There is an interesting new Pew poll that shows that the number of Americans without affiliation to any religion is continuing to rise — as is the number of Americans who now classify themselves as atheists or agnostics. The numbers of “nones” has grown to 56 million in recent years, making it the second largest number behind evangelicals. From 2007 to 2014, Americans describing themselves as as atheist, agnostic or of no particular faith grew from 16 percent to nearly 23 percent. This is roughly one out of four Americans. Pew found a rising tide of secularism in the United States. It is an interesting poll since religious groups tend to have far greater political power in the country as shown by various “faith-based” policies.
I have written previously (here) on how both Republicans and Democrats, including President Obama (here), have embraced faith-based politics. Yet, in addition to strong support for separation of church and state, many Americans disclaim any faith-based affiliation.
Notably, the largest group of faith followers (Christians) has shown the greatest decline in numbers. In the latest poll, Christians dropped from about 78 percent to just under 71 percent of the population. Protestants now comprise 46.5 percent the country.
Last year, 31 percent of the “nones” said they were atheist or agnostic as compared to 25 percent in 2007. In addition, the percentage who said religion was important to them has dropped.
The question is how the parties, and particularly the Republican party, will respond to this trend. Notably, people with no religion tend to vote Democratic, while white evangelicals tend to vote Republican. The greatest drops among Christians were seen among more liberal Protestants and Roman Catholics.
Mainline Protestants declined by about 5 million to 36 million between 2007 and 2014. The study put the number of Catholic adults at 51 million, or just over one-fifth of the U.S. population, a drop of about 3 percent over seven years.
While there was an increase in Muslims and Hindus, both groups comprise less than 1 percent of the U.S. population. The number of Jews rose slightly over the period, from 1.7 percent to 1.9 percent of Americans.
It is fascinating to see these demographic shifts as well as the relative political power that is held by various groups in our political system.
With one out of four Americans in the “none” category, it will be interesting to see if the rising secular values in our country will translate to changes in either party — or whether the determinative factor will continue to be the concentrated voting blocks or influence of particular faith-based groups.
Source: PEW Study
And some people just cannot help themselves, they would do anything to shut down discussion, even telling “stories” about strangers on the internet who they disagree with. One of the most uncharitable unChristian things a professed “believer” would do is character assassination. Some people sink to very low depths to raise themselves up, or perhaps they are in need of some spiritual intervention themselves.
Each to their own faith or no faith at all, unmolested or harassed. That is what democracy looks like.
I. Annie wrote: “Each to their own faith or no faith at all, unmolested or harassed. That is what democracy looks like.”
No, democracy is messy. The fact that no individual is perfect in knowledge means that democracy includes debate, disputes, and people correcting one another. Only if a tyrannical government insists that faith or lack therefore be private and secret do you get the kind of society that you envision.
Stanton, I am a man of faith and respect religious people. While I don’t belong to a church, I respect people who do. My wife is an elder in a church. I detest the people who try and divide people. The atheists, whether they were brought up that way, brought up in a fundy, abusive household, or just plain old haters of religion. I see them try and pit one religion against another. Pit one political view against the other. Just sad, lonely, angry people w/o human contact. You are new here it seems. From what I’ve read, I do not see you so much that way. Your rabid Catholicism I don’t buy. I was raised in “The one true church.” It’s not for me. Obviously it’s for you. GREAT. To each their own. But, certainly if you take religion out of the issue, thinking you are the truth is fraught w/ danger.
the Catholic Church is like a “roaring lion”…once let out of it’s cage, it can very ably defend itself…
nick, I appreciate many of your comments but apologetics, and the truths of religion are not mindless, vapid horseshit…attempting to defend heresy, “could” be construed as mindless, vapid horse-hit though…of this we might agree
David’s thinking is distorted and unreasonable…Joseph Smith he agrees and calls him a “con-man”…of this we agree!…than he goes further to completely throw a monkey wrench in his argument by saying he teaches Christianity though…????…Does it seem logical that a con-man, can start a a “true” church?…No man has ANY authority to start a Church…Jesus established ONE, that would stand for all-time…David’s argument is built on sand…and when one analyzes the absurd teaching of mormonism…David’s position becomes even more untenable, more ridiculous…truth lies in only one place…Catholicism…
The Great Stanton wrote: “Does it seem logical that a con-man, can start a a “true” church?”
I never said Joseph Smith started a “true” church. Joseph Smith started another Christian religion. It is a religion based upon the idea of following Jesus of Nazareth and his teachings, and therefore the word Christian applies. Joseph Smith’s congregation and system of religion was not based upon Mohammed. If it was, then it would be a Muslim religion. Joseph Smith’s congregation was not based solely upon following Moses and the Torah. If it was, then his religion would be Jewish. His religion was based upon following Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is Christian. Did he do it right? No. Is his religion true? Again, I say no. His religion is a false Christian religion. But then again, I am not convinced that there is any true Christian religion. If there was, I would probably join it.
The problem in semantics between us is that you want to keep the word “Christian” pure, as a word meant to define only that which is true. I have no such compulsion to do that. The word “Christian” originated as a slur against those Jews who believed in Jesus. It was not a word that Jesus coined for the religion of his followers. You might even say that Jesus never meant to create a Christian religion. Religions are built by men. Jesus simply spoke to individuals, and his system of morals and belief transcends all the religious boundaries constructed by other men.
People have a right to worship in their own way in their own church unmolested by fundamentalist nuts. I would think that anyone of any faith, or no faith at all would understand that. For those who think these fundamentalists don’t affect you, think again.
I. Annie wrote: “People have a right to worship in their own way in their own church unmolested by fundamentalist nuts. I would think that anyone of any faith, or no faith at all would understand that. For those who think these fundamentalists don’t affect you, think again.”
Ingrid Annie, you clearly do not believe in free speech. People have a right to stand on a public street in front of a Roman Catholic Church and rebuke those who enter it. The Roman Catholics have the right to do the same in front of Protestant Churches. People also have a right to do the same in front of City Hall, the U.S. Supreme Court, or the U.S. Capitol. That’s called freedom of speech. If you don’t like it and want to label it molestation, then why don’t you just go to another country where tyrants rule. I heard on the radio today that the Netherlands hate speech laws mean that they no longer have free speech. They have free sex though, so some people would like that tradeoff.
Olly, I often lament @ how our social contract is eroding. Without a strong social contract, a culture becomes extinct. Some people, as we can see here daily, revel in dividing people. It is the duopoly ethos. Us or them, you are either w/ us all the way or you’re against us. This thread is a good example of that emotional, illogical, vapid, mindless, horseshit.
Mormons erroneously believe they the ‘true” Church, and actually believe and teach that Catholicism was the “true” Church…this is what a former mormon co-worker had articulated…this I was unaware of…just another screwy, oddball layer of irregularity…their thinking is wrong, and contradicts our Lord when he said, I will be with you all days unto the consummation fo the world”…has the world been consumed?…our Lord said “the Gates of Hell will not prevail against you”…if hell cannot conquer or vanquish the Church, it is indestructible and indefectible…a Church that will stand for all time, with Jesus Christ as it’s founder…King Henry viii was founder of the Anglicans, Luther, the Lutherans…Wesley the Methodists…on and on…Rome is the seat of Christendom…all roads lead to Rome…as do all spiritual roads….
http://youtu.be/H3YaYQQt-qg
Fundamentalists harassing Catholics in fron of their church.
no…mormons do not believe in the Trinity…”they” cannot be defined as Christian…Jesus is God…the mormons DO NOT believe Jesus is God…they are NOT Christians…the Catholic Church and mainline prostestanism does not recognize this cult as being Christian…PERIOD
http://youtu.be/z9zaUNbZ_Qo
Here is this same woman street preacher, known as “Preacher Woman”. This on an American campus. One college student was so upset by her that she stripped off her clothing, her own that is, not the Preacher Woman.
This is why organized religion will suffer and it will suffer much the same way this country is suffering. Apparently, it’s not enough for people to be Christians and it’s not enough for people to be Americans. We have to be a certain “type” of Christian and we need to be a certain “type” of American. Everyone forgets that our social contract is based on being created equal and acknowledging we all have inalienable rights.
If everyone actually respected the inalienable rights of others then it wouldn’t matter what “type” you were.
How can Catholics and the Orthodox not be Christians whey they were the only Churches for 1500 years? Was everyone prior to the Protestant Reformation a non-Christian?
As for the Mormons they believe in the trinity and are therefore Christians. BTW, what about the Quakers? Do they even have a theology? Just asking.
Catholics are Christians…we are the first… and our Church is the right one!…all others are defective and man-made…subject to spiritual decay, heresy and perdition
The Great Stanton wrote: “Catholics are Christians…we are the first… and our Church is the right one!…all others are defective and man-made…subject to spiritual decay, heresy and perdition”
You have no more right to say that Roman Catholics were first than the Eastern Orthodox do. Probably the oldest churches were those in Jerusalem and Antioch, and these churches were part of the Eastern Orthodox churches, not part of Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholics split away from the churches in Jerusalem and Antioch in 1054 and sought to establish their own true single church over the whole earth.
If you think Roman Catholicism is not subject to decay, heresy and perdition, please explain Pope Benedict IX. Even the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) says that Pope Benedict IX was a disgrace to the chair of Peter.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Pope_Benedict_IX
Pope Benedict IX sold his office of pope for a large sum of money. Many historians say that Pope Benedict IX was a homosexual. Note that his rule as Pope ended in 1048, just 6 years before the split between Pope Leo IX in Rome and Patriarch Michael Cerularius in Constantinople. That division created the Great East-West Schism, separating Roman Catholics from the rest of the Christian churches in the East.
The JW’s believe that “only” 144,000 people will enter the Kingdom of heaven…another loony cult, with a loony founder, much like screwy Ellen G. White and the cult religion…seventh day adventistism…another screwy “faux” church that sprang up after the american revolution…
A final word on mormonism…this “bogus” cult teaches that God the Father had two sons, one good…one bad…Jeus was the good son, the devil was the bad son…this outrageous heresy is taught and promulgated by it’s delusional followers…when the the truth is this ugly only a lie can be beautiful…
When the average human attention span is less than a goldfish it should come as no surprise anyone would leave the Church; it is boring if your heart is not interested in studying the Word. Have they proven anyone is leaving because they don’t like the message of Jesus Christ or are they leaving because they are opposed to the messengers?
David,
You, and apparently Mike A, forgot that we (You and I) had this discussion last year or in 2013; I can’t remember which year. I will not continue to say the samething every time the Catholicism vs. Christianity subjet is mentioned. However, I will say this: your definition of Christianity is not only what Yeshua the Christ said. Remember He said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
And what is the will of the Father?
Short answer, but not the complete answer, read below. There is more……
Please read 1 John
Please read Colossians Ch. 3
Please read Ephesians Ch. 5 and 6
Please read Galatians Ch. 5 and 6
For a better explanation than mine (and to prevent plagiarism of someone else’s work), please feel free to read the following: http://www.gotquestions.org/convert-to-Christianity.html
Feel free to respond, and I will read your response. However, I will say no more of the matter. My behavior will be similar to what God told Moses in Deuteronomy 3:26:
‘That is enough,’ the Lord said. ‘Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.’
RWL wrote: “Feel free to respond, and I will read your response.”
You have never defined what is meant by a “Christian religion.” I have, but you do not address the definition. You speak from emotion rather than logic.
You did offer a link where it tells us how to become a Christian:
“To put it simply, to convert to Christianity, you must believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sin and rose again. You must agree with God that you are a sinner in need of salvation, and you must trust in Jesus alone to save you. When you do this, God promises to save you and give you the Holy Spirit, Who will make you a new creature.”
http://www.gotquestions.org/convert-to-Christianity.html#ixzz3aIrjNIVY
Well, according to this definition, there are a plethora of people who are part of Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, and many other religions who are Christians. Even I am considered a Christian by this definition.
A little further down, the anonymous author says: “Christianity, in its true form, is not a religion. Christianity, according to the Bible, is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christianity is God offering salvation to anyone who believes and trusts the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. A person who converts to Christianity is not leaving one religion for another religion.
So the article is not even defining the term “Christian religion.” According to the article, faith in Christ is Christianity and such transcends religious boundaries; therefore, a person can be a Roman Catholic and be a Christian too, a person can be a Jew and also be a Christian, and in fact if his argument is true, then a person can be a Muslim and be a Christian too. Do you think this teaching helps us understand or does it confuse common terminology? I think it leads to confusion. How can a person be a Muslim and a Christian at the same time? How can a person identify as a Buddhist and as a Christian at the same time, or as a Hindu and a Christian at the same time? The religious labels such as Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. all refer to religious systems and we have to accept that. The label Christian refers to a religious system. The web page you pointed us toward tries to make all labels religious except the label Christian. I have seen many religions do the same thing with their own religion. It is a way of saying that their philosophy is the right one and it is so right that it is not even in the same category as all the other religions of the world. Such an approach to semantics is prideful and just leads to confusion.
SYRACUSE — Should not for profit institutions in Syracuse, which are exempt from property taxes, pay for city services?
Syracuse Common Councilor Patrick Hogan is proposing legislation that would require many large tax exempt organizations to enter into “service agreements.” Under such agreements, an organization such as Saint Joseph’s Hospital Health Center would pay a portion of the money they would otherwise owe in property taxes.
Hogan says St. Joseph’s currently owns 38 properties in the city which would have a combined assessed value of $215,791,100. Hogan says if all those properties were taxable, St. Joseph’s would pay the city about $6 million in taxes.
Hogan says 53% of the property within the Syracuse city limits is tax exempt, yet the city provides services to those organizations through the DPW, Police and Fire services.