Religions of America

by Leo Rosten

This fascinating new book reflects the results of the turmoil and change in the religions of America since Leo Rosten first wrote about them.
The first section consists of nineteen articles by distinguished men, each one a recognized authority on the creed for which he speaks, setting forth the clear and candid stories of our own faiths and those of our neighbors. All religions are covered, from the major established groups to the "charismatic" cults. There are also chapters about the agnostic, the non-churchgoer and what he believes, and the scientist. A multitude of questions are raised and answered, such as: What percent of ministers profess they no longer believe in God? In which leading church can homosexuals be married? How many priests condone birth control devices? Abortions? Which faiths feel what way about intermarriage? Divorce? Have churches that participated in social activism in the 1960s gained or lost in their membership and their finances? Have the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches significantly changed their 400-year-old schism?
Part Two is the Almanac, a massive compendium that is more complete and far-ranging than any other existing one, with the statistics, public opinion polls, basic documents, sociological résumés and psychological analyses of the role, conflicts, influences and trends that characterize religion in the United States today. These basic authoritative facts and figures are accompanied by the author's own essays and comments on material that is rarely subjected to critical examination. There is also a Glossary of religious terminology.
Those familiar with Leo Rosten's A Guide to the Religions of America (1955) and his Religions in America (1963) need not be told of the extraordinary reception both volumes received from the reviewers and the public. They were acclaimed by theologians of all faiths. Each book sold hundreds of thousands of copies. But this new Religions of America renders those two volumes entirely out of date. There is no other book even remotely comparable to it.

Genres: Religion, Reference, Nonfiction, History, Spirituality, Christianity, American History

672 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1975

About the author

Leo Calvin Rosten was born in Lodz, Russian Empire (now Poland) and died in New York City. He was a teacher and academic, but is best known as a humorist in the fields of scriptwriting, storywriting, journalism and Yiddish lexicography.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the basics of MOST AMERICAN religions/denominations. Most of the chapters are various interviews with members of a clergy, etc. I was a bit disapointed that it was not written as just the facts instead of an opinion. Most of my questions were answered but not in the depth I was hoping for. This book also left out a few major denominations of interest, Scientology for example. The denominations that were covered generally fell into the middle of the continuum between of liberal and fundamentalist. It is the more extreme denominations that I was/am interested in and looked foward to reading about them, but they were simply not included in this "Almanac". Of course there was a lot data that was informative, but for someone who wants to research more unique/odd denominations, I suggest a book about cults instead. The encyclopedia-type book is written in a simple form that is easy to comprehend and I did learn the differences between some Protestant sects that always seemed indistinguishable to me in the past, so the book was helpful, it just depends on what you are trying to learn about.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good but outdated. I read the older edition but even the newer one is from the seventies. Religions in America is interesting and informative on a strictly historical level. I liked learning what American religions were like in the sixties. Even if the studies used show outdated language like “Negroes”, but there is little bias, because religious leaders provided the facts on religions. This book’s treatment of Jews in particular is commendable.

The edition I read only included Christian denominations and the Jews, the vast majority of the book being various Christian denominations. That is understandable for the sixties, although I am sure there were populations of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others in America during the sixties. However, there is some good information here, like how Catholics fared after Vatican II.

The chief sins of this book are lack of inclusion and being outdated. I would like reading a book like this but updated to show modern religious demographics. The modern Religions in America would have the same lack of bias as the original, with an emphasis on facts and promoting tolerance instead of trying to convert people. However, this book would contain articles about Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others in America, and contain a large section about the growing irreligious. The book I read is flawed, but I enjoyed it enough to want an updated version for the 2020s.

[Catina Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gift from my Dad.

[David Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for quick overview. Reference material.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally a series of article in Look Magazine, this book came to me along with the rest of my grandfather’s library after he died. It is divided into two main parts. The first twenty chapters are articles written by leaders of various main religious groups in the United States, including Baptists, Catholics, Christian Scientists, Congregationalists, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalians, Greek Orthodox, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Lutherans, Methodists, Mormons, Presbyterians, Protestants (in general), Quakers, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Unitarians, along with chapters on “What Is an Agnostic,” whether a scientist can believe in God (the scientist who wrote the article said, “Yes,” but his answers make it quite plain that he is a modernist), and the 66 million Americans who do not belong to any church.

These articles explain the “Religious Beliefs” of these different groups, allowing each group to describe itself. A number of questions are raised and answered, such as sin, salvation, the Trinity, the virgin birth, worship, heaven and hell, divorce, and birth control, among others. Part Two is an almanac of religion in our nation, with statistics about church membership, American clergy, religious education, religion in American history, and the role of religion in contemporary American life. There is also a list of selected resources and reference aids. The book was last updated in 1975. For example, the original text of “What Is a Baptist?” was written by the late William B. Lipphard. Many new answers (to new or old questions) have been supplied for the revised edition by Dr. Frank A. Sharp. One of the complaints that some have about this book is that much of the information is outdated. Of course the statistics have changed, and denominations do sometimes alter their beliefs, but the vast majority of the information is still valid. Besides, if any further revisions are to be made, Leo Rosten won’t be able to make them because he died in 1997.

Another complaint is that the information about the different denominational beliefs is far too short and not detailed enough. However, it is not intended to give a complete doctrinal survey, but simply a general overview. Still others objected to the fact that it left out a lot of religions, especially Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, but it does have the main ones historically related to this nation. I have used this book often in sermons and classes to identify the beliefs of the different groups. For example, the Congregationalist representative in answering the question “Do Congregational Christians believe in the virgin birth?” responded, “Probably the majority do not….The fact of Christ, and not the manner in which he was born, is held to be of dominant importance.” Of course, if we can’t trust what the Bible says about the virgin birth of Christ, how can we trust anything that it says about Christ—or any other subject for that matter? I normally don’t review purely “religious” books on this blog, but this one has a lot of valuable material for anyone who is interested in or studying about the historic role of religion in America.

[Chriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a time when I was questioning my own religion. I knew who I was spiritually but didn't know if the religion I was raised in was serving me as an adult. So I used this book as more of a reference. I felt it explained each basic religion well but being open minded, I was curious about more of the world religions and how different they are, which this book did not go into. I did end up finding that the religion I was raised with remains the one I most closely identify with and I just ended up finding a new Church rather than a new religion. So the book did help me sort out what I needed to know without throwing opinions into the mix.

[Rmwittig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting review of numerous organized Religions. It is more of a guide, somewhat biased. The first part deals with interviews of hierarchy in the religion discussed in a question and answer form. The second part of the book is the author's study of that religion giving facts, statistic, and anything he could find on the named religion. I found the info very interesting especially the statistic on what church members say they do and what they actually do in the name of salvation.

[Ben Loory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I am allowed to be either a Quaker or a Unitarian. But nothing else. Emerson was a Unitarian; Nixon was a Quaker. Nevertheless, I prefer the Quakers. They're quirkier and I appreciate the set-up of their "meetings."

[Pisces19 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent overview of several of the major religions in America, but it is a bit dated, leaving the second half essentially useless information. It was useful and somewhat helpful but in need of major revision.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first revision of the Guide to the Religions of America published in 1955, which collected a series of articles that originally ran in Look Magazine. The next revision was entitled Religions of America.

[Kim]

Using for reference

[Jim Melcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most influential books in my life. I read it intently in my college years, and it's a lot of why I became an Episcopalian.

[Gary Geiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

It needs updating, but this book went into fairly comprehensive details about the doctrines of various faiths half a century ago.