While the 116th Congress, which was sworn in Thursday, is among the most religiously diverse from a historical perspective, it remains largely Christian.
Of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 233 politicians — or 53.7 percent — identify as Protestant Christian. The next biggest religious demographic is Catholic, with 141 politicians — or 32.5 percent — identifying as such, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center.
NEW: Faith on the Hill — The religious composition of the 116th Congresshttps://t.co/IREaroHHe8 pic.twitter.com/FOEd3EprBJ
— Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) January 3, 2019
Researchers admitted the number of Christians in elected office has slightly decreased, but argued Bible believers remain “overrepresented in proportion to their share in the general public.”
“In the general public, 23 [percent] say they are atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular,’” Pew stated. “In Congress, just one person says she is religiously unaffiliated — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who was recently elected to the Senate after three terms in the House.”
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In total, 88.2 percent of Congress identifies as Christian, including 10 Mormons, while only 71 percent of American adults classify themselves in the same way.
What other religions are represented in Congress?
There are 34 Jewish members of Congress, along with two Buddhists, three Muslims, three Hindus, two Unitarian Universalists and Sinema, who is religiously unaffiliated.
% who identify as Christian:
Democratic voters: 57%
Democrats in Congress: 78%Republican voters: 82%
Republicans in Congress: 99%https://t.co/IREaroHHe8 pic.twitter.com/sQYhi3V2W7— Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) January 3, 2019
It also should be noted there are 18 members of Congress who refused to identify themselves as belonging to any one religion.
Of the House’s 253 Republican members, only two politicians — Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) — identify as something other than Christian. They are both Jewish.
November’s midterm elections switched the House from Republican to Democratic control, giving the latter party a 236-199 majority. The Senate, however, remained in GOP control, with 52 Republicans and 45 Democrats.