Religion: Record High

The amazing boom in U.S. church membership, notably accelerated in the postwar years, is moving with unabated power. Last year major religious groups gained 3,000,000, a 3% increase for the year, swelling total enrollment to a record 103,224,954. Of every 100 Americans, 62 now claim affiliation, compared with 20 out of 100 a century ago. Latest membership figures, as published last week in the 1958 Yearbook of American Churches: 1955 1956

Protestant 58,448,567 60,148,980

Roman Catholic 33,396,647 34,563,851

Jewish 5,500,000 5,500,000

Eastern Orthodox 2,386,945 2,598,055 Old Catholic and

Polish National Catholic 367,370 351,068

Buddhist 63,000 63,000