Religion in Atlanta

There are over 1,000 places of worship within the city of Atlanta, Georgia.cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108481.html|title=Atlanta, Ga. | work= Information Please® Database | publisher= Pearson Education, Inc | accessdate=2006-05-17] Protestant Christian faiths are well represented in Atlanta, [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Top 15 Reporting Religious Bodies: Atlanta, GA
work =
publisher = Glenmary Research Center
date = 2002-10-24
url = http://ext.nazarene.org/rcms/016.html
format =
accessdate = 2008-04-29 ] the city historically being a major center for traditional Southern denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). There are a large number of "mega churches" in the area, especially in suburban areas.

Atlanta contains a large, and rapidly growing, Roman Catholic population. The Catholic population of Atlanta grew from 311,000 in 2000 to 650,000 in 2007. [http://www.archatl.com/about/stats.html] As the see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Atlanta serves as the metropolitan see for the Province of Atlanta. The archdiocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Christ the King and the current archbishop is the Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory. [http://www.archatl.com/about/stats.html] As of 2007 the Archdiocese of Atlanta included 84 parishes.cite web
last = Nelson
first = Andrew
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Catholic Population Officially Leaps To 650,000
work = The Georgia Bulletin
publisher =
date = 2007-09-06
url = http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2007/09/06/pop/
format =
accessdate = 2007-12-19 ]

Also located in the metropolitan area are several Eastern Catholic parishes. The city hosts the Greek Orthodox Annunciation Cathedral, the see of Metropolis of Atlanta and its bishop, Alexios.

Atlanta is also the see of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, which includes all of northern Georgia, much of middle Georgia and the Chattahoochee River valley of western Georgia. This Diocese is headquartered at the Cathedral of St Philip in Buckhead and is led by the Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The Episcopal Church in Georgia
work =
publisher = The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
date =
url = http://www.episcopalatlanta.org/bishop/index.html
format =
accessdate = 2007-12-26 ]

Atlanta serves as headquarters for several regional church bodies also. The Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America maintains offices in downtown Atlanta; ELCA parishes are numerous throughout the metro area. There are eight United Church of Christ congregations in the Atlanta metro area, one of which, First Congregational in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, is noted for being the church with which former mayor Andrew Young is affiliated.

Traditional African-American denominations such as the National Baptist Convention and the African Methodist Episcopal Church are strongly represented in the area. These churches have several seminaries that form the Interdenominational Theological Center complex in the Atlanta University Center.

The headquarters for The Salvation Army's United States Southern Territory is located in Atlanta. [cite web | title = About The Salvation Army | publisher = The Salvation Army | url = http://www.salvationarmysouth.org/about.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-21 ] The denomination has eight churches, numerous social service centers, and youth clubs located throughout the Atlanta area.

The city has a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located in the suburb of Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Metropolitan Atlanta is also home to a vibrant Jewish community estimated to include 120,000 individuals in 61,300 households.cite web | title = Jewish Community Centennial Study 2006 | publisher = Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta | url = http://www.shalomatlanta.org/page.html?ArticleID=121291 | accessdate = 2007-09-28 ] This study places Atlanta's Jewish population as the 11th largest in the United States, up from 17th largest in 1996. There also are an estimated 75,000 Muslims in the area and approximately 35 mosques. [ [http://www.alfarooqmasjid.org/web425/content/php/index/aboutus.php Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta] ]

References