U.S. experiences largest drop in religiosity

[SLD]

Drop in U.S. Religiosity Among Largest in World

The 17-percentage-point drop in U.S. religiosity over the past decade is among the largest declines measured in the Gallup World Poll.

news.gallup.com

Interesting report on the drop in the importance of Christianity to Americans. While almost as many people identify as Christian in the U.S. as in other western countries like Finland and Germany, it’s considered more personally important to them than in other countries. But that has dropped significantly over the last decade. My hope is that it drops much further. I really think that Christianity poisons our politics, at east in its fundamental form and that has ed to the rise of Trump in part. Christianity is antithetical to the idea of freedom.

 

[southernhybrid]

https://forward.com/news/697054/christians-against-christian-nationalism-project-2025/

A fight from within​

Christian nationalism — the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed accordingly — has always been woven into the country’s DNA. But in recent years, it has moved from the margins to the mainstream, carried by Trump’s presidency and a base that sees his political survival as divinely ordained.

For decades, opposition to Christian nationalism came mostly from secular organizations, civil rights groups and religious minorities. Now, Christians themselves are leading the charge.

Across denominations — Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and even conservative evangelicals — a coalition of faith leaders is pushing back against a movement they believe is not just a political threat, but a theological one. They argue that Christian nationalism doesn’t just corrupt democracy; it corrupts Christianity.

The biggest problem we face is the rise of Christian Nationalism, which is a movement by the fundamentalists. And, the more liberal, moderate and reasonable Christians are fighting it. One article I read said they are uniting with Secular Humanist and Jewish groups as well. I have no problem with those who find something useful in Christianity. It offers a chance for community, for charity, and it helps some people cope. I consider Christains like the ones fighting Christian Nationalism allies. Right now, we need them to help keep us from developing into a theocracy. My late mother was an evangelical. She despised Trump and she fully supported the SCS. She would be appalled if she knew what was happening these days. She vented to me about her Christian friends who were Republicans. She was one of the rare ones. She and I were very close despite her knowing I was an atheist. Imo, values and character are what matter far more than beliefs. If one needs fairy tales to live a better life, who am I to judge?

I just finished reading a short book that was based on an interview with the late Frans de Waal. He was a strong atheist and he actually listed several positive things about religion. He also said he didn't care what anyone believed as long as they didn't push it in his face. I agree but I would add as long as they don't force it into government. I'm sure he would have agreed with that.

I was forced to attend an extremely conservative evangelical church during my childhood. It was something that damaged me emotionally, although I've overcome that damage. The church had lots of wealthy members, but not one cent was spent on charity. It all went for foreign missionaries, so while the church might not have been working towards a theocratic form of government, it was certainly trying to convert the world to their extremist, judgmental beliefs.

On the other hand, the more liberal and moderate churches usually give a lot of their funds to charity. I just donated food to the food bank at a friend's church. She knows I'm an atheist and neither of us have let our different beliefs come between us. We have not tried to convert each other, so considering the rise of Christian Nationalism, we need more Christian allies to fight against the extremists.

Christianity may be losing a percentage of strong believers, but extremist far right versions are on the rise, and that is frightening. It's hard to herd atheists to be activists, so we need the religious folks to unite with in order to fight the dangerous ones. I've been a member of several atheist groups over the past 25 years so I know how hard it is to get them together. I was impressed with the Center for Inquiry in Indy, but I wasn't there long enough to know if they are doing much to fight the rise of the Christian Nationalists. I hope so. The American. Humanist Association claims it is fighting the movement, but it doesn't have the monetary power that the wealthy white evangelicals do.

 

[Jarhyn]

Drop in U.S. Religiosity Among Largest in World

The 17-percentage-point drop in U.S. religiosity over the past decade is among the largest declines measured in the Gallup World Poll.

news.gallup.com

Interesting report on the drop in the importance of Christianity to Americans. While almost as many people identify as Christian in the U.S. as in other western countries like Finland and Germany, it’s considered more personally important to them than in other countries. But that has dropped significantly over the last decade. My hope is that it drops much further. I really think that Christianity poisons our politics, at east in its fundamental form and that has ed to the rise of Trump in part. Christianity is antithetical to the idea of freedom.

Christianity as understood in most parts of the world, but especially so in America, is itself a corruption.

You might as well call them Paulists.

 

[Bronzeage]

The fall of religiosity(is that a word?) in the US probably has many causes, but there are two that stand out.

For Roman Catholics, the priestly pedophile scandal is most responsible.

For Protestant sects, it's the rise of Christian nationalism. It's impossible to reconcile conservative ideology and Christian theology. Christians who grew up learning about the nice Jesus in Sunday school, the one who talked about feeding the hungry and loving your neighbor, get very uncomfortable when someone starts preaching there are some people God doesn't love as much as you and it's okay to do mean things to them. It's more comfortable to sleep late on Sunday.

 

[ideologyhunter]

The social stigma has largely melted away in the past, say, 30 years. Nonbelief can now be mentioned by Presidents (leaving out the current slimeball) when they list religious demographics. Celebs can self-identify as atheists, if they wish. There's still a ways to go, and it does depend on where you live, in part. But other personal characteristics have gone mainstream in the last century. Being a divorcee was once a somewhat scandalous identity, and that's nothing now. Being gay was once "the love that dare not speak its name," and that has changed a lot in the last half century.

 

[SLD]

Drop in U.S. Religiosity Among Largest in World

The 17-percentage-point drop in U.S. religiosity over the past decade is among the largest declines measured in the Gallup World Poll.

news.gallup.com

Interesting report on the drop in the importance of Christianity to Americans. While almost as many people identify as Christian in the U.S. as in other western countries like Finland and Germany, it’s considered more personally important to them than in other countries. But that has dropped significantly over the last decade. My hope is that it drops much further. I really think that Christianity poisons our politics, at east in its fundamental form and that has ed to the rise of Trump in part. Christianity is antithetical to the idea of freedom.

Christianity as understood in most parts of the world, but especially so in America, is itself a corruption.

You might as well call them Paulists.

Paul invented Christianity. It’s just not real clear if he invented it whole cloth or used an original character and movement.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

This hasn't been correlating with an equal increase in general skepticism, or scientific understanding though. And, as we've seen, it doesn't necessarily mean someone isn't going to stay a right wing nutjob.

 

[Jarhyn]

Drop in U.S. Religiosity Among Largest in World

The 17-percentage-point drop in U.S. religiosity over the past decade is among the largest declines measured in the Gallup World Poll.

news.gallup.com

Interesting report on the drop in the importance of Christianity to Americans. While almost as many people identify as Christian in the U.S. as in other western countries like Finland and Germany, it’s considered more personally important to them than in other countries. But that has dropped significantly over the last decade. My hope is that it drops much further. I really think that Christianity poisons our politics, at east in its fundamental form and that has ed to the rise of Trump in part. Christianity is antithetical to the idea of freedom.

Christianity as understood in most parts of the world, but especially so in America, is itself a corruption.

You might as well call them Paulists.

Paul invented Christianity. It’s just not real clear if he invented it whole cloth or used an original character and movement.

No, "Jesus" invented Christianity. Paul hijacked it.

It's very clear that the doctrines of Paul are at odds with earlier doctrines from earlier writings, contorting what was a fairly servicable philosophy vaguely adjacent to Buddhist reincarnation into a philosophy of patriarchy and purity cultures ripe for an authoritarian structure to take control of it.