The Individualization of Religion

I stumbled upon this article a few days ago. I found it very interesting and shared it with a friend and with my husband at the time and it is part of what finally sparked me to start this blog, commenting on issues that I find relevant (or entertaining).

From www.cnn.com:

taken from: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/09/us.religion.less.christian/index.html

America becoming less Christian, survey finds

(CNN) -- America is a less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago, and Christianity is not losing out to other religions, but primarily to a rejection of religion altogether, a survey published Monday found.
Survey finds percentage of of Americans identifying themselves as Christian has fallen over two decades.

Survey finds percentage of of Americans identifying themselves as Christian has fallen over two decades.

Seventy-five percent of Americans call themselves Christian, according to the American Religious Identification Survey from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1990, the figure was 86 percent.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League said he thinks a radical shift towards individualism over the last quarter-century has a lot to do it.

"The three most dreaded words are thou shalt not," he told Lou Dobbs. "Notice they are not atheists -- they are saying I don't want to be told what to do with my life."

At the same time there has been an increase in the number of people expressing no religious affiliation.

The survey also found that "born-again" or "evangelical" Christianity is on the rise, while the percentage who belong to "mainline" congregations such as the Episcopal or Lutheran churches has fallen.

One in three Americans consider themselves evangelical, and the number of people associated with mega-churches has skyrocketed from less than 200,000 in 1990 to more than 8 million in the latest survey. Video Watch CNN report on new study »

The rise in evangelical Christianity is contributing to the rejection of religion altogether by some Americans, said Mark Silk of Trinity College.

"In the 1990s, it really sunk in on the American public generally that there was a long-lasting 'religious right' connected to a political party, and that turned a lot of people the other way," he said of the link between the Republican Party and groups such as the Moral Majority and Focus on the Family. Video Watch author on mixing religion and politics »

"In an earlier time, people who would have been content to say, 'Well, I'm some kind of a Protestant,' now say 'Hell no, I won't go,'" he told CNN.

Silk also said the revelation that some Catholic priests had sexually abused children -- and senior figures in the church hierarchy had helped to hide it -- drove some Catholics away from religion.

And, he said, it is now more socially acceptable than it once was to admit having no religion.

"You're not declaring yourself a total pariah. The culture has changed in a way that makes it easier to say, 'No, I don't have a religion. Even in the past year, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama feel obliged to talk about 'those of no faith,' " he pointed out. Obama mentioned people without faith in his inaugural address in January, making him the first president to do so.

In the survey, one in five Americans said they have no religious identity or did not answer the question, and more than one in four said they do not expect to have a religious funeral.

The rise in what the survey authors call "nones" is the only trend reflected in every single state in the study, Silk said.

"We don't see anything else in the survey that is nationwide," he told CNN.

Still, Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, remained hopeful that people will return to their faith, noting there was a less dramatic decline in those affiliating themselves with a religion this decade than in the 1990s.

Perkins told Lou Dobbs he sees that decline easing, and he thinks soon religion will be an even greater part of people's lives.

"If this poll is taken next year will the outcome be different?" he asked. "As the economy goes downward, I think people are going to be driven to religion."

Other findings include:

• The percentage of Catholics in the United States has remained steady at about one in four since 1990, while the percentage of other Christians has plummeted from 60 percent to 50 percent.

• The percentage of Muslims has doubled since 1990, but remains statistically very small, only 0.3 percent in the original survey and 0.6 percent today.

• Mormons have remained steady as a percentage of the population, even as the number of people in the United States has grown. They make up 1.4 percent of the population.

• The number of Jews in the United States is falling if the category includes only those who define themselves as Jews religiously, but has remained the same if the category includes people who consider themselves ethnically Jewish.
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The survey polled 54,461 Americans between February and November of last year. Pollsters conducted the research in both English and Spanish.

The survey is the third in a series, following polls in 1990 and 2001.



I feel that this survey is totally spot-on. I know that I hesitate to tell people that I'm a "Christian" now, although I do not hesitate to tell them that Jesus is my savior and I feel that the way to God is through accepting that Jesus died for my sins. I feel that the far right has projected an image of judgement, hate, and fear and I KNOW that that is not what God intended. Someone I know recently wrote, "...Our God is a Jealous and God who is only holding back His wrath for the time being, to preach that He is only a loving and accepting God would truly be a lie. But But with true repentantance, you see the loving and forgiving God we all know Him to be." I was appalled when I read this. I know that Proverbs 31:30 states, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." but I don't think it means that the woman stands in fear of God. It means that the woman is wise enough to know and understand that God is more powerful than we will ever be able to comprehend and that a power that great should be heeded. I know that the second coming is going to be awesome and filled with all kinds of hell for some people. I know that not all of my loved ones will be joining me in heaven one day. I know that God can strike me dead at any moment. I know that I am a sinner and am not perfect. But here's the thing. If you are a REAL Christ follower (See my hesitation in using the term "Christian"?), then you WILL NOT be afraid because you know that you are forgiven and that no matter what falls upon you, God will be with you and carry you through. I see absolutely no point to all the hell and damnation that is preached because as a person who know she is saved by the blood of Jesus, I KNOW that I am taken care of, and as someone who knows many people who are not saved, I know that focusing on the hell they will endure if they don't come to know Jesus will not bring them any closer to Him. Does God really want followers who follow him out of fear anyway? I mean, seriously? Didn't He give us free will so that we would lovingly choose to follow Him? It's kind of like saying that Rihanna should love Chris Brown because if she doesn't then he's going to beat the crap out of her or kill her. Do you think that's how any being would want to really receive love? Having someone love you because they are so scare of what will happen if they don't? And if you are following in fear, are you really doing a good job of living a life that is a testimony to the love and grace and hope that is God? Do I fear God? I fear the kind of power that he has. Does fear drive my love and passion for God? No. Not at all. I love God because he first loved me and every day I wake up and see and feel and breathe His blessings. I want to be a part of a lifestyle that promotes the message of what Jesus was really here for. This message rings true to me:

Matthew 21:31-33 (New International Version)

31"Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

I believe that those who stand and judge will one day be in for a big surprise. In the effort to "live a life like Jesus", it was not intended for us to, "play judge as if we were God". I will leave you with this passage which I feel embodies how we are all called to live our lives. I want you to notice that it says nowhere that we are to judge or to fear, but it says to encourage, be patient and be kind. So it is with a great peace in my heart, knowing that my God loves me as He loves all of you (whether you accept that love or not), that I close my first true post here on the block.

1 Thessalonians 5

1Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Final Instructions
12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

19Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.

23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

25Brothers, pray for us. 26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.