Some Ground Rules: 1. This discussion does not ask you to share information abou

Some Ground Rules:
1. This discussion does not ask you to share information about your own religion or religious experiences
2. This discussion is not a place for you to comment on or critique religion
3. This discussion IS a place for you to examine the current religious landscape in the U.S. and to use scholarly sources and data to make inferences about the future of religion and religious practices in the U.S.
4. Again, disrespectful, ignorant comments on religion will not be tolerated, students found using this discussion board as a place to discuss their personal feelings about religion will receive a zero and have their comments deleted.

The Assignment:
For this assignment, students are to visit the following website : RELIGION IN AMERICA: PEW RESEARCH (https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/)
1. Choose several religious groups/denominations to focus on ( I recommend at least 4) I.E.: Hindu, Atheist, Catholic and Agnostic (FYI- Im Agnostic, but is for school so it doesn’t really matter 😉
Explore the general demographics related to this religion: How many people in the U.S. Practice this religion? Geographically speaking, where are your religious groups situated?
2. Once you’ve gathered enough general information about your religion, choose a topic from the three columns below and see how these religious groups/denominations approach these topics. (See attached topics list – all links are to PEW RESEARCH webpage

To receive full credit on your discussion you must:
A. create a 300 word original discussion post discussing the questions above (i.e.: What religious groups/denominations did you choose (must be at least 3 in your post)? where are they located? What topic(s) did you choose? How do the religious groups/denominatios approac these topics? How are they similar? How are they different?
B. Once your original post is complete and published, choose 2 other classmates and respond to their posts. It is also expected that you are to respond to any questions on your own posts (should other students ask questions).
FAQ:
Q: What if my religious group/denomination is not included in the research topic (this may happen if the religious group/denomination is too small, or not enough research exists to speak on a particular topic)
A: Choose another religious group OR choose a topic which includes your group.

Q: What if the research I find does not paint my particular religious group/denomination in a positive light? (i.e. Catholics show less interest in environmentalism compared to Jewish people( This is a made up example).
A: We should remember that the American Sociological Association code of ethics values professional competence and integrity (It is not ethical to exclude information, simply because it doesn’t align with our own beliefs or feelings about a particular group).