Health, 1875-1891

Gloria Murphy

Gloria Murphy, my grandmother, was born into a Christian family. Her mother was a Native American who was actually a devout Christian. However, her parents never forced her to go to church or other religious practices. In spite of that they were able to instill a creed that Gloria would ultimately follow for the rest of her life. That creed was the belief that God created the Universe a Jesus is the Messiah. Though she believed in this creed she did not always follow the code of Christianity. In fact her early years were actually spent acting against most Christian ideals. She drank alcohol, she tried new things and most importantly she met a number of individuals from different religions. This was a sort of learning period for her to gain knowledge about each religion.

            It wasn’t until she was fully grown with children that she found her faith. Being a single mother was not an easy task and Gloria found herself praying on almost a daily basis. Soon she was reading religious texts, mostly the bible, and listening to Christian leaders. She claims that praying in the name of Jesus left her feeling a sense of peace and protection. Of course she did not feel protected from just the simple act of praying. She is convinced that God answers her prayers and it is her duty to worship him.

            Her first interaction with God’s power occurred when she was a very young mother. She was surprised with twins, which is not an easy task for a single mother of two.  To her dismay one of her daughter, Ronna, had a tumor like growth on her naval. Doctors told her that the growth would not be able to be removed until Ronna was at least two years old. Gloria was left feeling helpless, so she did all that she knew to do. She attended a special church service the following Sunday where a preacher prayed for her child. After the prayer Gloria felt like all of her stress was released; she felt as if her child no longer had the growth. Two days later she remembered that sadly her daughter was still sick but upon changing her she realized the growth was gone. She describes this as one of the most defining moments of her faith.

            After this miracle Gloria began studying Christianity. She read the bible multiple times and eventually opened her own church where she preached. Her way of preaching is very much similar to that of a Pentecostal congregation. Service is by no means formal; individuals are free to express themselves. I believe her church grows because others feel her belief and honest love for Jesus. She loves Jesus because he has been there for her through thick and thin. In times of trouble she has called upon him and Jesus has answered many a time. Therefore it is her duty to serve Christ and spread his name.

            Gloria exemplifies why religion is a part of ones culture. Christianity is not simply to believe in Jesus but rather a way of life. The Ten Commandments are the basis upon which every Christian lives his life. The golden rule is what Gloria feels is most important. She tells me every day to love my neighbor as I would love myself. I am convinced that Christianity is a part of my grandmother now. Just as Judaism is seen as an ethnicity I believe Christianity can be seen as a culture. My grandmother lives her life every day as if it is her judgment day. She follows the footsteps of God and he has blessed her with a beautiful life in return.

Here is a verse from the bible that I believe describes my Grandmother

Psalms 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.

The unsynagogued Jew

Lynn Davidman conducted a study on a number of individuals who claim to be Jewish though they do not practice traditional religious Judaism. The issue condenses down to the question of ascription. Are these individuals innately Jewish or are they Jewish by choice? Davidman notes that Judaism may be a special case where ethnicity plays a role. While a Protestant can choose whether they want to be Christian, to be Jewish is slightly different. The significance of being Jewish goes far beyond believing in a religion. There is a cultural aspect to it which people embody. There is a whole part of being Jewish that is separate from religion. For instance Davidman describes a family who eats pizza every Friday for Shabbat. This is a seemingly unreligious act that adds to this families Jewish identity. In conclusion Davidman explains that Judaism is different from other religions; Jewish individuals feel a different connection to their ancestors who have been oppressed over the centuries. Judaism can be seen not only as a religion but also as a cultural entity.



1.) Do you agree that Judaism is an ethnicity not only a religion?
2.) Do you believe an individual who Converts to Judaism is less Jewish than an individual from a Jewish bloodline.





Here is an example of a Jewish boy who does not practice Orthodox Judaism. He is still religious and practices Judaism however not in the strict devout manner that an Orthodox Jew would. : http://youtu.be/G_sWoZJGCTQ