An overwhelming majority of the 114th Congress, which is preparing to be sworn in on Tuesday, is Christian, according to a study released by the Pew Research Center on Monday.
Almost 92 percent (91.8 percent) of Congress identify themselves as Christian, 57 percent of which identify as Protestant. 31 percent said they are Catholic.
Though the numbers may seem surprising for some, Pew says Congress has held these trends through the years, and that it has become much more religiously diverse in comparison to earlier sessions of Congress, noting that the percentage of Protestants in office has decreased 18 percentage points since the 87th Congress (1961-1962).
Another trend that has been consistent through the years is the number of ordained ministers and clergy in Congress. The 114th Congress will have seven ordained ministers, which Pew says is only one more than the number of ordained ministers in the first Congress (1789-1791).
Four of the ordained ministers are Baptist, including Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), John Lewis, (D-Ga.), and Mark Walker (R-N.C.). The others include Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), who is a Methodist minister; Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.), who was ordained as a Pentecostal minister; and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), who was ordained as Baptist, but now prefers to be identified as Christian and not with any specific denomination.
There are also members who remarked that they had been involved in religious occupations other than clergy, including James Lankford (R-Okla.), who directed a Baptist youth camp, and Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), who was the manager of a youth ministry organization. Juan C. Vargas (D-Calif.) also noted that he was a Jesuit novice.
The GOP has a vast majority of Christians, including 202 out of the 301 members (67 percent) who identify as Protestant. 27 percent are Catholic, 5 percent are Mormon, and only one member of the GOP is Jewish.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is more religiously diverse, but a large percentage still identify as Christian. 44 percent are Protestant, 35 percent are Catholic, 12 percent are Jewish, and 1 percent are Mormon. Buddhists and Muslims are represented by two members each in the Democratic Party, and the Party also includes one Hindu and one who does not affiliate herself with any religion.
