Christians Represent Over Half of Delegations in U.S. House of Congress, Study Finds
Christians number more than half of congressional delegations in the United States, the Pew Research Center has found.
According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 91% of lawmakers identify as Christian compared to only 71% of U.S. adults, the Pew Research Center said.
The number of Christians representing various states remains high, signifying the 115th Congress' adherence to historical trends. In fact, four of the 10 largest U.S. states have congressional delegations composed entirely of Christians. These states are Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. In total, more than half of all U.S. states (28) have all-Christian delegations.
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The Pew Research Center also found that while almost half of all American adults identify as Protestant (48%), six states have delegations that are entirely Protestant: Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
While Christians largely represent various states, the Pew Research Center found that there are 20 states that have at least one representative that does not identify as Christian. Eight of these states have more than one non-Christian delegate: California, New York, Hawaii, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and Tennessee.
The Pew Research Center noted that there is one state that has no Christian in its delegation: Hawaii. The state's delegation includes one Jew, one Hindu, and two Buddhists.
The study concluded that Congress still possesses a variety of religious representations, despite the large number of Christians recorded. It has 30 Jewish members, three Buddhists, three Hindus, one Unitarian Universalist and one religiously unaffiliated member, Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema. In addition, there are also 10 members of Congress who declined to specify a religious affiliation.
'Religion motivates people'
Randall Styers, a University of North Carolina religious studies professor, told the Daily Tar Heel that these religious patterns are not a cause for concern, as it would only be an issue if members of Congress were to impose their religious values on all citizens.
"Religion motivates people. It gives them a source of values and communal obligation," he told the news outlet. "Religion is inevitably going to shape people's values and their preferences and their votes, whether they're regular voters or they're members of the legislature."
