Christianity Declines Sharply in US, Agnostics Growing: Pew [2 Thess 2]

NewsMax ^ | 5/12/2015 | Melanie Batley

[Jan_Sobieski]

Christianity is in sharp decline in America, according to new research from the Pew Research Center, making for a significantly less Christian country than that of just seven years ago.

The number of Christians dropped by almost 8 percentage points in seven years to 71 percent, and the trend holds across race, gender, education, and geographic dimensions, though Christianity still dominates American religious identity at 70 percent, USA Today said.

"It's remarkably widespread," Alan Cooperman, director of religion research for the Pew Research Center, said, according to The Washington Post. "The country is becoming less religious as a whole, and it's happening across the board."

The research also found that the percentage of people not affiliated with a religion has increased from 16 percent to about 23 percent over that period. A number of key trends have emerged from the research, the Post said.

For one, millennials have become less affiliated with religion as they have aged over the last decade. In 2007, 25 percent did not affiliate with a religion. In the current survey, it's 34 percent.

"Some have asked, 'Might they become more religiously affiliated as they get older?' There's nothing in this data to suggest that's what's happening," said Greg Smith, associate director of research at the Pew Research Center, according to the Post.

A second trend indicates that there are more religiously unaffiliated Americans than Catholics or mainline Protestants. The unaffiliated amount to 25 percent, compared to 21 percent for Catholics and 15 percent for Protestants.

Specifically, the numbers of Catholics and Protestants have both shrunk between 3 and 5 percentage points since 2007, while the evangelical share of the population is down by 1 point since that time...

[SaveFerris]

[does it really even matter what happens then?]

Yes. Yes, it matters greatly.

Those who refuse the Mark of the Beast are martyred as Tribulation Saints.

Those who accept the Mark of the Beast are tormented with fire and brimstone for ever and ever.

Let the nonbeliever now laugh at the “fire and brimstone” they’ve mocked in times past. They will not laugh forever. Here is wisdom. Today is the day of Salvation.

Revelation 14:9-11 King James Version (KJV)

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Revelation 13:16-18 King James Version (KJV)

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six

[mongrel]

I’m not grouping Catholic and mainline on a personal whim, I’m reporting what the pew poll found in its research.

While it is true that almost all denominations are in decline, evangelicals declined as a percentage of overall population, but grew by about 2 million. Again, what the research said, not just personal opinion.