At the beginning of Chapter 10 in Religious History of America: The heart of the American story from Colonial Times to today, Gaustad & Schmidt, the authors make this statement:

“In the tumult of transplanting, religion often provided both personal security and ethnic cohesion.  In a new land and generally faced with a new language, far removed from ancestral homes and former national identities, uncertain immigrants turned heavily toward synagogue, church, temple, and shrine for the comfort of the familiar.  When so much had been abruptly disrupted, religion stood ready to offer the assurance of some continuity.  In the communities of faith the uprooted still found roots from which they could grow in new directions.”

• What were some of the religious ‘roots’ and ‘new directions’ brought about by immigration to America in the mid-19th century?
• In what ways do immigrants today impact the landscape of American religious life?