The Irish standard., 1910-08-27
MANY CREEDS IN
THE UNITED STATES
The Religious Freedom of America
Shelters Many Followers of
Heathenism.
Confucianism, Buddhism, Bahaism
Are Among the Mont Christian
Beliefs.
nm
In All There Are Two Hundred and
Fifteen Christian Church
Organizations.

Religious freedom in the United
| States shelters under it's tolerant ana
| ample folds thousands Of representa-
| tives Of a number of the so-called
| heather beliefs. in addition to more
than 200 various sects of Protestant
| Christianity, according to census bu-
reau statistics dealing with the rclig-
| ious life of the country. Among the
former are Buddhsts, Confucianists
and Bahaists, who are engaged in an
organized way in the spread of their
doctrines in this country.
The data forming the basis of the
volume was gathered in the religious
census of 1907. 1t is now in proof. In
addition to statistics of the various
denominations, the work will present
a brief history of each; also the per-
tinent facts regarding their doctrine
and policy. The compilation is the
work of DR.. Edwin M. Bliss.
The followers of Confucanism or
ganized in New York city in 1907
among the Mongoian students in Co
lumbia University.
The organized followers of Budd-
hism are Chinese and Japanese. There
are sixty-two Chinese and twelve Jap
anese temples in this country, the for
mer being distributed over twelve. the
latter over three states. California
shelters all but three OF the Japanese,
houses. New York boasted fifteen of
the Chinese temples, the remainder
being scattered over ten states, mostly
in the west.
In a. way the Hindu religion is rep
resented by the Vedanta society. with
organizations in New York. Pittsburg.
San Francisco and Los Angeles. 1t
was organized in 1898.
While Bahaism, strictly speaking, is
nom Christian and foreign, it's follow
crs are native and not necessarily un-
Christian.
Another church of Asiatic origin.
but still Christian, is the Armenian.
whose organizations are mostly in the
eastern states.
The eastern orthodox churches, or
Greek church, has 129,6O6 communi-
cants. This is the state church Of
Russia and Greece.
The volume also will tell Of the vari-
Gus Christian sccts which are consid-
cred more purely American. 1t will
show there are only fifty-seven main
bodies, but 215 church organizations,
many of them processing a faith only
shade different from others. For
instance. there are II Baptist bodies,
"a Lutheran, IS Methodist and 12
Presbyterian. There are Is Mennonite,
II Adventists, bunker or DunkHrd
and 4 Quaker or Friend bodies
There are General Baptists, Separate
Baptists. United Raptists, Free Bap-
lists, Frcewil Baptists, United Ameri-
can Frecwill Ba ptists, Primitive Bap-
lists, General Six-PrincipIes Baptists
Seventh Day Baptists. Duck River
Baptists, and Two Scede-in- the Spirit
Predestination Baptists.
The Civil War caused splits, giving
I rise to Southern Methodist and South
, ern Baptist bodies. ....
l. or other branches. besides the Duck
, River Baptists, owing their names to
localities. the the River Brethren and
the Workers., both branches Of the
Brethren denomination.
!, Three Of the newest churches mem
! toned are composed largely Of col
ored communicates. the Church OF
, God and Saints of Christ" the "Churcf
2 OF the Living God" and "rhe Free
e Christian Zion Church of Christ"
e There were about 700 organization:
( in the main branch Of the Salvation
, Army, with a membership of about
9 10000. There were 455 organizations
I Of Spirituallsts, with more than 49,.
, 900 members.
D The report records the rapid disap
s pearancc Of communistic societies
j showing that of eight organizations
mentioned in the census of 1890, onl.