Religion in US

Among "developed nations", the US is one of the most sacred. According to a 2002 study by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, the US was the only developed nation in the analysis where a majority of citizens reported that religion played a "very important" role in their lives, an outlook similar to that found in Latin America.

A 2001 survey found 15% of the population to have no religious attachment, still significantly less than in other postindustrial countries such as Britain (44%) and Sweden (69%). Judaism is the second most prominent religion, with estimates ranging from 2.8 million (or 1.4% of the population) to 4.3 million (or 2.5% of the population). Other minority religions include Islam (about 2.4 million, or 0.6% to 0.7%), Buddhism (0.5% to 2%), Hinduism (0.4%), and Neopaganism (mostly Wicca; 1 million to 10 million; 0.5% to 4%).

Several of original 13 colonies were established by English settlers who wished to devotion their own religion without prejudice: Pennsylvania was established by Quakers, Maryland by Roman Catholics and the Massachusetts Bay Colony by Puritans. The United States was one of the first countries in the world to enact a separation of church and state and freedom of religion. Modeling the provisions concerning religion within the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the framers of the United States charter rejected any religious test for office, and the First Amendment specifically denied the central government any power to ratify any law respecting either an establishment of religion, or prohibiting its free exercise. The framers were mainly influenced by Enlightenment ideals, but they also considered the sensible concerns of minority religious groups who did not want to be under the power or manipulate of a state religion that did not represent them.