Buddha, from the Sanskrit language, means “awakened,” and in the United States today, Buddhism has come wide awake. Immigration from Asia and a growing indigenous following has made Buddhism is a major religious presence in the U.S. with more than 1.5 million practitioners. That growth is bringing awareness, influence and some contentious issues.
Hinduism is the third-largest organized religion in the world and the Hindu population in the United States is estimated to have tripled in just over 15 years, to around 1 million. As Hindus’ numbers grow and as new generations are born here, journalists can find rich stories to tell about Hindus engaging in U.S. society.
A new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life explores the views of American Mormons as opposed to the usual focus on how Americans view Mormons. This approach makes the findings especially valuable, and they are an important addition to ReligionLink’s resources on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Scientology is what sociologists classify as a New Religious Movement, or NRM. But for many people it is a buzzword for “fringe religion,” or a “Hollywood” faith for celebrities whose propensity to make news guarantees that Scientology has a profile out of proportion to its membership numbers. In fact, among NRMs, few make headlines as [...]
The world’s youngest monotheistic religion is the Bahá’í Faith. It’s small – around 5 million-plus believers – but global and growing. The Bahá’í Faith has spread widely since its origin in Iran, then known as Persia, in 1844, and is today the world’s second most widely dispersed religion (after Christianity), practiced in more than 200 countries.
Judaism is among the world’s oldest religions, emerging in the Middle East more than 4,000 years ago. Like most world religions, it is not frozen in form but is constantly affected by the times in which its followers live. Today, Jews in America and elsewhere are redefining what it means to be Jewish and the [...]
Muslims’ engagement with government and politics is becoming more prominent in the United States and abroad on issues ranging from immigration and terrorism to charities and civil rights. This guide lists research centers, organizations and scholars with expertise on the growing role of Muslims’ interactions with government and politics.
Fifty-eight percent of Americans say they know little or nothing about Islam’s practices. And what they know is sometimes wrong. Meanwhile, 32 percent of Americans say the media are the biggest influence on their perception of Muslims. This edition of ReligionLink is a journalist’s guide to covering Muslims and Islam in America.
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