Editing Savannah, Georgia (section)

=== Religion ===
[[File:Christ Church Episcopal, Savannah, West view 20160705 1.jpg|thumb|[[Christ Church (Savannah, Georgia)|Christ Church Episcopal]]]]
Before [[British colonization of the Americas]] and the founding of [[colonial Georgia]], the coastal region's indigenous inhabitants practiced [[Native American religions]]. Since colonization, the city of Savannah and the surrounding area have remained predominantly [[Christianity in the United States|Christian]]. However, a Jewish community has lived in Savannah since the colony's first year. Later, [[Gullah-Geechee|Gullah-Geechee culture]] and [[Hoodoo (spirituality)|Hoodoo practices]] were also observed, often alongside Christianity.

Founded in 1733, with the establishment of the Georgia colony, [[Christ Church (Savannah, Georgia)|Christ Church]] is the longest continuous Christian congregation in Georgia. Early rectors include the [[Methodist]] evangelists [[John Wesley]] and [[George Whitefield]]. Christ Church continues as an active congregation located on its original site on Johnson Square.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christ Church: The Mother Church of Georgia |url=https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/christ-church/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=georgiahistory.com}}</ref> The [[Independent Presbyterian Church (Savannah, Georgia)|Independent Presbyterian Church]], which was founded in 1755, has represented the community's Presbyterian constituency. Other historically prominent churches have included: the [[First Bryan Baptist Church]], an [[African American church]] that was organized by Andrew Bryan in 1788;<ref name="FirstAfrican">{{cite web |title=First African Baptist Church of Savannah |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p30.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116111326/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p30.html |archive-date=November 16, 2017 |access-date=2009-01-29 |publisher=PBS}}</ref> [[First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia)|First African Baptist Church]];<ref name="FirstAfrican" /> and St. Benedict the Moor Church, which was the first [[African-American Catholicism|African American Catholic]] church in Georgia, and one of the oldest in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]].<ref>[http://www.home.catholicweb.com/stbenedictthemoor/]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108212723/http://www.home.catholicweb.com/stbenedictthemoor/|date=January 8, 2014}}</ref>

The oldest standing house of worship is [[First Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia)|First Baptist Church]] (1833), located on [[Chippewa Square (Savannah, Georgia)|Chippewa Square]]. Other historic houses of worship in Savannah include: the Roman Catholic [[Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist (Savannah)|Cathedral of St. John the Baptist]], the Episcopal [[St. John's Church, Savannah|St. John's Church]], and [[Congregation Mickve Israel|Temple Mickve Israel]] (the third-oldest synagogue in the U.S.).<ref name="NewGA-Savannah" />

According to the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] in 2020, the largest Christian group overall were [[Protestantism|Protestants]] within the [[Baptists in the United States|Baptist]] tradition, served by the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptist Convention]], [[National Missionary Baptist Convention of America|National Missionary Baptist Convention]], and [[Progressive National Baptist Convention]]. [[Non-denominational Protestants]] represented the second-largest Christian group, including the [[Christian churches and churches of Christ|Christian churches and Churches of Christ]]. [[Methodism|Methodists]] were the third-largest, spread among the [[United Methodist Church]] and [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]]. The single second-largest Christian denomination was the [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholic Church]], served by the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah|Diocese of Savannah]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Congregational Membership Reports {{!}} US Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?STCOD=13&c=13029&t=0&y=2020&y2=0&c=13103&c=13051 |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Association of Religion Data Archives}}</ref>

Among Savannah's non-Christian population, which forms a minority, [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]] was the city's second-largest religion. [[Judaism]] was Savannah's third-largest, with a history dating back to 1733.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://mickveisrael.org/history/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Congregation Mickve Israel |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Orthodox Judaism]], [[Reform Judaism]], and [[Conservative Judaism]] were the predominant Jewish traditions adhered to. [[Islam]] was the area's fourth-largest religion, followed by the [[Baháʼí Faith in the United States|Baha'i]].<ref name=":0" />