America Is Becoming Less Christian, Less Religious

[guno]

This is from 5 years ago so their numbers have shrunk even more



In one of the most dramatic shifts, 15 percent of Americans now say they have no religion -- a figure that's almost doubled in 18 years. Americans with no religious preference are now larger than all other major religious groups except Catholics and Baptists.


In the last 18 years, despite population growth and immigration, almost all religious denominations have lost ground. Mainline Protestants are down the most. Methodists, for example, have gone from 8 to 5 percent.

Baptists are down from 19.3 to 15.8. And Jews are down from 1.8 to 1.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of atheists, while still small, has nearly doubled from 900,000 to 1.6 million. Kosmin says that people may feel more comfortable admitting their lack of faith at a time when atheist books, like Christopher Hitchens' "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" and movies are getting a lot of attention. Comedian Bill Maher took aim at religion in his documentary film "Religulous," saying that he preaches "the gospel of 'I Don't Know.'"

 

[Disir]

Christianity became overtly political in the states. It's used as a method of social control. So, it is naturally falling away because people are a lot more educated.

 

[PostmodernProph]

This is from 5 years ago so their numbers have shrunk even more



In one of the most dramatic shifts, 15 percent of Americans now say they have no religion -- a figure that's almost doubled in 18 years. Americans with no religious preference are now larger than all other major religious groups except Catholics and Baptists.


In the last 18 years, despite population growth and immigration, almost all religious denominations have lost ground. Mainline Protestants are down the most. Methodists, for example, have gone from 8 to 5 percent.

Baptists are down from 19.3 to 15.8. And Jews are down from 1.8 to 1.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of atheists, while still small, has nearly doubled from 900,000 to 1.6 million. Kosmin says that people may feel more comfortable admitting their lack of faith at a time when atheist books, like Christopher Hitchens' "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" and movies are getting a lot of attention. Comedian Bill Maher took aim at religion in his documentary film "Religulous," saying that he preaches "the gospel of 'I Don't Know.'"

so you think you're winning?.....

 

[PostmodernProph]

and yet, the decline of denominational churches does not necessarily indicate the decline of religion....

Nondenominational Church Attendance Is Growing Sharply
Together, the independent and nondenominational churches of the U.S. constitute the third-largest cluster of religious adherents in the country and the second-largest cluster of churches. In 2012, an estimated 4 percent of the U.S. population (some 12,200,000 people) worshipped in an independent or nondenominational church, up more than 50 percent from the 2008 estimate of 8 million. To learn more about the rise of the independent and nondenominational Christian church movement, read a report by researcher Scott Thumma, and follow the embedded links to additional studies and material. The report is posted on the website of the Hartford Institution for Religion Research, a source for rigorous research on emerging issues in religious life.

Nondenominational Church Attendance is Growing Sharply | Insights into Religion

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

The born again - Protestant population is the largest faith in the world with 100 million born again Christians in the underground church of China alone. Compare that with the Roman Catholic population in China of 12 million.

The fastest growing faith in Iran is Christianity - not Islam - more conversions happening every day. Same for continent of Africa..

I would agree that America is becoming less Christian and less religious which is why our judgment is standing at the door now. There is very little call for repentance, forgiveness, holiness coming from the pulpits now. When persecution comes that will change. The hirelings will flee when the wolves appear and the sheep who hear the Sheperds voice will already have been taken out of the way. I believe come out from among them is the message of the hour. Matthew 24 is written over the church doors.

 

[Disir]

The scare tactics don't work anymore. All one needs to do is invest a little time in history and archaeology and they find that there was no historical Jesus. There is no change between behavior in the past v the present with religion. You either have the capacity to treat humans with dignity or you don't. Religion, and specifically Christianity, functions on exclusion. Well, we live in a very diverse world.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

History and archeology have proven the historical Jesus walked the earth. Einstein said so. I'll take his word over the word of the atheists who had the tendency to misquote him.

 

[editec]

The trouble with killing RELIGION is that we need to replace it with something.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche spoke of this loss in the late 19th century.

When he said GOD IS DEAD that was his really opening to discuss what problems that loss in faith brought to mankind.

When we believe in a diety, then WE do not NEED to make sense of it all.

Now mankind DOES need to make sense of it, and that means that mankind must set its own limits in terms of behavior etc.

Hence his exploration of the superman concept. Meaning a man (mankind) without limits set by GOD

Contrary to what most people think about Franz, he did NOT see the end of faith as a great thing.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Matthew 24 isn't a scare tactic. It is a warning message to the church ( believers are the church - not an institution of any title ) to watch out for false teachers who will flood in at latter times. We're there.

 

[Disir]

No. Jesus did not walk the earth. History and archaeology have pretty much destroyed that. Matthew is nothing more than war time literature.

And, no, it doesn't need to be replaced by anything. The number one goal from the outset was to take money from the state and social control.

 

[Avatar4321]

Christianity became overtly political in the states. It's used as a method of social control. So, it is naturally falling away because people are a lot more educated.

People are more educated? how do you figure?

Information is prevalent. That's certainly true, but people are acting dumber than usual.

 

[Avatar4321]

The born again - Protestant population is the largest faith in the world with 100 million born again Christians in the underground church of China alone. Compare that with the Roman Catholic population in China of 12 million.

The fastest growing faith in Iran is Christianity - not Islam - more conversions happening every day. Same for continent of Africa..

I would agree that America is becoming less Christian and less religious which is why our judgment is standing at the door now. There is very little call for repentance, forgiveness, holiness coming from the pulpits now. When persecution comes that will change. The hirelings will flee when the wolves appear and the sheep who hear the Sheperds voice will already have been taken out of the way. I believe come out from among them is the message of the hour. Matthew 24 is written over the church doors.

Born again protestants the largest in the world? How on earth did you conclude that?

 

[Pennywise]

I'm not religious, but I would be a liar to claim that we as a society are better off with less people attending church regularly. Only half-assed militant atheists believe any such sophistry.

 

[guno]

The scare tactics don't work anymore. All one needs to do is invest a little time in history and archaeology and they find that there was no historical Jesus. There is no change between behavior in the past v the present with religion. You either have the capacity to treat humans with dignity or you don't. Religion, and specifically Christianity, functions on exclusion. Well, we live in a very diverse world.

 

[Disir]

Christianity became overtly political in the states. It's used as a method of social control. So, it is naturally falling away because people are a lot more educated.

People are more educated? how do you figure?

Information is prevalentna. That's certainly true, but people are acting dumber than usual.

Primarily because people are more literate, and therefore, less dependent on others. Secondly, natural disasters are no longer viewed as acts of vengeance.

I don't know how to break this to you but the behavior today is no different than yesterday or 2,000 years ago.

 

[Steven_R]

History and archeology have proven the historical Jesus walked the earth. Einstein said so. I'll take his word over the word of the atheists who had the tendency to misquote him.

There may very well have been a firebrand street rabbi named Joshua ben Joseph who was executed on trumped up charges because the powers that be in Judea felt he was upsetting their apple cart...

...but...

...that doesn't mean he was divine.

 

[PostmodernProph]

No. Jesus did not walk the earth. .

just the water?......

 

[SillyWabbit]

The born again - Protestant population is the largest faith in the world with 100 million born again Christians in the underground church of China alone. Compare that with the Roman Catholic population in China of 12 million.

The fastest growing faith in Iran is Christianity - not Islam - more conversions happening every day. Same for continent of Africa..

I would agree that America is becoming less Christian and less religious which is why our judgment is standing at the door now. There is very little call for repentance, forgiveness, holiness coming from the pulpits now. When persecution comes that will change. The hirelings will flee when the wolves appear and the sheep who hear the Sheperds voice will already have been taken out of the way. I believe come out from among them is the message of the hour. Matthew 24 is written over the church doors.