7.5 Million Americans Left Religion Since 2012

News that ought to terrify the Christofascists and Republican Party - i.e., that the number of "Nones" is growing rapidly - is, to me, actually good news.  Look around in the world today or even here in America and after perhaps race, nothing promotes more hate and bigotry than religion.  Yes, there are churches that quietly do their bake sales, run soup kitchens, and actually heed the Gospel message, but for all of that the overall stock in trade of religion is division and discord, if not outright hatred.  How many atheists do you hear wanting to enact laws for the execution of gays or other people or killing nonbelievers?  Religion News Service looks at the results of the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) that was released last week.  Here are highlights:

A new survey shows that the Great Decline of religion in America continues. Since 2012, the U.S. has about 7.5 million Americans who are no longer active in religion.

Last week, the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) was released. The GSS is the gold standard for sociological surveys. Funded by the National Science Foundation this multi-million dollar study gives us the most accurate data on American society — including religion.

Here are three measures that show that the percentage of Americans who left religion increased between 2012 and 2014, reaching its highest level in decades. 

[W]e see between a one and three point rise in secularity since 2012, with 7.5 million more people never entering a church or other worship service than just two years earlier.

When asked their “religious preference”, nearly one-in-four Americans now says “none.” Up until the 1990s, this group of so-called “nones” hovered in the single digits.  The 2014 GSS showed that the so-called nones are 21 percent. How large is this group of nones? There are nearly as many Americans who claim no religion as there are Catholics (24 percent). If this growth continues, in a few years the largest “religion” in the U.S. may be no religion at all.

The number of Americans who never darken a church door is also at a new high. Over a third of Americans (34 percent) never attend a worship service (other than weddings and other ceremonies). This is a 3.4 point increase from just a few years earlier. Put differently, the group of Americans who don’t attend church grew by a rate of over ten percent in two years.

Bottom line:  The number of Americans who are no longer active in religion reached a new high in 2014. Since 2012, about 7.5 million Americans more Americans don’t attend attend church. Millions also stopped identifying with any religion or praying. 

Are Americans less moral than in the past?  I don't think so.  Simply more and more have decided not to listen to ignorance and bigotry and don't want to support a parasitic (and often morally bankrupt) clergy class.  As for the GOP, but pandering to the most extreme far right Christians, the party seems determined to commit long term suicide.