Philadelphia has a number of centers of worship for a multitude of faiths. According to the

Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the w ...

, the most practiced religion is Christianity with 68%, (41% Protestant and 26% Catholic) followed by Irreligion with 24%, Judaism with 3%, and other religions with 5%. The most predominant, Christianity, has been seen in the city since its foundation. However many new religions have arrived, including

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and Hinduism. With immigration from the Middle East, the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, these two religions have increased their presence. The largest concentrations of Muslims and Hindus live in the Northeast and North parts of the city, Center City, West Philadelphia, and sprawling into the nearby suburbs.

Christianity in Philadelphia

Christianity is the dominant religion in the city of Philadelphia. According to a 2014 study by the

, as high as 68% of the population of the city identified themselves as Christians. These findings were not official however. There are over 65 Christian churches in the Philadelphia area.

Judaism in Philadelphia

Metropolitan Philadelphia's Jewish population, the sixth-largest in the United States, was estimated at 206,000 in 2001 and almost 300,000 in 2009. (though this number includes many unaffiliated Jews). Jewish traders were operating in southeastern Pennsylvania long before William Penn. Furthermore, Jews in Philadelphia took a prominent part in the War of Independence. Although the majority of the early Jewish residents were of Portuguese or Spanish descent, some among them had emigrated from Germany and Poland. About the beginning of the 19th century, a number of Jews from the latter countries, finding the services of the Congregation Mickvé Israel unfamiliar to them, resolved to form a new congregation which would use the ritual to which they had been accustomed.

Islam in Philadelphia

With immigration from the Middle East, the

, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, Islam has seen a huge growth in Philadelphia. The largest concentrations of Muslims live in the Northeast and North parts of the city, Center City, West Philadelphia, and sprawling into the nearby suburbs. Also the Muslim African American community in Philadelphia has grown substantially over the last decade. According to several statistics, Philadelphia has surpassed Detroit and New York City to become the American metropolitan area with the highest proportion of Muslims.

Other religions

Religions with less numerous adherents can also be found. There are significant pockets of

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

in Center City,

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

, Northeast Philly, and other neighborhoods with significant Asian American populations. There are Caribbean and African traditional religions in North and West Philadelphia. These numbers are also growing. Historically the city has strong connections to The Religious Society of Friends, Unitarian Universalism, and Ethical Culture, all of which continue to be represented in the city. The Friends General Conference is based in Philadelphia.

African diasporic religions African diaspora religions are a number of related Pagan beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. They derive from Pagan traditional African religions with some influ ...

are popular in Hispanic and Caribbean communities in North and West Philadelphia.http://articles.philly.com/1987-01-04/news/26186836_1_occult-tongue-voodoo

Gallery

File:Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral.jpg, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral at 19 South 38th Street File:Society Hill Synagogue.jpg, Society Hill Synagogue File:Lian Sheng True Buddha Temple - 1539 McKean St Philadelphia PA 19145 (DSC 1511).jpg, Lian Sheng True

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

File:Bait Ul Aafiyat mosque North Philly jeh.jpg, Bait Ul Aafiyat mosque in

North Philly North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as everything north of eith ...

File:Philadelphia LDS temple 1.jpg, Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple File:Interior of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.JPG, Interior of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Bibliography

Religion in Philadelphia
by ''Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez'', Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2016

References

{{reflist Religion in Philadelphia">