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New Jersey was originally part of the Dutch colony New Netherlands and as such was predominantly Dutch Reformed. It came under British rule in 1664 ans was divided into east and west districts under separate governance. In 1665, the two sides established freedom of religion in all of New Jersey in an effort to encourage settlement. Among the largest religious groups in the decades to follow were Quakers and Baptists, although Dutch Reformed remained in strong numbers. East and West New Jersey were united in 1702.

About the only religion not tolerated in New Jersey was Catholicism; the first Catholic parish was not organized until 1814 and laws excluding Catholics from holding office were on the books until 1844. The first synagogue was established in 1848. Today, Catholics far outnumber any other religious groups and there are more than 500,000 Jews in the state

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12y ago

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