Essay on Immigration and Religion

It is noticeable that immigration is changing the face of religion in America. Hundreds of people from what was previously third world countries are trickling into America each year, carrying along their religious identities. The United States experience immigrants in millions in the last century, but those who arrived into the country since 1965 exceeds that number. Their religious practices often stand out from their places of worship their form of religion and even their children who are unique from the rest in the American colleges. It is, however, evident that many of those who immigrate to America are Christians. There are others who associate with different religious affiliates including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Judaism but their numbers are less compared to Christian immigrants.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The country is characterized by numerous religious sites built by individuals from these religious groups including Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. These sites present a dramatic presence of the various religious groups around the world. It does, however, show that the United States remains to be the worlds most diverse nation when it comes to religion. However, facts show a unique picture of the spread of religion around the world. Countries that are popularly known for Christianity including France, Germany, and England have higher numbers of Muslims than the United States. India which is known to be the home of Hinduism has greater numbers of Christians and Muslims than the United States number of Muslims and Hindus. The number of Jews in the United States about half a century ago was greater than that of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims combined.

High numbers of immigrants coming from the eastern hemisphere originate from countries outside Europe that are predominantly Christian including the Philippines which is the ancestral home to the second largest group of Asian Americans. They also come from Ghana which is one of the rapidly Christianizing nations in sub-Sahara Africa. Others come from Christian sections of couriers like Korea, Lebanon, and India. Other immigrants profess no religion, and many of these come from European countries mostly found in the Soviet bloc, and they include Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. It is also the source of eastern orthodox Christians and the Jews.

Some Christian immigrants also come from Palestine as a result of the continued struggle between the Christians and many Palestinians. America also benefits from immigrants from India who are usually nurses from the Christian people of the Kerala state who move to the country to escape taboos in their country and to access better education opportunities. It, therefore, means that America is experiencing an increase of diversification in Christianity. It is, however, evident that it is not only Christianity that is experiencing diversification but religion as a whole. The country currently holds various forms of religious affiliates that differ from each other. Even for Christianity, there are groups within the religion that are different from each other. For example, some will identify with being Catholic while others will be Presbyterian.

The diversity is as a result of the different Christians with religious beliefs that may be founded on different concepts of faith who are present in America and thus when looking at Christianity as a whole one is sure to identify some differences. Therefore it is not that only European-Americans can give a definition of Christianity or be for it on against it. The millions of Christian immigrants experienced in America are redefining the meaning of Christianity in the country. The group known for a colorful Christian in the states is the America Americans, and the rest of the immigrants are now joining them in defining what the religion is all about in the country.

The significant impact of immigration is experienced by the Catholics, a group of Christians whose majority may end up being Hispanic later on in the current century. Currently, there are many Catholic churches in the states where masses are said in Spanish. There are others that are under the influence of the Latino religious styles. The current type of Catholic religion is more devotion and centred on the home, unlike the Vatican II Catholic Church that was more parish-centred. They have various feast and celebrations whose basis is often in the Latino and Hispanic religious beliefs. On the other hand, Protestants in Christianity are often carriers of religious matters from their home. In many instances, they will conserve practices like food, how they dress and the music they associate with as Warner states Immigrant Christians tend to be conservative in matters of religious and moral culture (Warner) . Many of the practices seen among the immigrant groups in Christianity are often grounded in the culture of these groups. For example, the worship of Chinese Christian immigrants will be predominantly Chinese.

It is evident that Christianity through immigration is changing the overall view of religion and specifically Christianity. The various groups prefer to stick to the type of Christianity they move into America with and in most instances it is quite similar to what they leave in their home countries. It, therefore, means that America is and continues to become a country that accommodates Christians from around the world and they continue to diversify Christianity in the United States.

Work cited

Warner, Stephen. Immigrants and the Faith They Bring. N.p., 2004. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.