Portrait in stained glass

God only knows how it came to this. Just 78.4 percent of Americans currently profess affiliation with a Christian body. And a quarter of Americans ages 18-29 disclaim membership in any religion. Meanwhile, 12.1 percent of adults describe their religion as “nothing in particular.” All this while Mormons and Muslims outbreed everyone else.

Or so the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Reports this week, having extensively surveyed “the U.S. religion landscape.”

We’re in for some soul-searching, it’s safe to predict, in confirmation perhaps of the uneasy feeling many have had for some decades as the secularists came to glare with sovereign contempt on public religious expression, and as bellicose atheist writers (e.g., Richard Dawkins and Christopher — meaning “Christ-bearer” — Hitchens) scaled the best-seller lists.

The Pew survey doesn’t suggest that Christianity is going into eclipse but rather that particular ties among Christians, and particular ways of relating to the faith, are undergoing sharp change. As is everything else in our explosive environment, come to think of it. Some of us who have been around longer notice these things more intensively, but that’s just an aside.

Among Pew’s other findings (35,000 adults were surveyed):

— The number of religiously unaffiliated Americans is twice that of Americans who came to adulthood without prior affiliation. That is, half grew up to shed such affiliations as they started with.

— The United States “is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country.”

— The Catholics are bleeding members — increasing overall in number only on account of immigration. More than 10 percent of Americans are former Catholics.

— Atheists outnumber Episcopalians, while agnostics (the “show-mes” of religion) outnumber Episcopalians and Presbyterians together.

Pew finds — this won’t surprise you much in the iPod/Internet age — “that constant movement characterizes the American religious marketplace, as every major religious group is simultaneously gaining and losing adherents.”

The word “marketplace” is worth dwelling on. A marketplace is where you buy commodities. Religion, to many moderns, is a commodity: a thing they shop for, like blue jeans, chardonnay, automobiles, dishwasher detergent, private schools, costume jewelry, mobile homes, DVD players and, for that matter, political candidates. When you find what you like, you buy it. If you decide it’s still important to you.

The consumer model shapes everything else around us, Why not religion as well?

Here’s one rather large why-not. Because religion embodies Truth, or claims to do so. A consumer society spreads out various “truths” side by side in bins and invites the consumer to choose. Religion (Judaic or Christian) says, or is supposed to say, “This is It. You are here. Go no further. Choose now this day whom you will serve.”

It’s not what could be called a consumer-friendly approach, nor is there any reason for it to resemble such. Religion goes to the bottom of all concerns, and to the top as well. It tells of how things are. Not how we might like them. Are. A-r-e.

Which sounds despotic. Twenty-first-century Americans don’t enjoy being told how the cow ate the cabbage. They want to bring their own special insights to that appraisal, as indeed some of the more spacious-minded churches — my Episcopalians come to mind, along with some others — encourage them to do. (With what success you might note from the numerical decline my Episcopalians have experienced since 1965, when they were about twice as numerous as now — in profession, at least.)

American Christians (and, for that matter, Jews) down in the dumps from contemplation of figures like those the Pew Forum supplies should take heart. For the simple reason that religion isn’t consumerism. It’s religion.

God will have his way with the world that He himself — so the Good Book instructs us — created ex nihilo: out of nothing. Whose people He made. Whose Affairs He continues to oversee.

Surveys can be fun, as showing us what goes on in the minds of our neighbors. We might just recall it’s not necessary to take with utmost seriousness what our neighbors may be thinking.

Words reveal 'attitudes'

Submitted by Davids mom on Fri, 02/29/2008 - 1:20pm.

Jesus declared that we are all one in Christ - all one in God. When a professed Christian uses the word 'breed' when referring to non-Christians - no wonder there are those who think that 'some' Christians are hypocritical. The 'Golden Rule' preached and practiced would bring 'peace' to individuals, organizations, - the world. The trying to live the Golden Rule would be a welcomed relief to 'words' as used by Murchison.

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Stealing Jesus

Submitted by Main Stream on Fri, 02/29/2008 - 12:15pm.

"God only knows how it came to this. Just 78.4 percent of Americans currently profess affiliation with a Christian body."

To be honest after I read this first sentence, I thought that number was quite impressive. Could it be that Murchison, and those like him, won't be satisfied until the religious composition of our country is composed entirely of Christians? The Crusades all over again?! And people wonder why there continues to be such a religious divide in our country, when the major religious group continues to whine because ONLY 2/3 of the citizenry "currently profess affiliation with a Christian body."

"Meanwhile, 12.1 percent of adults describe their religion as “nothing in particular.” All this while Mormons and Muslims outbreed everyone else."

Hmmmm "outbreed everyone else." That's a very nice christiany thing to say. Nasty little remarks like this surely won't help bring others to Christ. And Murchison actually wonders WHY people are discouraged about the Christian faith?

"We’re in for some soul-searching, it’s safe to predict, in confirmation perhaps of the uneasy feeling many have had for some decades as the secularists came to glare with sovereign contempt on public religious expression..."

That's right. Blame it on the secularists who want to uphold the Constitution and the Separation of Church and State, INSTEAD of looking inward OR at recent actions that have occurred in the name of the Christian faith, in the political and public arenas.

"…and as bellicose atheist writers scaled the best-seller lists."

The atheist and agnostic mantra: I think, therefore I doubt. I like that one!

The fundamentalist movement in this country has stolen Jesus for the most part. THAT is why people are moving away from the Christian faith. The Christian religion looks nothing like it did when I was a young Presbyterian, growing up. Back then, there were no "Left-Behind" books (total garbage), or Westboro Baptist Churches (God Hates Fags), or teaching Creationism/I.D. in school (except in private religious schools), or seeing the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast. The modern Christian religion looks nothing like it did when I was actually a 'follower.'

In a recent address, the Secretary General of the Anglican Council said,

"...in certain parts of the world, the word Christian has become an embarrassment because it has been aligned with movements which are contrary to the loving Christ that is at the heart of the [Christian] message. "I hold my head in shame," he continued, "to hear Jesus’ name being affiliated with political movements that isolate, inhibit, and breed hate and discontentment among human beings."

For me, and many others like me, we didn't leave Christianity. The Christian religion left us.

(And before our two female witch-hunters start blasting me for the umpteenth time, no I am not a Wiccan, but I do believe in freedom of/from religion, whether someone is Wiccan, neo-pagan, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist/agnostic, or whatever belief system they choose to follow.)

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Actually it is over 3/4 of...

Submitted by Main Stream on Fri, 02/29/2008 - 3:51pm.

...the U.S. population that "currently profess affiliation with a Christian body", not 2/3 as I posted above.... that IS very impressive.

I don't understand the whiney tone, Murchison.

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Christianity

Submitted by sageadvice on Fri, 02/29/2008 - 12:53pm.

To begin with, organized Christianity is a "minor" religion when it comes to numbers. If you take out the Catholics, who are a branch different than all of the others, they are even much less in the count.

Of course that doesn't mean anything to a regular Christian, but it does to the others.

Secondly, and probably most importantly, "ORGANIZED" religion is the problem causing the downfall of the numbers.

If people who didn't belong to an organized religion were asked if they believed in a Creator, and if there were right and wrong actions, I think you would find even the Agnostics think that.

There is nothing religious about going to a building, changing your face to a Holy look, listening to a man tell you what he thinks the Bible says, and becoming loud, yelling and passionate!

I'm not suggesting that all Church buildings should be eliminated.
Some find social intermingling and peace there with a group of others who don't argue with them; but, when they want all of my money, tell me how to live, criticize me for what they also do, and make pretentious mutterings out of habit, I'm not interested.

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sage...Christianity and God/god

Submitted by Main Stream on Sat, 03/01/2008 - 12:41pm.

There is nothing religious about going to a building, changing your face to a Holy look, listening to a man tell you what he thinks the Bible says, and becoming loud, yelling and passionate!

I agree. I believe one can be connected to God/god just by being outside and not in a group of screaming-mimi's rolling on the floor or speaking in tongues.

I like this quote from Frank Lloyd Wright: "I believe in god, I just spell it NATURE."

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