Posted on 01/11/2007 9:35:50 AM PST by sionnsar
The color-coded maps at this link reveal the religious adherents as a percentage of all U.S. residents, 2000
Submitted by David W. Virtue
VIRTUEONLINE
http://robotwisdom.com/issues/religmaps.html
I was thinking specifically of the French Jesuits whose missions in the 1600's were to the Indians and settlers in the upper reaches of the US and Southern Canada. Other etnic varieties of Catholics moved in later. I knew that Illinois and the Midwest had lots of German and Czech Catholics, and there are lots of Polish Catholics in Chicago. Many of the Catholics in central MA and in NY are of French Canadian origin, though the Boston area is more heavily Irish.
Which is why my spelling is bad, but I can pronounce names with 14 consonants and two vowels!
Germans and Czechs account for a lot of the Catholics in TX as well.
The Spanish sent priests with almost every mission to the New World, and don't forget Our Lady of Guadelupe, her appearance to Juan Diego spread the faith like fire throughout the SW.
Neat! Looks like I'll be leaving the Midwest and joining the enclave of Alaskan Lutherans on their west coast, LOL! The same map makes it look like there's not a single Lutheran church where I live...which is totally incorrect.
But this is good news because Alaska is on our short list for retirement. :)
Interesting.
I note:
(1) Red State: Baptist.
Blue State: Catholic.
All of the majority Baptist states voted Republican in the past two elections.
Almost all of the majority Catholic states except Texas (special case!) and Florida (gee, we know all about Florida!) voted Democrat.
(2) Jews live where Catholics live in Europe (Poland, Rome, Paris, the old Habsburg Empire) and - once upon a time - Spain (but that didn't work out...)). And Jews live where Catholics live in America. It's that old Roman Empire tie...
(3) There's a one-man comedy playing in New York City: "My Mother is Italian. My Father is Jewish. I am in Therapy."
btt
Yep, the construction of Spanish Missions is also why FL had large amounts of Catholics at one time near St. Augustine and Pensacola. There are still some Catholics near St. Augustine, according to the map, but not as many in the Pensacola area these days.
BTW, when the GREAT Catholic Missionaries came, they gave such names as Lake of the Blessed Sacrament to beautiful bodies of water.
Later-arriving prots changed it to Lake George. Interestingly enough, when I first learned of that, I began drinking.
(At least one part of the Lake still references the term (though I confess I spend new years aboard said boat; drinking).
My dad's hometown is in the Lutheran county in Ohio. The town is quite small (population <400) but has three Lutheran churches.
Interesting maps. Interesting post. Thanks to you both.
How about a three letter name with no vowels!
what about hindu and muslim persuasions, interesting, because the muslim is supposed to be spreading like wildfire.
One exception in the concentration of Catholics - Maryland was founded by Catholics so they would be assured of their religious freedom. The percentage has dropped due to the influx of Lutherans from Germany by way of Pennsylvania and the great variety of immigrants through the Port of Baltimore.
Ha! 2 little orange globs where my family settled 150 years ago. (In Texas, y'all)
True, but the larger numbers in the early years of the country were in the areas influenced by France and Spain, then the other ethnic groups arrived and the immigrants built the large old churches in the big cities.
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