Religion in America

"The Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." -- Treaty of Tripoli, 1797, signed by President John Adams and approved unanimously by Congress.

  For all the fear mongering about the danger that a particular religious faith  poses to American values, it's time to look at some numbers.
   With a total population of more than 300 million, there are about 35 million atheists and agnostics, 31 million who say they are non-religious, 9 million Jews, 1.4 million Buddhists, 586,000 Hindus, 582,000 Native Americans, 186,000 Sikhs, 340,000 Wiccans, plus millions of others who are Zoroastrian, Confucian, Shinto, Tao, Baha'i, as well as the odd Druid here and there. 
   Muslims total some 2.7 million, or less than 1 percent of the total population. Moreover, many who follow the principles of Islam were born here and have served with distinction in the American military, government, business and academia.
   Islam is not new to America. It was brought here by many captured in Africa and enslaved here in the early years of America. In the 20th Century, there was a strong revival movement among Americans to revive the tradition brought here by their enslaved ancestors.
   All these estimates were gathered by private organizations, since the U.S. Census Bureau is prohibited from asking about religious affiliation.
   To blame an entire group -- especially one numbering less than 1 percent of the entire population -- for the actions of a couple of individuals is, to use a word favored by a current presidential candidate, stupid.
   No one blames all Christians for the recent killings at a Planned Parenthood Clinic, or a church, or a school.
   The use of fear mongering to advance a political agenda generates an "us versus them" controversy, at a time when America needs to emphasize the "we."