Report: US Protestants lose majority status
Source: Associated Press
Oct 9, 12:29 AM EDT
Report: US Protestants lose majority status
By RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- For the first time in its history, the United States does not have a Protestant majority, according to a new study. One reason: The number of Americans with no religious affiliation is on the rise.
The percentage of Protestant adults in the U.S. has reached a low of 48 percent, the first time that Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has reported with certainty that the number has fallen below 50 percent. The drop has long been anticipated and comes at a time when no Protestants are on the U.S. Supreme Court and the Republicans have their first presidential ticket with no Protestant nominees.
Among the reasons for the change are the growth in nondenominational Christians who can no longer be categorized as Protestant, and a spike in the number of American adults who say they have no religion. The Pew study, released Tuesday, found that about 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years.
Scholars have long debated whether people who say they no longer belong to a religious group should be considered secular. While the category as defined by Pew researchers includes atheists, it also encompasses majorities of people who say they believe in God, and a notable minority who pray daily or consider themselves "spiritual" but not "religious." Still, Pew found overall that most of the unaffiliated aren't actively seeking another religious home, indicating that their ties with organized religion are permanently broken.
Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SURVEY_NO_RELIGION?SECTION=HOME&SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
bluestateguy
(44,173 posts)Church rules, church policies, church hierarchies, church bureaucracy, church gossip, church finances, Jesus wanted us to get away from all that and see the Big Picture.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)tama
(9,137 posts)Socal31
(2,484 posts)You can find me opening a bottle of bubbly that evening. Or ten.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)And he points to the so call "Christians"
oldsarge54
(582 posts)We are not all the same. Do be guilty like the Republicans are of judging all Muslims by the actions of the few, by doing the same with us Christians. I have no problems with atheists, it is your call, and to be honest, you may be right. I can't prove you wrong anyway. I don't like neo-Pharisees. Those are the ones that most call social conservatives, trying to impose God's law on the secular world. Jesus didn't like them either. I have enough trouble with my own approach to god, so remember these thoughts.
The Great Jihad is not against men, it is against one's own soul. Mohammad
An it harms no others, do as thou wilt. Wicca
Find the middle road. Buddha
Love thy neighbor. Jesus
I may be wrong, but I'm willing to believe the wicca statement applies to most atheist, but feel free to correct me.
Any road leading to light is probably right, even if you don't believe there is a god head at the end. I believe that (insert the deity or lack of your choice) is so full of love that all roads will work, if you are ethical with your fellow humans. ME
Kolesar
(31,182 posts)oldsarge54
(582 posts)You know what I mean.
fasttense
(17,301 posts)Oh, never mind, we'll stick with Protestant and Pat Robertson anyway .
Kolesar
(31,182 posts)"Part of what's going on here is that the stigma associated with not being part of any religious community has declined," said John Green, a specialist in religion and politics at the University of Akron, who advised Pew on the survey. "In some parts of the country, there is still a stigma. But overall, it's not the way it used to be."
Washington and Oregon are notably secular. Cleveland has that to offer to young people, too. We live in a part of the country where there is no such "stigma".
Berlum
(7,044 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,318 posts)sybylla
(8,511 posts)My favorite and a great response.
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)[center]
For the life of me I can't understand why!!!! [/center]
- K&R