In another sign that while still winning some battles, the Christo-fascists are slowly losing the larger war of inflicting their religious bigotry on all Americans, the percentage of Americans identifying as Christian is continuing to fall. The result, of course, will in the short term likely be even more hysterical efforts by the Religious Right to enact as many anti-gay and anti-diversity laws as possible before the oldest living generations - which are the most prejudiced - die off. Indeed, the Christianists will be hyperventilating over the fact that, accordingly newly released Gallup Poll, the percentage of Americans who consider themselves to be Christian has dropped from 91% in 1948 to 78% in 2009. At the same time, the number of citizens saying that they have no religion has risen from 2% to 13%.*
Personally, I believe that much of the decline in Christian identification is due to the wanton un-Christian conduct of self-righteous, self-anointed, hate filled "Christians." Be it their degradation of gays or the rampant hypocrisy and callousness found in the Catholic Church hierarchy, these false Christians have made the Christian faith something to be scorned and avoided. The irony is that its the efforts of the likes of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Tony Perkins, James Dobson and Benedict XVI that have given Christianity this increasingly toxic image. Here are some highlights from the new Gallup Poll findings:
*
The trend results are based on annual averages of Gallup's religious identity data in America that stretch back over 60 years. One of the most significant trends documented during this period is the substantial increase in the percentage of American adults who don't identify with any specific religion. In 1948, only 2% of Americans did not identify with a religion. That percentage began to rise in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Eleven years ago, in 1998, 6% of Americans did not identify with a religion, a number that rose to 10% by 2002. This year's average of 13% of Americans who claim no religious identity is the highest in Gallup records.
*
The percentage of Americans who identify as Catholic, Protestant, or some other non-Catholic Christian faith has been concomitantly decreasing over the years. In 1948, 91% of Americans identified with a Christian faith. Twenty years ago, in 1989, 82% of Americans identified as Christian. Ten years ago, it was 84%. This year, as noted, 78% of all American adults identify with a Christian faith. There has also been a slight increase in the percentage of Americans who identify with a religion that is not specifically classified as Christian. Sixty years ago, for example, 4% of Americans identified with a non-Christian religion. By 1989, 9% of Americans were in this non-Christian religion category, the same percentage as today.
*
When a faith seems increasingly defined by the people that they hate - which with the Religious Right is nearly everyone but themselves - it is anything but a ringing endorsement for that faith. Especially when the supposed Gospel message is something far different. I am not anti-religion - although I did not go to church the night before last/yesterday - but I am against a belief system that betrays Christ's supposed message and seems more focused on hate and division than love of neighbor and equality for all.
The trend results are based on annual averages of Gallup's religious identity data in America that stretch back over 60 years. One of the most significant trends documented during this period is the substantial increase in the percentage of American adults who don't identify with any specific religion. In 1948, only 2% of Americans did not identify with a religion. That percentage began to rise in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Eleven years ago, in 1998, 6% of Americans did not identify with a religion, a number that rose to 10% by 2002. This year's average of 13% of Americans who claim no religious identity is the highest in Gallup records.
*
The percentage of Americans who identify as Catholic, Protestant, or some other non-Catholic Christian faith has been concomitantly decreasing over the years. In 1948, 91% of Americans identified with a Christian faith. Twenty years ago, in 1989, 82% of Americans identified as Christian. Ten years ago, it was 84%. This year, as noted, 78% of all American adults identify with a Christian faith. There has also been a slight increase in the percentage of Americans who identify with a religion that is not specifically classified as Christian. Sixty years ago, for example, 4% of Americans identified with a non-Christian religion. By 1989, 9% of Americans were in this non-Christian religion category, the same percentage as today.
*
When a faith seems increasingly defined by the people that they hate - which with the Religious Right is nearly everyone but themselves - it is anything but a ringing endorsement for that faith. Especially when the supposed Gospel message is something far different. I am not anti-religion - although I did not go to church the night before last/yesterday - but I am against a belief system that betrays Christ's supposed message and seems more focused on hate and division than love of neighbor and equality for all.
2 comments:
From 4 to 9 is more than doubling.
Although most immigrants are Christian(not just Latinos but Chinese and Filipino Christians), the homgeneity of the US has decreased considerably since 1948. I'm not saying that the behavior of Christianists has NOT driven a significant number of people away, but the change in percentage identifying as Christian has multiple roots.
Happy Boxing Day!
That same trend of non-religious identifaction is not something not noticed in the world of world oppinion.
The more it (religions) express an intolerence of lifes or lifestyle the more ground it loses.
After taking a very long researched look into history both the past and present it is self evident by dogma,docrine and practice that religion is the organized use of a belief and not about the belief itself.
This conclusion is equally evident by its practice of selective moral and selective discrimination of life practices that are found thoughtout the world that harm no one yet are exampled by religion as an abomination.
The concept of a God creating laws for the human species then excepting this same species to enforce it is like letting the fox go in the chicken house and expecting it to not eat.
For a person to believe a God created it all then in the next breathe to say this same creation is filled with abominations is by its own actions and words placing itself in judgment of the very being it believes created it.
We have all witness some form of discrimination, be it racial or sexual or sexist towards women.
Religion examples this by its very out of reality prejudice of judgments toward the very same things.
A belief that says one thing then does the other is not a belief it is selective excuses.
History is very revealing that religion is in fact and deed an early form of creation of codes of civil conduct for purposes of social order and comformity.
History both past and present is overly littered with examples.
The problem is not science or even religion the problem is intolerence, discrinmiation and bigotry.
The difficult problem lays in the willness for the intolerent to admit the intolerence.
Believe in a God or not but in either case either belief it correctly or don't brother to cliam any faith or no faith.
The only absolutely un-questionable reality is we are all a part of this world and the only abominations are the ones we create.
All of nature is a learning process ,all of the differences within nature are here it exist with and to learn of.
Prejudice is exactly what it means pre-judging.
No one is expected to accept everything yet everyone should at least attempt a tolerence that does not leap into a bigotry.
If there by this God being it never at any time or place asked anyone to join a religion.
It is ever increasing difficult to not conclude that religion as an organization is in reality organized discrimination.
It is hard to not notice this given its history of use and the history of law creation only examples it more.
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