Posted on 02/17/2014 5:37:11 AM PST by daniel1212
Religiosity index shows the changes in religious activity in the United States. Religion News Service
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Religiosity in the United States is in the midst of what might be called ‘The Great Decline.’ Previous declines in religion pale in comparison. Over the past fifteen years, the drop in religiosity has been twice as great as the decline of the 1960s and 1970s.
How do we track this massive change in American religion? We start with information from rigorous, scientific surveys on worship service attendance, membership in congregations, prayer, and feelings toward religion. We then use a computer algorithm to track over 400 survey results over the past 60 years. The result is one measure that charts changes to religiosity through the years. (You can see all the details here).
The graph of this index tells the story of the rise and fall of religious activity. During the post-war, baby-booming 1950s, there was a revival of religion. Indeed, some at the time considered it a third great awakening. Then came the societal changes of the 1960s, which included a questioning of religious institutions. The resulting decline in religion stopped by the end of the 1970s, when religiosity remained steady. Over the past fifteen years, however, religion has once again declined. But this decline is much sharper than the decline of 1960s and 1970s. Church attendance and prayer is less frequent. The number of people with no religion is growing. Fewer people say that religion is an important part of their lives. All measures point to the same drop in religion: If the 1950s were another Great Awakening, this is the Great Decline.
A 2001 study reported Christianity in America suffered a loss of 9.7 percentage points in 11 years — about 0.9 percentage points per year. If this trend continues, then non-Christians will outnumber the Christians in the U.S. by about the year 2042. Diana Eck, A New Religious America: How a 'Christian Country' Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation, 2001,. based on American Religious Identification Survey 2001; http://www.letusreason.org/Current30.htm
A 2008 study reported Americans who identify themselves as Christian dropped from 86.2% to 76.0% — about 10 percentage points in 18 years (about 0.6 percentage points per year). The percentage of American adults who identify themselves with a specific religion dropped from 89.5% to 79.9%, and identification as Protestant dropped from 60.0 to 50.9%, with Catholics declining from 26.2% to 25.1%. ARIS Study; http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/
Americans who do not identify with any religion now represent 15% of the USA - 22% of all adults ages 18 to 29; 19% of U.S. men and 12% of women. While 1 out 6 identify themselves as Nones, the ration is higher based upon belief and behavior. 61% of “Nones” believe in evolution. However, less than 10% of Nones identify themselves as atheists or hold atheistic beliefs, with 51% still professing a belief in God or a higher power.
Only 32% report they were Nones at at age 12, and the largest single group (35%) of Nones were former Catholics. The highest concentrations of Nones are in New England and the West. Politically, 8% of Republicans are Nones, versus 21% of the nation's independents and 16% of Democrats. Latinos have tripled their proportion among Nones. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, Program on Public Values, Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/NONES_08.pdf
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. The numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state, with northern New England surpassing the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. 2008 American Religious Identification Survey. The Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090309/survey-non-religious-americans-on-the-rise-in-every-state/
Respondents who called themselves "non-denominational Christian" grew from 0.1 percent in 1990 to 3.5 percent last year [2008]. ^ Evangelical or born-again Americans make up 34 percent of all American adults and 45 percent of all Christians and Catholics, the study found. Researchers found that 18 percent of Catholics consider themselves born-again or Evangelical, and nearly 39 percent of mainline Protestants prefer those labels. The percentage of Americans who identified themselves as Muslim grew to 0.6 percent of the population. ^
Canadian church attendance has plunged to just above 20 percent (from a reported 60% in 1946). Fall 2002 Issue American Outlook Magazine, Hudson Institute, by John G. Stackhouse, Jr. http://www.americanoutlook.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=article_detail&id=2020
The fastest growing religion percentage wise between 1990 and 2001 was Wicca. Going from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001. Doubling about every 30 months. (American Religious Identification Survey, done by The Graduate Center of the City University of New York).
From the year 2000 to the year 2010, he fastest growing religion in the US was Islam at 66.7%, with the number of Muslims living inside the United States increasing from 1 million to 2.6 million. Census data compiled by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies http://www.rcms2010.org/press_release/ACP%2020120501.pdf
39 percent of all adult Muslims living in America (2007) were immigrants that had arrived in the United States since 1990. Pew Research Center, 2007 http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-fastest-growing-religion-in-america-is-islam
According to a Barna research report issued October 11, 2010, The 10 most unchurched cities – where around four out of ten adults have not been to a religious worship service in the last six months – are San Francisco (44%); Portland, Maine (43%); Portland, Ore. (42%); Albany NY (42%); Boston (40%); Sacramento (40%); and Seattle (40%); Spokane (39%);, New York (38%); Phoenix (38%); Tucson (37%). . http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/435-diversity-of-faith-in-various-us-cities
The cities (measured in the Barna research as media markets) with the highest proportion of residents who describe themselves as Christian are typically in the South, including: Shreveport (98%), Birmingham (96%), Charlotte (96%), Nashville (95%), Greenville, SC / Asheville, NC (94%), New Orleans (94%), Indianapolis (93%), Lexington (93%), Roanoke-Lynchburg (93%), Little Rock (92%), and Memphis (92%). ^
73% of the populations of Charlotte and Shreveport held scripture in high regard, versus only 27% of the residents of Providence, Rhode Island (the most Catholic state) and San Francisco (the most homosexual large city). ^
64% of Birmingham and 54% of Charlotte said they strongly agreed that a person has a responsibility to share their beliefs with others, versus only 14% of residents of Providence R.I. and 17% of Bostonians agreed. ^
The highest percentages of residents who describe themselves as Christian are typically in the South, including: Shreveport LA (98%), Birmingham (96%), Charlotte (96%), Nashville (95%), Greenville, SC / Asheville, NC (94%), New Orleans (94%), Indianapolis (93%), Lexington (93%), Roanoke-Lynchburg (93%), Little Rock (92%), and Memphis (92%)
73% of the populations of Charlotte and Shreveport held scripture in high regard, versus only 27% of the residents of Providence, Rhode Island [the most Catholic state] and San Francisco [the most homosexual large city]. ^
The lowest percentages of self-identified Christians inhabited the following markets: San Francisco (68%), Portland, Oregon (71%), Portland, Maine (72%), Seattle (73%), Sacramento (73%), New York (73%), San Diego (75%), Los Angeles (75%), Boston (76%), Phoenix (78%), Miami (78%), Las Vegas (78%), and Denver (78%). Even in these cities, however, roughly three out of every four residents align with Christianity. ^
The highest percentage of souls who tended toward being atheist or agnostic were in Portland, Maine (19%), Seattle (19%), Portland, Oregon (16%), Sacramento (16%), and Spokane (16%) ^
Commitment to evangelism (agree strongly that a person has a responsibility to share their beliefs with others) saw the greatest percentage of endorsement by residents of Birmingham (64%) and Charlotte (54%), in contrast to residents of Providence (14%) and Boston (17%). ^
Atheists and agnostics comprise 9% of adults nationwide (2007); 6% of souls over 61, 9% of those ages 42-60, 14% of those 23-41, and 19% of those 18-22. Indications from the past indicate that these beliefs stay fairly constant through life. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=272
In 2008, 70% of Americans believed in a personal God, roughly 12% of Americans are atheist (no God) or agnostic (unknowable or unsure), and another 12% are deistic (a higher power but no personal God). The American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008. http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf
Among 5 groups, American atheists and agnostics were the segment most likely to describe themselves as being politically liberal (32%) and were the group least likely to describe themselves as being conservative (4%) http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/66-american-faith-is-diverse-as-shown-among-five-faith-based-segments?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=
Protestants constitute 51% of the total US adult population, with Catholics being 24%, and Jewish, Mormon, Atheist and Agnostic all being 2%. Total Unaffiliated: 16%. Orthodox, “Jehovah's witnesses” (so-called) and Buddhist were at 1%, while “Other Christian, Hindus and Other World Religion were 0.5%. All figures rounded off. http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf '
42% of American atheists and agnostics of the American adult population) claimed to be stressed out,and 14% said they were lonely. 68% were concerned about the moral condition of th country, versus 98% of evangelicals, and 4% describe themselves as being conservative, versus 64% of evangelicals, but 71% of the former said they have traditional or family-oriented values., with 96% of the latter group concurring. http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/80-peoples-faith-flavor-influences-how-they-see-themselves
Evangelicals averaged 6% participation in each of eight behaviors, (exposure to pornography, using profanity in public, gambling, gossiping, engaging in sexual intercourse with someone to whom they were not married, retaliating against someone, getting drunk, and lying.) http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/16-teensnext-gen/25-young-adults-and-liberals-struggle-with-morality Note : unlike other pollsters, Bara evangelicals, being a movement, are not identified by religious denomination or self-identification, but according to responses to basic criteria: See http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/111-survey-explores-who-qualifies-as-an-evangelical?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page= and http://www.peacebyjesus.com/RC-Stats_vs._Evang.html
Skeptics (atheist or agnostic) averaged five times the level (29%) of evangelicals. Common acts among skeptics included exposure to pornography (50%), gossip (34%) and drunkenness (33%) http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/16-teensnext-gen/25-young-adults-and-liberals-struggle-with-morality
For 50 years liberalism has been telling us that morals are relative. This decline is laid at the feet of the progressives. The really sad news is that the liberals see this as a good thing.
There will be a “great falling away” from the faith before Jesus returns, as told in 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
Even so, come quickly, Lord jesus!
The number of Self identified Catholics in the US has inceased:
Catholic population (self-identified, survey-based)
1965: 48.5m
1975: 54.5m
1985: 59.5m
1995: 65.7m
2000: 71.7m
2005: 74.0m
2013: 78.2m
http://cara.georgetown.edu/caraservices/requestedchurchstats.html
This is very interesting info. Very sad though if accurate. Thank you for posting it.
Nice meaningless graph!
That is almost certainly due to the massive immigration of Hispanics (legal and illegal).
Catholics (and Jews) seem to be much more likely to continue to self-identify as such well after religion has ceased to play much role in their lives. IOW, there appear to be a lot more “cultural Catholics” than “cultural Protestants.”
The cheerleaders associated with these biased studies are Freedom from Religion foundation. The data with regards to Catholics is faulty. "Annie Laurie Gaylor, the Freedom from Religion's co-president, told us the foundation’s claim is based on two studies -- one by Trinity College, a Hartford, Conn. school founded by Episcopalians and known for religious freedom; and another by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which conducts surveys and other social science research.
Trust nothing!
The increase also has a lot to do with the secularization of Protestant churches. Many Episcopalians, Lutherans etc. have turned to the Catholic church because the homosexual, womens liberation, and other secular influences have taken over those churches.
“The Gates off Hades will Never Prevail” Catholics believe His promise to us.
Due to immigration, while the majority are liberal, in contrast to their Evangelical counterparts overall.
The Catholic population of the United States had fallen by nearly 400,000 in 2007, and suffered a slight membership loss in 2009 but increased 1.49 percent in 2010. http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5753 http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html
The Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) - ranked 24th largest - increased 1.76 percent, and the Assemblies of God (9th) grew 1.27 percent. The “Latter-day Saints” [cult] (ranked 4th largest) grew 1.71 percent, the Jehovah's Witnesses [cult] (23rd ) said they were up 2 percent http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html
54% of “millennial generation” Catholics (born in 1982 or later) are Hispanics, while 39% are non-Hispanic whites. On the other hand, 76% of “pre-Vatican II generation” Catholics (born 1943 or earlier) are non-Hispanic whites, while 15% are Hispanics. Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, September, 2010 http://www.osv.com/tabid/7621/itemid/6850/Openers-More-evidence-of-the-browning-of-US-Cat.aspx
Catholicism has experienced “the greatest net loss” in numbers of any major religious group. Those who have left Catholicism outnumber those who have joined the church by an almost four-to-one margin. Ex-Catholics, if one considered them a denomination, would be the second-largest in the country behind Catholics, who list 68.1 million members. “The 'had it' Catholics,” National Catholic Reporter ,Oct. 11, 2001, based on reports from the 2008 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey and the National Council of Churches’ 2010 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.
Latinos comprised 32 percent of all U.S. Catholics in 2008, versus to 20 percent in 1990. However, Catholic identification has slipped from 66 percent in 1990 to 60 percent in 2008. There has also been a significant rise in the number of Latinos who do not adhere to a religion. The longer a Latino has lived in the United States, the less likely he or she is to be Catholic. Study of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College, http://theamericano.com/2010/03/18/new-report-on-u-s-latino-religious-identification/
Nice meaningless graph!
I was wondering how many posts there would be until someone commented that the “gaph” (I’ll leave that typo and add quotes!) lacks any vertical axis units or scale!
Sometimes, I wonder if not all Freepers are above average in all respects.
Sorry but “PeacebyJesus.com” is not scientific and not a credible source.
And so we are to trust Rome with its historical use of forgeries , and recent example of hiding pedophiles?
I mentioned before that Trinity College has program associated with groups like Freedom from Religion that pursue secularization of America.
Barry A. Kosmin
Director, Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture and Research Professor, Public Policy & Law Program.
It really began with the church becoming more like the world. It is actually a positive thing for the church to lose members due to increased holiness, but in reality we have kept far more by compromise. While forsaking real evangelism.
A letter from an atheist
You are really convinced that you've got all the answers. You've tricked yourself into believing that you're 100% right. Well let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other human beings? If you're right about GOD, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain which your ‘loving’ GOD created, yet you stand by and do nothing.
If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That’s equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes by you walk blindly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You're just twiddling your thumbs, happy with the knowledge that one day that “Walk” signal will shine your way across the road.
Think about it. Imagine the horrors hell must have in store if the Bible is true. You're just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you're right, then you're an uncaring, unemotional, and purely selfish (expletive deleted) that has no right to talk about subjects as love and caring.
(A letter as reprinted by Ray Comfort in “The Evidence Bible, Pub. by Living Waters publications, 1-800- 437-1893, or on-line at http://www.livingwaters.com
I didn’t tell you who to trust. May God Bless you.
Matthew 12:36
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Proverbs 10:18
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.
1 Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
Psalm 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
James 4:11
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
“America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within.” Karl Marx
This is why we are in decline in America and why there won’t be a political solution. What you believe does matter. There’s no turn around for our country until we return to our God. Real conservatism and real morality (the kind that’s needed to fight real evil) flows out of a real relationship with our Creator.
Thanks for posting. I hope we take it to heart.
Right. No vertical scale means it might be showing a decline from 98.2% to 97.6%.
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