SeeCalifornia.com

Photos left to right: Mendocino Presbyterian Church built in 1868, Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Yosemite Valley Chapel built in 1879, The Sea Ranch Chapel, and Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose which includes portions of the portico completed in 1884.

Among the places that tourists like to see and visit are churches. Sometimes they’re looking for a connection to others  sharing their religion, but usually they just want to see first hand the most famous or celebrated churches they have heard about. California has its fair share of churches.

By the numbers – California religious affiliations :
Protestant – 36%
Evangelical Protestant – 18%
Mainline Protestant – 14%
Black Protestant – 4%
Roman Catholic – 31%
Non-Religious/ Atheist/ Agnostic – 21%
Jewish – 2%
Latter Day Saints – 2%
Hinduism – <1%
Muslim – <0.5%
Other Religions – 4%

California has the most Roman Catholics and Hindus in California, as well as large Protestant, non-religious, Jewish, and Muslim populations. It also has the largest Mormon population outside of Utah. The state’s second largest group next to Christianity is the non-religious, which consists of atheists, agnostics, and deists. It is one of the fastest growing groups in the state.

The largest Christian denominations in California in 2000 were the Roman Catholic Church with 10,079,310; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 529,575; and the Southern Baptist Convention with 471,119. Jewish congregations had 994,000 adherents, or 3% of the Californian population.