People without religious beliefs currently form the largest group in the United States, according to the latest report from the American Pew Research Center, which asked Americans about their religion.
Data published on January 24 shows that people reporting no religious affiliation currently make up 28 percent. residents of the United States, overtaking the second largest group: Catholics, who make up 20 percent.
The number of atheists is increasing
The latest data confirms the long-term trend. The percentage of people without religious beliefs has almost doubled since 2007, when it was 16 percent. According to the Pew Research Center, this increase has resulted not only in decreased religious participation, but also in civic engagement, as non-religious people are less likely to vote, volunteer, or have strong groups of friends or communities.
Although these people do not report membership in a specific church or religious group and are much less likely to attend services, not all of them are atheists. Only 17 percent of them describe themselves as atheists, while 20 percent describe themselves as agnostic. Most of them – 63 percent. considers himself indifferent.
Most people had no religious affiliation, 69 percent. still believe in God, although only 13 percent of them believe in the God described in the Bible. Additionally, 49 percent claim that they are spiritual or that spirituality is very important to them.
On average, people without religious beliefs are younger than believers: 69%. of them are under 50 years old, while only 45% of believers are under 50 years old.
While atheists and agnostics tend to have higher levels of education than religious people, those who are indifferent tend to have lower levels of education: 27 percent of them graduated from college, compared to 34 percent. religious people.
According to the American institute, the majority of people have no religious beliefs: 67 percent. He cites disbelief and skepticism as the reason for not identifying with religion.
Just over half, 55 percent. say they are not religious because they don’t like religious organizations or have had bad experiences with religious people, while 44 percent say they don’t need religion or don’t have time for it.
Nearly half of people with no religious affiliation (43%) believe that organized religion does more harm than good.
At the same time, however, 56 percent Non-believers believe that science has certain limitations and that there are things it cannot explain. This is coupled with the fact that half of them say that spirituality is very important to them, and many believe that animals and nature, such as mountains and trees, have ‘spirits or spiritual energies’.
The majority of people with no religious affiliation (83%) say that the indicator of morality for them is the desire not to harm people, while 82% claim that logic and reason are also their moral compass. Nevertheless, they are much less likely to volunteer: 17%. say they have volunteered in the past year, while 27 percent of believers say they have recently volunteered.
People with no religious affiliation are also much less likely to vote, with 39 percent of them saying they would participate in the 2022 election, compared to 51%. Americans declare themselves religious.
The Pew Research Center also notes that these people tend to be “less satisfied with their local communities and less satisfied with their social lives.”
More research is needed
Michael Pakaluk, a professor of social studies and business administration at the Catholic University of America, told CNA that the Pew report barely addressed the impact on society of the increase in the number of people who do not identify with any religion and that the impact “will are not good.”
What he found particularly troubling was the fact that religiously neutral people are less committed to their communities and to the project of assimilating civilization and passing it on to future generations. He recalled that “when we lose sight of the Creator, we also lose sight of creation.” He also believes that the constant increase in the number of religiously uninvolved people is a direct result of secularized education, including poor religious education at most colleges and universities affiliated with certain denominations, as well as the trauma and consequences of the plague of divorces. Despite these threats, he believes this is a great time for evangelism.
According to Pew, most people with no religious affiliation in the US were raised as Christians but now feel disconnected from religious institutions. In light of this, Pakaluk sees the need for sound religious education to reverse this trend. He pointed out the need to remember the content of the faith and contact with the Holy Scriptures.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
