American Religions Born In The U.S.A. Bring Home The Country's Rich Religious History

[rug]

The Huffington Post | By Yasmine Hafiz
Posted: 07/04/2014 8:43 am EDT Updated: 07/04/2014 8:59 am EDT

As we celebrate the 238th birthday of America this July 4, we look back on the religious movements that began right here in the U.S. of A.

Here's a timeline of some of the most well-known spiritual traditions:

Native Traditions: 9,000 BCE Or Earlier

America's very first inhabitants have a rich religious history that goes all the way back to prehistoric times, with traditions specific to each tribe. These religious beliefs include diverse origin myths, burial rituals, the existence of a Creator, and an afterlife, and are still held by many Native Americans today.



Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Nation, dance Friday, June 13, 2014 during a Cannon Ball flag day celebration, at the Cannon Ball powwow grounds at Cannonball, N.D. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama visited the reservation, his first trip to Indian Country as president and only the third such visit by a sitting president in almost 80 years. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/04/american-religions-born-in-usa_n_5552873.html?ir=Religion

[shenmue]

1. Thank you

How easily I forget.

[cbayer]

2. Fascinating. Although I knew some of this, much of it was a surprise.

The timeline is particularly interesting.

[okasha]

3. Native American religions were not

born in the USA. Most predate the USA by centuries, if not millenia.

[rug]

4. That's what I was thinking.

One of the others on the list, the Shakers, also predates independence.

[okasha]

5. There are a couple,

especially the Native American Church and the Ghost Dance, that are post-1776, but the rest have evolved from the religios practices brought across the Bering Strait or the sea before European contact.