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Christian

Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—about the Christian religion and its members, as well as many of the religious groups that it encompasses: evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants, members of historically black Protestant churches, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Orthodox Christians and other Christians.

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Global Christianity
A comprehensive demographic study finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically widespread, and no single region can indisputably claim to be the center of global Christianity.
In Brief: Christian Legal Society v. Martinez
On April 19, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that will determine whether a public institution can refuse to officially recognize a religiously based organization that prevents those who do not share its religious and moral values from becoming voting members.
A Portrait of American Catholics on the Eve of Pope Benedict's Visit to the U.S.
When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the United States on April 15, he will find a Catholic Church that is undergoing rapid ethnic and demographic changes, and whose flock is quite diverse both in their religious practices and levels of commitment, as well as in their social and political views.
The Christmas Wars: Religion in the American Public Square
Every year as the holiday season gets underway, debates break out across the country over the appropriateness of religious displays in public spaces, such as crèches and menorahs placed in town halls. But the so-called "Christmas wars&...
God's Country? Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy
In his recent article in Foreign Affairs, Walter Russell Mead argues that as U.S. evangelicals exert increasing political influence, they are becoming a powerful force in foreign affairs. In recent years, evangelicals have voted overwhelmingly Rep...
Federal Court Sends Back Georgia Evolution Sticker Case
The Pew Forum's legal expert David Masci explains the impact of the latest legal ruling in the battle over teaching evolution in American public schools.
The Supreme Court's Decision in Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita
Unanimous Court Upholds Group's Right to Use Illegal Drug in Worship Services Download the Decision Analysis Download the Legal Backgrounder On Feb. 29, 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that the adherents of a small religious group can continue, for ...
Abortion Seen as Most Important Issue for Supreme Court
Most favor legal abortion, but with more limits Download this Fact Sheet (44K .pdf) On November 30, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case of Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, marking the first time in five years...
A Monumental Decision: High Court Considers Constitutionality of Ten Commandments Displays on Public Property
Download legal backgrounder on Ten Commandments cases (154K .pdf) On March 2, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases that concern the placement of Ten Commandments displays on public property. The commandments controversy came to ...
Separation of Church and States: An Examination of State Constitutional Limits on Government Funding for Religious Institutions
Separation of Church and States: An Examination of State Constitutional Limits on Government Funding for Religious Institutions 2003-03-28 9:00 am-5:00 pm Chapel Hill, NC Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to provide the transcript from the Q&A of these panels. Session 1 : History o
Good News From the Supreme Court? Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Good News Club v. Milford Central School
Discussants: Thomas Marcelle, Attorney for the Petitioners, Good News Club Elliot Mincberg, Vice President, People for the American Way Foundation Steven Sheinberg, Assistant Director, Legal Affairs, Anti-Defamation League K. Hollyn Hollman, Gener...