The number of Christians in the U.S. has decreased by 10 percent over the last decade, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. Protestants accounted for the biggest segment of the membership drop. Roman Catholicism, the other segment of Christians, saw a shift in geographic location.
The majority of the denomination’s members is now centered in the Southwest, rather than New England. Many attribute this shift to the growing number of Latinos in America. The survey reported the number of atheists has doubled from 2001.
It also said, “27 percent of Americans do not expect a religious funeral at their death.” What do you think has caused this shift in religious identification? I would think that the taking economy would see somewhat of a spike in the number of people who identify within a religion.
If you are among the faithful, has religion taken a more prominent role in the past few months? If you are no longer a believer or have fallen away from a denomination, share your experience. I’m curious to understand what you think could have caused a decline in the number of self-identified religious Americans.
Post your comments below.
Lane Luckie 