A new study of religious practices dispels at least one commonly held myth that members of Congress don’t represent the diversity of the American public.
A review of the faith traditions of the incoming 111th Congress by the Pew Forum notes that as the nation varies in its religious affiliations, so does our federal political leadership.
The ratios get a bit more skewed from the general population when breaking down faith by party affiliation on Capitol Hill.
The most popular religious groups provide a quick snapshot of the discrepancies.
The newly elected Colorado delegation counts three Roman Catholics, two Christians, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, a Protestant and a Jew:
Senators
Ken Salazar (D) Roman Catholic
Mark Udall (D) Christian
Representatives
Mike Coffman (R) United Methodist
Diana DeGette (D) Presbyterian
Doug Lamborn (R) Christian
Betsy Markey (D) Roman Catholic
Ed Perlmutter (D) Protestant
Jared Polis (D) Jewish
John Salazar (D) Roman Catholic
Thus far, Hinduism is the only major world religion not yet represented in Congress. Neither has a lawmaker publicly owned up to being agnostic or an atheist.
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