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Religion Research: Religion (general)

Best Databases & Websites

The Library subscribes to a couple of databases which focus on humanities and/or religion.

The Library also has several databases which cover a broad range of topics which include religion and religious practice.

Religion

Distribution of World Religions

Pie chart showing the world's religions with at least 1 million adherants

Information taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups

Religion in the United States

According to Pew Research about 30% of people in the United States identified as "none" when asked about their religious affiliation. The chart below shows the breakdown of people who named their religion.

Pie chart showing distribution of religion in the USA

Data on "nones" https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/modeling-the-future-of-religion-in-america/

Data in chart is taken from: US Religion Census Top 0 Religious Groups (2020) (Downloaded from thearda.com on Wed Feb 19, 2025)            
 From the ARDA Web Page: https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?t=4&y=2020            

How to Find Resources in the Catalog

To find resources in the catalog, try doing subject searches under religion related topics, such as:

  • Religion
  • <topic> and Religion
    • Archaeology and religion
    • Arts and religion
    • Philosophy and religion
  • Religion and <topic>
    • Religion and culture
    • Religion and drama
    • Religion and ethics
    • Religion and law
    • Religion and science
  • Search other terms which are religious in nature
    • Monotheism
    • Polytheism
    • Spirituality
    • Worship

This is a small sampling of subject headings in our catalog. As always, the OCC librarians are ready to help you find the best resources for your specific needs.

 

Where to Find Books on the Shelf.

Books on the topic of religion in general, are found in the BL 1-630 sections of the library.

A sampling of areas in this section:

  • Religion (General): BL 1-50
  • Religions of the world: BL 74-99
  • Natural theology: BL 175-265
  • The Soul: BM 290

Books on one specific religion are shelved in other areas.

Librarian

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Sheryl Stahl
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Sample Books in our Collection