Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
History and Religion

Religion in U.S. history

Select a Category Buddhism Christianity Daoism Hinduism Indigenous religions Islam Judaism Mysticism New Age Origins of religion Paganism Popes Popular Religious Movements Protestantism Psychology and religion Religion and current events Religion and folklore Religion and News Media Religion and politics Religious Art and Music Religious Freedom Religious mistakes Religious philosophy Religious scriptures Religious Violence science and religion Spiritualism Technology and religion The Catholic Church The Dalai Lama The Reformation Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022

December 2023

December 18, 2023

The Commercialization of Christmas: A Short History

The commercialization of Christmas is something both endorsed and lamented. Many people imagine Christmas to...

December 14, 2023

When Christmas Was Banned in Boston

Christmas was banned in Boston, and the rest of Massachusetts, by the legislature of the...

November 2023

November 27, 2023

Muslims in Colonial America

Yes, there were Muslims in colonial America. Some of them -- not all -- were...

November 19, 2023

The Wall of Separation Has Two Sides

The wall of separation between church and state is in the news again. Recently Rep....

November 06, 2023

Is “In God We Trust” Religious or Patriotic?

A new law in Louisiana requires posting "In God We Trust" in every classroom in...

September 2023

September 18, 2023

Faith and Football: What’s the Deal With Prayers Before Games?

What's the deal with prayers before football games? I don't know when it became the...

August 2023

August 20, 2023

Oklahoma Approves a Religious Charter School

Last month, the state of Oklahoma approved the first religious charter school in the nation....

July 2023

July 03, 2023

The Rev. Edgar Gardner Murphy and the Movement to End Child Labor

Child labor is making a comeback in the U.S. Several states are passing laws to...

June 2023

June 18, 2023

Getting Juneteenth Right

Juneteenth -- June 19 -- is an official holiday now, commemorating the ending of slavery...

April 2023

April 22, 2023

Do the Ten Commandments Belong in Public School Classrooms?

The Texas Senate has passed a bill that mandates posting the Ten Commandments in every...

March 2023

March 05, 2023

The Oneida Community: An Experiment in Perfectionism

The United States in the 19th century was a surprising place. Although it was marked...

March 04, 2023

Talking With the Dead in 19th Century America

Talking with the dead was all the rage in the United States in much of...

January 2023

January 21, 2023

When U.S. Christian Denominations Split Over Slavery

In the years before the U.S. Civil War, three major Christian denominations split over slavery....

January 20, 2023

Christianity and the Abolitionist Movement in the U.S.

Misunderstanding abounds about the role of Christianity and the abolitionist movement, the 19th century movement...

November 2022

November 23, 2022

Arguments Against the Wall of Separation Between Church and State

I've written a number of columns looking at issues involving religion and the U.S. Constitution....

November 21, 2022

Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Between Church and State

There is no more controversial phrase in U.S. history than Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation...

November 18, 2022

Thomas Jefferson v. Establishment of Religion

In the 18th century establishment of religion, or designating an official state religion, was common...

November 12, 2022

The Problem With Bible Readings in U.S. Public Schools

In 1956, a student in a public high school near Philadelphia protested his school's daily...

November 10, 2022

When the U.S. Supreme Court Didn’t Ban School Prayer

It has been sixty years since a U.S. Supreme Court decision ended class recitations of...

October 2022

October 29, 2022

A Brief History of Christian Nationalism: Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority

This is a continuation of A Brief History of Christian Nationalism that will look at...

October 02, 2022

The New Madrid Earthquakes: Disaster and Religion on the Frontier

What is the connection between natural disasters and religion? The world's scriptures often mention natural...

September 2022

September 28, 2022

Journalism Versus Religion

There is a new Global Faith and Media Study on how news media cover religion...

September 24, 2022

What Is Deism?

The word Deism often comes up in early U.S. history and some 18th century European...

September 23, 2022

The Myth of the Christian Nation

One of the most persistent popular themes of American history is that the United States...

Related posts from The Religious History Nerd

Family

I Watched the Towers Fall. Here's What You...

The Religious History Nerd

Family

Barring Mamdani From 9/11 Lets the Enemy Win

The Religious History Nerd

Family

Is 'Separation of Church and State' Really a...

The Religious History Nerd

Family

The President and the Pope: An Unprecedented Rift

The Religious History Nerd

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos