Apr 23, 2012
Topography of Faith
By Timothy R Butler | Posted at 6:22 AM
If you curious about the religious breakdown of the United States, this map is quite insightful. It is almost five years old, so it might be slightly out of date, but it should still be relatively representative of the country's demographics.
Article Path: Home: Religion: Topography of Faith
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Re: Topography of Faith
For Oklahoma to have a relatively large Buddhist population (1% is a lot for OK) does not surprise me. We have several large temples, some on large acreages. One Baptist church near me, where I served an internship back at the start of college, is now a small Buddhist monastery.
Re: Topography of Faith
Interesting, Ed. I has no idea there was such a significant Buddhist population there!
Re: Topography of Faith
Woo! Highest percentage of Buddhists and highest percentage of non-reporting.
Re: Topography of Faith
I always knew Oregon was high on the non-reporting scale - often the top or close to it. It’s explained as being a result of our “pioneer attitude.” People don’t feel the need to “be a religious member” the way they do in other places; there is more freedom to be non-associated.
Thinking about it, our Buddhist population shouldn’t be a surprise, either. The west coast in general has always had a high Asian population, and Buddhism is the closest religion to the secular humanism that’s popular right now for those who want spirituality with a name, but don’t want to be particularly religious.