Religiosity drops in America (I thought another member said American Mythology was increasing?!!?!)

[웃 910]

????? http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/336359-there-are-300-fewer-atheists-today-than-there-were-yesterday/

Religiosity drops in America

Sigmund, who apparently scours the literature more closely than I, has, at my invitation, written up the results of a new Pew Survey on the prevalence of faith in America. The results are heartening.

Pew Research Center survey reveals decline in US religiosity

by Sigmund

On November 17^th, the Pew Research Center released the results of the survey, “American Exceptionalism Subsides—The American-Western European Values Gap”, designed to compare attitudes of the US population with those of four Western European countries, namely Britain, Germany, France and Spain.

The study involved a telephone based poll of 1000 participants in each country who were asked the same set of questions. While primarily focused on the question of “exceptionalism” – pride in ones national culture above all other cultures – it included several questions that help illuminate the difference in the value given to religion between the US and European populations.

Previous studies have demonstrated a much higher degree of religiosity in the US compared with most of Europe and the current survey, perhaps unsurprisingly, supports this finding.

“Half of Americans deem religion very important in their lives; fewer than a quarter in Spain (22%), Germany (21%), Britain (17%) and France (13%) share this view.

Moreover, Americans are far more inclined than Western Europeans to say it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values; 53% say this is the case in the U.S., compared with just one-third in Germany, 20% in Britain, 19% in Spain and 15% in France.”

Of particular interest, however, is the demographic breakdown of the US results. For instance the results reveals major differences in US attitudes to religion based on gender (women are much more likely than men , 59% vs 41%, to consider religion as being very important, as are older compared to younger individuals (57% vs 41%).

It is also worth noting that the religious attitudes of political moderates in the US are far closer to those of political conservatives than those of political liberals. When asked: “Is it necessary to believe in God to be moral?”, the US results show that 66% of conservatives agree, compared with 52% of moderates and 26% of liberals. [JAC note: perhaps this explains the Obama administration's pandering to conservative views about contraception in their decision yesterday.]

One intriguing result from the demographic breakdown is in the effect that a college education appears to have on religious attitudes. While there is little difference in how those with and without a college degree view the importance of religion, individuals who have been to college are far less likely to say “it is necessary to believe in God to be moral” (37% vs 59%), suggesting, perhaps, that exposure to nonreligious individuals in the university may reduce bias against the nonreligious.

Despite the rather bleak current figures for the US population, the survey does give reason for optimism.

The current questionnaire is part of the Pew Centers global attitudes survey, a series of polls carried out in several countries over the past decade. Because the same questions have been asked of the same populations at regular intervals, we can see whether attitudes towards religion, or other subjects in the survey, remain stable or are changing.

In regards the question “Do you consider religion very important?”, the US results show a 9% decrease (59% to 50%) between 2002 and 2011. In comparison the European results for the same question in 2011 are both far lower than the US result (going from 13% in France to 22% in Spain) and much less variable over the preceding decade.

The shift of US religious opinion towards a more secular outlook is mirrored in the gradual change in the answer to the question “Should homosexuality be accepted?” The current result for the US population (60% saying that homosexuality should be accepted) shows a 9% increase since the 2002 survey, albeit still remaining far below the European levels, which vary from 81% in Britain to 91% in Spain.

If the current rate of change continues (and the demographic differences between religious attitudes of the young and older age groups render this change practically inevitable) we can predict a decline of US religiosity to levels approaching that of Western Europe within the next two generations.

[Captain Oates 911]

This idea that a majority of the US population see me as an immoral person because my religion is 'non', is causing me to slide towards being anti- theist

If they want to attack me as a valid person because of their childish voodoo superstitions, then I am getting more inclined to fight back

"Non" has been the fastest growing religious belief in the USA for many years, and as the outside world arrives over the internet in these mini IRANS in the rural areas, it will become more and more widespread

This opinion can be read any day over the web now - but expressing it 40 years ago would have had me physically beaten in small town USA (by those nice christian people)

The religious people forget that I live among them and I know exactly how moral they are. They aren't !

I live a far more moral life than the overwhelming majority of the religious people and they are a bunch of hypocrites

Long may "NON" be the fastest growing religious belief

[웃 910]

"Non" has been the fastest growing religious belief in the USA for many years, and as the outside world arrives over the internet in these mini IRANS in the rural areas, it will become more and more widespread

Danno reported that there are:

"...about 80,000 new Christians every day, 79,000 new Muslims every day, and 300 fewer atheists every day."

[Captain Oates 911]

...about 80,000 new Christians every day, 79,000 new Muslims every day, and

Wrong -- its a one way process. He is probably thinking of all the catholic illegals streaming into the country - do the right see that as a good thing ? It does increase the god-nuts after all.

Evey Mexican drug dealer is highly religious !

The decline in religiosity is like liberalism or the slide to the left

Both are unstoppable

All of US history is a slide to the left

Slavery

kids up chimneys

votes for women

medicare

medicaid

Social security

gay marriage

Gay Marines

etc etc etc etc

Its one way traffic

Edited December 8, 2011 by Ashud Cocoa

[Saddle Bronc 124]

LI, you confuse religion and mythology. A country can spawn a very "secular" mythology about itself--as the Soviet Union is known to have done.

[Captain Oates 911]

I became a US citizen one year ago and I am still waiting to feel exceptional - like I am now the master race - better than all the rest of the people in the world. I am still 6 foot and 196 lbs - nothing changed.

In fact I see Americans as much more human and unexceptional and unremarkable than I did before

That is a compliment by the way and quite comforting

I now see advantages and disadvantages to doing things the American way -- but the retarded social structure in the same space as the advanced technological capability is quite striking and quite depressing

and quite exhilarating. A land of great extremes going from uplifting to loathsome.

It was noticed first by Aneurin Bevan in 1952 in his book " In place of fear" and is as true today as it was then

Maybe I should give it some more time and watch religion trickle down to the lower classes who need it as a comfort in their exploited circumstances and away from the thinking classes

Edited December 8, 2011 by Ashud Cocoa

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

One intriguing result from the demographic breakdown is in the effect that a college education appears to have on religious attitudes. While there is little difference in how those with and without a college degree view the importance of religion, individuals who have been to college are far less likely to say “it is necessary to believe in God to be moral” (37% vs 59%), suggesting, perhaps, that exposure to nonreligious individuals in the university may reduce bias against the nonreligious.

This is why college education needs to be made more expensive and less affordable. The fewer people we send to college, the fewer people we will have doubting the fact that one cannot be moral unless one believes in God. Hell, shut them colleges down altogether and people will find their way to righteousness.

[Captain Oates 911]

This is why college education needs to be made more expensive and less affordable. The fewer people we send to college, the fewer people we will have doubting the fact that one cannot be moral unless one believes in God. Hell, shut them colleges down altogether and people will find their way to righteousness.

I am looking fwd to an increase in Muslim America - then the Christians and Islamists can fight it out

- leaving only the educated non -religious to inherit the earth

[Danno 1,228]

I am looking fwd to an increase in Muslim America - then the Christians and Islamists can fight it out

- leaving only the educated non -religious to inherit the earth

Thats funny, it would be a short lived inheritance as those two demographics don't bother having kids.

[Captain Oates 911]

Thats funny, it would be a short lived inheritance as those two demographics don't bother having kids.

That's where I am with you on the 'ME' thing - I don't mind the human race dying out after I go

All this about finding another planet ? Why ? Whats so good about humans ?

Let em die out

They had their chance and blew it....

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Long may "NON" be the fastest growing religious belief

Although... I am crazy about places of worship. I absolutely love them. If I have to attend a funeral/wedding/religious service with family then I actually rather enjoy it. RE was a favourite subject at school (incidentally, although this was in the UK and our RE teacher was Christian, she arranged a day-trip for us to a mosque, and we covered at least four major religions in the class).

My dad is a non-theist and he has a degree in theology, and even founded an interfaith group in his town... he is also crazy about places of worship. They are absolutely fascinating places.