In this Sunday's reading from the Acts of Apostles, Saint Peter tells his audience they still have a chance to have faith in Jesus even though they had rejected him during his earthly life. A recent Gallup Poll measured the faith of Americans in a state-by-state survey, finding that many of the "most religious" states are in the so-called "Bible Belt" of the Deep South, but heavily Mormon Utah also ranked highly. New England and the West tended to be the least religious.

Mississippi has the most religious Americans by percentage of population, while Vermont has the fewest. Fifty-nine percent of Mississippi residents were considered "very religious," with almost 90 percent of the state saying religion is an important part of their daily life. Only 23 percent of Vermonters are “very religious," and more than half—58 percent—were considered nonreligious.

Many of the "most religious" states come from the South, including Alabama (56 percent); Louisiana (54 percent); Arkansas (54 percent); and South Carolina (54 percent). All six New England states scored in the bottom 10, including New Hampshire (23 percent); Maine (25 percent); Massachusetts (28 percent); Alaska (28 percent); Oregon, Nevada, and Washington (all 30 percent); Connecticut (31 percent); and Washington, D.C., New York, and Rhode Island (all 32 percent). Utah, however, ranked second overall in religiousness, at 57 percent.

In general, more than two-thirds (68.4 percent) of Americans were classified as very or moderately religious, but the differences in religiosity varied across the nation. Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport said he believed the findings reflect the "culture in the states." For example, Mississippi has the country's highest percentage of African Americans, who are known for being the most religious group. "Most people say that's the reason why the state is the highest," Newport said, "but even people in Mississippi with no religious identity are more religious than people in Vermont who are religious."

Source: An article by Adele M. Banks for Religion News Service