How is religion displayed in American culture?

Answer 1

I believe that religion in the US has become...well religious. I say this because I think that a lot of people today only go to church to put that check in the box so they can be "right with God" and then go get wasted the next day. In Catholicism, for instance, that's why they have church on Saturday so they can sleep in on Sunday and not go to church with a hangover!

A Lengthier Answer That Includes All Of America

Many South Americans are quite adherent to their beliefs, the majority of them being Christian - around 90% of the total population, including 82% Roman Catholics. This can be seen from the large attendance at churches and the huge respect for several aspects of life that are seen as important to that religion's intended way of life.

However, in North America it is often simply a reason to justify all kinds of things (such as the "Church" of Scientology's persistent attempts to be recognised as a truly religious organisation in order to evade proper taxes), a lip service to appease the social norms and appear consistent with popular opinion, and as a taboo subject (as obvious in the style of Quebec French profanity, where several religious terms are the more serious profanities).

More recently, though, serious religious groups have advanced themselves in various media to promote their religion and its goals, including calls for peace and harmony, and a return to traditional values that place more on honour and good moral character than simple capital or asset gain; conversely, the media often depicts certain religious groups or sections of the spiritual community as anything from fervent followers of the true path in life, to conservative backward folk that need to stop living in the past, as mindless zealots bent on anarchy and destruction of the entire way of life, even to crackpots preaching outdated forms of oppression and order, amongst claims of impending doom that require subservience and massive financial contribution to the preacher for salvation. Also of note are both the positive and negative depictions of Christian values in the political arena, and the use of religion as a political vehicle, and vice versa (in a supposedly secular federation as made explicit in the First Amendment).

All in all, religion in America has a wide-ranging depiction of all religions, especially in certain areas and by certain groups, and for many different purposes.