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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.

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LEGAL REPORT April 6, 2010
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.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 17, 2009
Global Restrictions on Religion
More than half a century ago, the United Nations affirmed the principle of religious freedom in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, defining it as "the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."
ANALYSIS October 28, 2009
The "Zeal of the Convert": Is It the Real Deal?
A recent Pew Forum analysis finds that people who have switched faiths (or joined a faith after being raised unaffiliated with a religion) are indeed slightly more religious than those who have remained in their childhood faith.
ANALYSIS December 18, 2008
Many Americans Say Other Faiths Can Lead to Eternal Life
A majority of all American Christians (52%) think that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life. Indeed, among Christians who believe many religions can lead to eternal life, 80% name at least one non-Christian faith that can do so.
ANALYSIS March 27, 2008
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.
POLL September 26, 2007
Public Expresses Mixed Views of Islam, Mormonism
The Muslim and Mormon religions have gained increasing national visibility in recent years. Yet most Americans say they know little or nothing about either religion's practices, and large majorities say that their own religion is very different from Islam and the Mormon religion.
ANALYSIS August 21, 2007
Religion and the Presidential Vote: A Tale of Two Gaps
For the presidential candidates and the pundits who write about them, one concern in the 2008 campaign is the "religion gap" - shorthand for the religious differences between Republican and Democratic voters.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 12, 2006
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&...
ANALYSIS December 1, 2006
Religion and the 2006 Elections
Exit polls show that the religious divide that has come to characterize American politics persisted in the 2006 election; white evangelicals and those who attend church frequently continued to support Republicans by large margins, while secular vo...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT September 26, 2006
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...
INTERVIEW May 26, 2006
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.
ANALYSIS April 6, 2006
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 ...
LEGAL REPORT November 29, 2005
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...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT February 24, 2005
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 ...
POLL February 3, 2005
Religion and the 2004 Election: A Post-Election Analysis
The close 2004 presidential election produced increased polarization between and within religious communities, according to a poll conducted by The University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
POLL November 2, 2004
Religion and the Environment: Polls Show Strong Backing for Environmental Protection Across Religious Groups
October 2004 Download this Fact Sheet (76K .pdf) In contrast to abortion, gay marriage and other hot-button cultural issues, which divide most religious groups in the United States, there is a fairly strong consensus across faith traditions on env...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT October 19, 2004
Anglicanism and Global Affairs: The Windsor Report and Beyond
Speakers: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Archbishop, Anglican Church of Nigeria The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church USA Dr. David Martin, Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics (Emeritus) Moderato...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT March 28, 2003
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
EVENT TRANSCRIPT June 12, 2001
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...