Current Events > Study: RELIGION IS DYING OUT In America

(+) Yeah! (+)

What Mike Pence said:

The percentage of Americans who live out their religion on a weekly basis praying, going to church, reading and believing in the Bible has remained remarkably consistent over the decades, even as the population of the United States has grown by leaps and bounds. I mean, think about it, today, relative to the population, four times as many Americans go to church on a regular basis than at the time of our nations founding. Religion in America isnt receding. Its just the opposite. Faith is gaining new life across America every day.

What the facts say:

https://wapo.st/2JEEoIz

We spotted these remarks when the vice president, who is deeply religious, tweeted them out after giving a speech at a conservative Christian college in Michigan. There was a furious backlash by religious researcher Joshua Grubbs that in reality many studies showed the opposite of what Pence claimed that religion is declining in the United States.

But the vice presidents remarks were so specific that they must have been based on something. So we decided to research the matter.

Pences language is imprecise because it chooses one thing to highlight while leaving out an equally important part of the story of American religious change: Although intense religion persists, moderate religion is declining quickly, Schnabel told The Fact Checker. It may in fact be because of the intensity of American religion, and the perceived partisan polarization of American religion, that moderately religious people are leaving it behind.

In other words, the study suggests that the conservative Christianity celebrated by Pence appears to be turning off other Americans with more moderate views on religion.

Schnabel added that one aspect of Pences remarks was wrong by more than omission: Weekly attendance is declining. Its only more-than-weekly attendance that persists. Once-a-week attendance has dropped from 28.5 percent in 1972 to 17.5 percent in 2014, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives.

Schnabel also said his research does not support Pences bottom-line conclusion that religion in America isnt receding.

Our data do not support the conclusion that religion is on the rise in the United States, Schnabel said. Some of the coverage of our paper made that argument, including the Federalist coverage, but our study simply shows that intense religion is persistent even as moderate religion declines. Subsequently, of those who remain religious, a higher proportion are intensely religious.

He likened it to a container getting smaller, but more concentrated, such as espresso vs. coffee.

To be clear, Americans as a whole are not becoming more involved in religion, and average religion is declining, Schnabel said.

Pences office initially said it wanted to provide a comment but then decided to take a pass.

Good. The sooner we're at a place where religion is a private affair behind closed doors, the better. There's nothing wrong with religion itself, just when it tries to change things.
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Minecraft10 posted...

Pences office initially said it wanted to provide a comment but then decided to take a pass.

cucked
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It needs to die out everywhere
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I mean, good. The default belief shouldn't be "I will believe in this without proof of its existence."

The default belief should be "I'll believe it when I see it."
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There's no such thing as not having religion. It just changes.
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That's correct. The rate of those who are religious is shrinking in America where it was higher than a lot of developed nations. Across the world more people are becoming religious, though, with Islam leading the way, if I recall correctly.
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TheUsualSuspect posted...

Good. The sooner we're at a place where religion is a private affair behind closed doors, the better. There's nothing wrong with religion itself, just when it tries to change things.

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Minecraft10 posted...

It may in fact be because of the intensity of American religion, and the perceived partisan polarization of American religion, that moderately religious people are leaving it behind.

In other words, the study suggests that the conservative Christianity celebrated by Pence appears to be turning off other Americans with more moderate views on religion.

This is exactly why people are turning away from religion.

You have too many fucking crazies like Pence and Trump who taint Christianity with their stupidity.
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The fundimential Christian Evangelicals Pence represent control the country. Even though newer generations are getting less religious they will fight to cement their control and force new generations to be religious if they have to. They know they are dying and it scares them.
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Good
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VectorChaos posted...

It needs to die out everywhere

It can exist but it shouldn't have the power it has over people's ideals, actions and thought process. People say it's religion that's the cause of all these wars, that's not really true, religion is just the excuse those in power fed to their citizens to convince them to fight for their goals kinda like patriotism
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VectorChaos posted...

It needs to die out everywhere

Tips fedora
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TheUsualSuspect posted...

Good. The sooner we're at a place where religion is a private affair behind closed doors, the better. There's nothing wrong with religion itself, just when it tries to change things.

A lot of community building organizations are religion based. I'm not part of them but they do a lot of good. These are group efforts that I'm not convinced would still happen to the same degree without religious organizations, except after disasters.
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You know what's funny? It's the religious nutcases who continue to kill their own religion. Their war on gays? Their war on reproductive rights? Etc.

It's killing them.

The older generation is dying out. And now what's left is the younger crowd who regards religious types like Pence as fucking crazy.
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LadyLuckSmiles posted...

You know what's funny? It's the religious nutcases who continue to kill their own religion. Their war on gays? Their war on reproductive rights? Etc.

It's killing them.

The older generation is dying out. And now what's left is the younger crowd who regards religious types like Pence as fucking crazy.

Trump is literally President bro.

It's the SJW crowd getting it's ass handed to them right now.
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You'd be surprised the amount of people who still carry religious beliefs but are more secretive about it because of nutcases like Pence giving it a negative connotation
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Patty_Fleur posted...

LadyLuckSmiles posted...

You know what's funny? It's the religious nutcases who continue to kill their own religion. Their war on gays? Their war on reproductive rights? Etc.

It's killing them.

The older generation is dying out. And now what's left is the younger crowd who regards religious types like Pence as fucking crazy.

Trump is literally President bro.

It's the SJW crowd getting it's was handed to them right now.

English please
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Good news.
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Patty_Fleur posted...

There's no such thing as not having religion. It just changes.

I'm worried this might be true. The shock of not having anything to believe in could give birth to insane theologies. Trumpology, LiamNeesonolgy etc. Scary.
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There was a time when I believed this was a good thing, but I've since come to appreciate the fact that the masses can't ****ing control themselves without some fear of god instilled in them, and in its absence they become political totalitarians, not that the Evangelical Right is helping this at all.
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TheMikh posted...

There was a time when I believed this was a good thing, but I've since come to appreciate the fact that the masses can't ****ing control themselves without some fear of god instilled in them, and in its absence they become political totalitarians, not that the Evangelical Right is helping this at all.

lol
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MelzezDoor posted...

Patty_Fleur posted...

There's no such thing as not having religion. It just changes.

I'm worried this might be true. The shock of not having anything to believe in could give birth to insane theologies. Trumpology, LiamNeesonolgy etc. Scary.

A faceless god is preferable, really. At least it isn't actually present to enforce rule, and must rely on the behest of others.
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We already have tons of proof that people who drop religion will often fill that space with some other dogmatic belief system.

Look at how the major political parties and social movements in the USA operate. Look at their language, and their tactics. The only big thing missing is an invisible man in the sky.
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LadyLuckSmiles posted...

You know what's funny? It's the religious nutcases who continue to kill their own religion. Their war on gays? Their war on reproductive rights? Etc.

It's killing them.

The older generation is dying out. And now what's left is the younger crowd who regards religious types like Pence as fucking crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM_QDyr5NaM" data-time="
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Religion has been dying since 1882
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOH37W0jPpA" data-time="
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Is the Church of The Fonz gonna make it?
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This topic is islamophobic
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The only religion that needs to exist is the Church of Gronk.

Join us in our prayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN0UxYBoqYE" data-time="
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VectorChaos posted...

It needs to die out everywhere

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what a fedora believes

FlyingForever posted...

VectorChaos posted...

It needs to die out everywhere

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Good.
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Organized religion is one of the greatest evils in history.

Whatever you believe, whatever you want to worship, IDGAF. As Thomas Jefferson said, "But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

But most of the world's troubles can be traced back to policies implemented by the institutions of faith, in one form or another.
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DiScOrD tHe LuNaTiC posted...

Organized religion is one of the greatest evils in history.

Whatever you believe, whatever you want to worship, IDGAF. As Thomas Jefferson said, "But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

But most of the world's troubles can be traced back to policies implemented by the institutions of faith, in one form or another.

bump.

DiScOrD tHe LuNaTiC posted...

It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

religion does pick your pocket though

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/05/29/a-televangelist-wants-his-
followers-to-pay-for-a-54-million-private-jet-its-his-fourth-plane
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Many similar benevolent, civic organizations are losing membership as well. Freemasonry is a good example. Most people probably don't know what Freemasons stand for, in reality, outside of internet anti-masons.

Religion is suffering from a similar fate. The bad apples are ruining the bunch and leading to shrinking numbers.

Nuffinz0rz posted...

DiScOrD tHe LuNaTiC posted...

It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

religion does pick your pocket though

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/05/29/a-televangelist-wants-his-
followers-to-pay-for-a-54-million-private-jet-its-his-fourth-plane

As I said, it's organized, institutionalized religion I have a problem with.
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bump

Yay!

has anyone been a shittier VP?
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In Australia "no religion" is the biggest denomination of religion*.

*technically all forms of Christianity is still the highest

No religion 30.1%
Catholic 22.6%
Anglican 13.3%
Uniting Church 3.7%
Christian, (Not further defined) 2.6%
Islam 2.6%
Buddhism 2.4%
Presbyterian and Reformed 2.3%
Eastern Orthodox 2.1%

then a bunch under 2%
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DavidWong posted...

In Australia "no religion" is the biggest denomination of religion*.

*technically all forms of Christianity is still the highest

No religion 30.1%
Catholic 22.6%
Anglican 13.3%
Uniting Church 3.7%
Christian, (Not further defined) 2.6%
Islam 2.6%
Buddhism 2.4%
Presbyterian and Reformed 2.3%
Eastern Orthodox 2.1%

then a bunch under 2%

@DavidWong That's cool that most of Australia is non-religious.

Yeah and as the older people die out it will continue to grow.


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gnosticism needs to take over
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