Religious Composition of 113th Congress Compiled

Pew Forum last week released an analysis of the religious makeup of the new 113th Congress. Protestants hold 56% of the seats in Congress. Among Protestant groups, Baptists hold the largest number of seats-- 74 in all.  Catholics hold 30% of the seats, holding 5 seats more than in the last Congress.  6% of the members of the new Congress are Jewish, a loss of 7 seats from the 112th Congress.  Mormons hold almost 3% of the seats.  Reflecting increased diversity, the new Congress includes 3 Buddhists (including 1 for the first time in the Senate), 2 Muslims and, for the first time, a Hindu member. Opposing Views has further commentary on the data.