Posted on 05/12/2015 12:55:52 PM PDT by 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...
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
hipsters
What you say is true. However, do not overlook the degeneracy of mainline churches, marrying Sodomites etc. St, Paul advises “Come out from among them.” Perhaps that is what is happening?
Faith requires faith. How does one force that?
>> “The country is becoming less religious as a whole, and it’s happening across the board.”
Not really true. Its just that the not-so-faithful are now free to tell the truth and not face social stigma for not being a Christian. The culture is permitting the “cultural Christian” to walk away and that is refining the church.
This is not a good thing because eventually our numbers will be small enough that the persecutions will begin, but we we warned that this would happen, and it is sign of great things to come.
I don’t doubt a declineoverall, but I have to wonder how they count coup here. I know plenty of people that want nothing to do with what organized religion has morphed into yet are still 100% people of faith.
So is there a huge decline or just a huge decline from organizations thanks to megachurch pastors demanding God give them 60 million dollar jets and popes worshiping at the altar of communism?
How about the Catholic church tolerating those who claim to be Catholics, yet either support or even advance the radical left wing agenda of abortion and government dependence? That’s why I’m no longer a practicing Catholic.
If the US Catholic church had excommunicated Nancy Pelosi and the rest of her ilk, I’d be at mass every Sunday.
I’ve got a friend who ardently believes the guy on Drudge who is pushing Jeremiah 50 and Revelation 17 as America.
And apparently, I can do nothing to dissuade him of this heretical nonsense.
People aren't rejecting Christianity, they are rejecting everything in Christianity that demands anything of them. That's why so many people are now describing themselves as "spiritual but not religious." That way you don't feel guilty about being godless, but you can still believe and do whatever pleases you-- whatever matches up with your preferred "lifestyle."
As goes the family, education and morals, so goes religion.
I think many would. There is little point to a faith where clergy lives and practices separate rules based on fear of tax status when there’s one rule book.
I was raised RC. I left when it became obvious that leadership didn’t believe the things they preached. I still believe the doctrine, just not the doctrinaires.
That doesn't make any sense to me, CP. Either it is the Church that Christ founded, or it isn't. It seems to me that a man subscribes to a religion because of it's divine origin and the truth of it's doctrines, and not because of the apparent qualities of it's human leaders (or lack of same thereof).
People want a God who is of use to them.
Wholesale blood in the streets and famine will bring many into the fold.
Christ did not found the Roman Catholic church, nor did he form a formal religion. He created the concept of Christianity and several religions sprouted from that doctrine and belief system.
Spend some time at dating sites and you'll find that phrase at almost every profile (for women, at least, I don't focus on the guys). From my own experience, it is mostly baby boomer women, but I'm sure it is also the case for many younger ones. But this is a Pew poll, so take it with a very large grain of salt. They probably had the outcome in mind before taking the poll.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing devouring the young. It is not unusual to send a teen to youth groups in used-to-be solid denominations and have a youth pastor praise and promote doubt over faith and questions over answers. Big surprise! The kid starts doubting and questioning her faith.
Thank the emerging church wolves and doofuses who followed them. Like Mr. Nooma, Rob Bell who now works for Oprah, teaches that everyone goes to heaven and promotes homosexual issues. He was very popular in youth groups 5 to 10 years ago.
Also blame parents who were not paying attention and countering that nonsense. Last blame the kids themselves. Each individual is ultimately to blame personally when they allow themselves to be led astray.
Bump
There’s a lot of pride and vanity in this world and I need to deal with my own even now.
There’s nothing wrong with God, I need to think and take action about what the Good Book says...’do what the religious leaders say, not what they do’........
Yep! This man is from hell...and headed there. ;-(
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