Baton Rouge, Louisiana

=== Religion and spirituality ===
[[File:Towers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.JPG|thumb|Steeple of [[St. Joseph Cathedral (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)|St. Joseph Cathedral]], cathedral see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge]]
[[Native American religions]] and [[African diaspora religions|Afrodiasporic religions]] were commonplace alongside [[Christianity]] in Baton Rouge's early history. Due to French, [[Spanish missions in Louisiana|Spanish]], and [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonialism]] and missionary work, however, in addition to American settlement, Baton Rouge became a predominantly Christian city and metropolitan area. According to a study by the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] in 2020, Christianity has remained the most-practiced religion for the Baton Rouge area, being influenced by [[Catholicism]] and [[Protestantism]].

In 2020, ARDA reported there were 61 congregations and 174,410 Catholics within the metropolitan area; its Catholic population is primarily served by the [[Latin Church]]'s [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge]]—a [[suffragan diocese]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans]]. The [[Southern Baptist Convention]] was the second largest individual Christian denomination with 208 congregations and 91,293 members; following, the [[United Methodist Church|United Methodists]] had 28,924 members and the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptist Convention]] had 15,532 adherents in 25 churches. [[Nondenominational Christianity|Non-denominational Protestants]] were spread out in 270 churches numbering 102,500.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Maps and data files for 2020 {{!}} U.S. Religion Census {{!}} Religious Statistics & Demographics |url=https://www.usreligioncensus.org/index.php/node/1639 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=U.S. Religion Census |publisher=Association of Religion Data Archives}}</ref>

According to a separate study by [[Sperling's BestPlaces]], other notable Christian bodies in the area have included [[Anglicanism|Anglicans or Episcopalians]], [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]], [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]], [[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter-Day Saints]], and [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]].<ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=Baton Rouge, Louisiana Religion |url=https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/louisiana/baton_rouge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321182729/https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/louisiana/baton_rouge |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=2019-03-21 |website=Sperling's BestPlaces}}</ref> Christians including [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], the [[Metropolitan Community Church]], [[Unitarianism|Christian Unitarians]], and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] among others collectively made up 14% of the Sperling's study other Christian demographic. Notable Anglican or Episcopalian jurisdictions operating throughout the Greater Baton Rouge area have included the [[Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana]] aligned with the [[Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States]];<ref>{{cite web |title=Church Directory (By City) |url=https://www.edola.org/church-directory-by-city/ |access-date=2020-07-31 |website=Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[Diocese of Mid-America|Reformed Episcopal Diocese of Mid-America]] and the [[Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast]] aligned with the [[Anglican Church in North America]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Find a Congregation|url=https://anglicanchurch.net/find-a-congregation/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=The Anglican Church in North America|language=en-US}}</ref> Baton Rouge's Pentecostal communities are mainly affiliated with the [[Assemblies of God USA]] and the [[Church of God in Christ]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Find a Church |url=https://ag.org/Resources/Directories/Find-a-Church |access-date=2020-07-31 |website=Assemblies of God}}</ref> and Presbyterians are mainly members of the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Church (U.S.A.) |first=Presbyterian |date=2020-07-31 |title=Resources |url=https://www.pcusa.org/search/congregations/?criteria=baton+rouge,+louisiana&distance=15&by_location=Search&congregation=&presbytery= |access-date=2020-07-31 |website=Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)}}</ref> According to ARDA in 2020, the Church of God in Christ is the area's largest Pentecostal denomination by membership.<ref name=":12" />

Sperling's BestPlaces reported that the second-largest religion in Baton Rouge and its metropolitan area was [[Islam]].<ref name=":4" /> There are currently over six mosques in the Baton Rouge area, primarily affiliated with [[Sunni Islam]]. The [[Nation of Islam]] also has a presence in the area.<ref>{{cite web|last=Phelps|first=Earl|title=Nation of Islam calls for new boycotts in Baton Rouge|url=https://www.wbrz.com/news/nation-of-islam-calls-for-new-boycotts-in-baton-rouge/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=WBRZ}}</ref> The Muslim population has grown out of Middle Eastern immigration and [[African-American Muslims|African American Muslim]] missionary work.<ref>{{cite web|date=2016-06-13|title=INCREASING ISLAM: A Glimpse At Muslim Immigration And Its Massive Expansion Into Louisiana|url=https://thehayride.com/2016/06/increasing-islam-a-glimpse-at-muslim-immigration-and-its-massive-expansion-into-louisiana/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=The Hayride|language=en-US}}</ref> The first Islamic private school in Baton Rouge was established in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crews break ground on new building for Islamic school in Baton Rouge |url=https://www.wafb.com/2019/12/13/crews-break-ground-new-building-islamic-school-baton-rouge/ |access-date=2020-07-31 |website=WAFB |date=December 14, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>

As of 2019, [[Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] made up 0.2% of Baton Rouge's religious population, and 0.6% identified with eastern faiths including [[Buddhism]] and [[Hinduism]] according to Sperling's.<ref name=":4" /> [[New religious movement]]s including [[Modern Paganism|contemporary paganism]] have small communities in the area,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parker|first=Trent|title=Local pagans seek religious rights|url=https://www.lsureveille.com/daily/local-pagans-seek-religious-rights/article_82a50d90-5698-11e5-b42b-1f22a09870ef.html|access-date=2020-07-31|website=The Reveille|date=September 8, 2015 }}</ref> and a minority practice [[Haitian Vodou]], [[Louisiana Voodoo]], and [[Hoodoo (spirituality)|Hoodoo]]. According to Sperling's 2019 study, 31.9% of the population identified as either [[spiritual but not religious]], [[Agnosticism|agnostic]], or [[Atheism|atheist]].