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© Per Ola Wiberg ~ Powi

The Episcopal Church in USA is known as the Province of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church was formed and became stronger in the late 19th century during the Social Gospel movement. According to data records in 2008, there are approximately 2,057,292 members are baptized in the Episcopal church in the United States as well as other countries around the world. These include Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti and the British Virgin Islands. This denomination of the church is considered Protestant as well as Catholic.

The difference between the Episcopal church and Catholic church is that women are also invited into priesthood, diaconate and episcopate. In fact, the current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is female.

© Steve Snodgrass

Religion gives us a treasure chest of resources, including self-identity, community, and a relationship with our Creator. Whether we received a religious tradition from our parents, or embarked on a personal exploration for our own religious identity, religion also gives us the opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth.

Our lives often seem chaotic in a crazy world. How can we deal with personal struggles, family challenges, financial issues, relationships, workplace dynamics and life choices, all at once? Religious identity can be a resource to fall back on when life gets to be too much to handle by ourselves. By attaching ourselves to our belief system, and ultimately to our Maker, we can find the inner resources of faith and courage to go on. Look online to find a list of churches in the USA.

© dbking

Did you know that these famous personalities belonged to the Baptist Church?

In the political ring, Presidents of the United States Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were raised Baptist, Warren G. Harding and Harry S. Truman were practicing Baptists, while Jimmy Carter was a former Southern Baptist, and Bill Clinton was officially reproached by the Southern Baptist Church.

Famous Baptists in the field of law include Charles E. Hughes, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as U.S. Supreme Court Justices Hugo Black and Howell E. Jackson. Former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore earned his fame when he refused to abide by a mandate to remove a presentation of the Ten Commandments from his court.

We'll skip famous criminal Baptists for obvious reasons and move on to the more inspirational category of musicians, such as singers Glen Campbell, Roy Orbison, Marian Anderson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Rock and roll legends Buddy Holly and Bill Haley, as well as singing stars Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, and Britney Spears.

Baptists in film and television include Ava Gardner, Kevin Costner, Chuck Norris, Bette Davis, Warren Beatty, and Eddie Murphy. Add to the list authors John Grisham and Ray Bradbury, and former Baptist Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek.

In business and philanthropy, there's American industrialist John D. Rockerfeller, philanthropist John D. MacArthur, and Marian Wright Edelman, founder of Children's Defense Fund.

Of course there are many, many others in these categories and other fields such as art, activism, medicine, sports, journalism, etc. sharing in common a unifying thread of faith.