Religion in the United States is an integral part of the culture of the United States. The U.S. is the most religious of the developed nations. Gallup International reports that 57 percent of American citizens regularly attend religious services, compared to 15 percent of French citizens, 10 percent of UK citizens, and 25 percent of Israeli citizens.
The American religious tradition is primarily Christian, but the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and the diversity of the population means that no one religion holds sway over the entirety of the population. Also, a tradition of separation of church and state developed early in the nation's history contributes to this diversity. Culture "wars" often have roots in religious differences, but religious violence is rare and on a small scale.
The considerable majority of presidents have had some affiliation with Protestant Christianity, several early holders of the office being Deists, with at least four Unitarians and a single Roman Catholic. (See the list of U.S. Presidential religious affiliations.) Politicians frequently discuss their religion when campaigning, and many churches and religious figures are highly politically active, though to keep their status as tax-exempt organizations they must not officially endorse a candidate.
Civics is the science of comparative government and means of administering public trusts - the theory of governance as applied to state institutions. It is usually considered a branch of applied ethics and is certainly part of politics.
Within any given political tradition or ethical tradition, civics refers to education in the obligations and the rights of the citizen under that tradition. When these change, so often does the definition of civics. Related education in history, religion and media literacy is often included. In the United States, this is the explicit rationale for public education - to ensure the United States Constitution is upheld by citizens who must, at least, know what it is..........
