Who of these is the greatest American religious figure?

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

So I just found out about Smithsonian magazine doing their 100 Most Significant Americans back in 2014. There were some odd choices (like Sarah Palin and George W. Bush) but there were a lot of good ones too. They grouped the people into catagories, and here are the religious figures.


All of these people certainly had a strong impact on America and its religion, positive and negative, but who is the greatest?

[Blue3]

Roger Williams. From his "liberty of conscience" belief in the early 1600's comes both the ideas of (1)  freedom of religion and (2) separation of church and state, later enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. He also treated the Native Americans as equals, and we was an abolitionist centuries before the Revolution. This spirit of harmony made colonial Rhode Island into a safe haven of "Providence" for outcasts, religious dissidents, and other minorities of all backgrounds (making RI the home of the first synagogue in North America, the first Baptist church, and becoming the most Catholic state). The Pilgrims left the UK to establish their own theocracy. But Roger Williams is the one who made what would become the United States to a safe haven for all people of all religions and backgrounds, what the Statue of Liberty claims this country is.

Does it get more influential than a religious dissident getting his beliefs into the Constitution and enshrined in our most iconic national symbol??
(the only other acceptable answer from this, in my opinion, would be William Penn)

[Donerail]

L. Ron feels like the most uniquely American, followed closely by Brigham Young

[Blue3]

L. Ron feels like the most uniquely American, followed closely by Brigham Young

Scientology isn't nearly as important or influential to the United States as the First Amendment. Neither is the Church of LDS, honestly (from an objective perspective... who knows, maybe the Mormons are right theologically, but Smith and Young are still not the most important religious figures to the United States on this list.)

[Donerail]

L. Ron feels like the most uniquely American, followed closely by Brigham Young

Scientology isn't nearly as important or influential to the United States as the First Amendment. Neither is the Church of LDS, honestly (from an objective perspective... who knows, maybe the Mormons are right theologically, but Smith and Young are still not the most important religious figures to the United States on this list.)

Williams was a Puritan, born in England and died in a British colony; he was also very not-racist by the standards of his day. Compare to Brigham Young, who believed in a very different religion that said Jesus came to America, tried to create his own country in America and ended up fighting a war against the federal government (nothing more American than violent secession tbh), and was also very racist.

The sci-fi huckster who makes up a cult to litigate a copyright dispute is also a true American archetype. Building up a quasi-military militia and attempting to take over local government in the furtherance of your religious goals is also a strong tradition. It's possible to see a line from Hubbard to the Kansas goat-gland doctor to Wild Wild Country. Nothing more American than your own Netflix special.

[PSOL]

In terms of being my own personal favorite I’d choose Robert Williams for the reasons already stated. In terms of wider significance and success of their work in the modern era, then it definitely is Joseph Smith given the fact that his sect has spread worldwide.

[Associate Justice PiT]

In terms of being my own personal favorite I’d choose Robert Williams for the reasons already stated. In terms of wider significance and success of their work in the modern era, then it definitely is Joseph Smith given the fact that his sect has spread worldwide.

     By that standard Ellen White is a candidate too, as the Seventh Day Adventists are also a worldwide phenomenon and comprise a substantial percentage of the population in several countries.

     I didn't vote, since I don't think there is really one solid answer to this. American religion is much too diverse for any one figure to be important enough to have sufficient impact to truly merit the title.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Johnathan Edwards is my favorite, with Billy Graham coming in second place.

[Blue3]

In terms of being my own personal favorite I’d choose Robert Williams for the reasons already stated. In terms of wider significance and success of their work in the modern era, then it definitely is Joseph Smith given the fact that his sect has spread worldwide.

I think Roger Williams still beats Joseph Smith there. The ideas of freedom of religion and separation of church and start have spread wider and deeper than Mormonism.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Robert Williams as an icon of religious liberty is overstated. The only thing he was truly the root of was an apple tree. 

[Kingpoleon]

1. George Whitefield
2. Jonathan Edwards
3. Billy Graham
4. Billy Sunday
5. William Penn

[John Henry Eden]

Good selection of figures, But I wish they placed Fulton Sheen on here since he did technically pioneer televangelism in the US.

[Benjamin Frank]

Martin Luther King Jr.