Americans Switching Faiths / Dropping Out

[RoadRage]

(AP) -- The U.S. religious marketplace is extremely volatile, with nearly half of American adults leaving the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether, a new survey finds.

The survey found the Roman Catholic Church has lost more members than any faith tradition.

The study released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is unusual for it sheer scope, relying on interviews with more than 35,000 adults to document a diverse and dynamic U.S. religious population.

While much of the study confirms earlier findings -- mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing -- it also provides a deeper look behind those trends, and of smaller religious groups.

"The American religious economy is like a marketplace -- very dynamic, very competitive," said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. "Everyone is losing, everyone is gaining. There are net winners and losers, but no one can stand still. Those groups that are losing significant numbers have to recoup them to stay vibrant."

Continued at Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/02/25/religion.survey.ap/index.html
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Interesting article, and it certainly seems to apply to me. I am 30 years old.. born & raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school until High School, and have only been inside of the church for weddings, funerals, and an occasional holiday to appease my parents since then.

I disagree with the Catholic church on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. I now consider myself happily unaffiliated - I don't belong to a church, our family doesn't go to a church, and we just treat each other and strangers with respect. Being "nice" to people who aren't exactly like you seems to be lost on many avid church-goers.. and that's the exact trait i'm trying to instill in my kids.

[Elspeth]

1. "religious marketplace "??? So God IS Mammon now

Nothing is sacred when it comes to the almighty market

[SteppingRazor]

2. My experience and yours are almost exactly the same.

I'm almost your age. Went to Catholic school through 10th grade. And now, I'm married to a Jewish girl who attends temple only on High Holidays. As for me? The whole religion thing seems to be a lame fuck-around. Clerics remind me of carnival barkers.

[RoadRage]

6. I agree..

I have a cousin who is 27, and is a Priest. He truly "believes", and I completely respect him for that. I don't "believe". I think that people who blindly believe allow themselves to be taken advantage of.. and be fed whatever lies the "powers" that be want to give them.

But, that's just my thoughts on it. I think it will be a better world when people think for themselves, and not for what other people tell them to think. But that is a long..long ways away.

[theoldman]

3. I would expect a further decline after Bush leaves office.

Europe has had a big growth in Agnostics and I see the same trend in the US. None of the Senators running for President are religious fanatics.

[onehandle]

4. Red meat for Anti-Religion Underground. nt

[RoadRage]

8. ?? What does this mean? NT

[Lance_Boyle]

9. thanks for the god-botherer garnish. n/t

[dysfunctional press]

5. born and raised a lutheran, now a full-on atheist.

i went to lutheran schools all the way thru high school, but never truly "saw the light" until adulthood.

[qb]

7. Former Methodist here. Atheist for 20 years. nt

[Arugula Latte]

10. I never dropped "in" to religion.

[paparush]

11. I heard this broadcast on NPR and wondered how the F#ck the Religious Right

still wields so much power and influence?

Personally, I'm glad to hear of the trend.

No Kings.
No Gods.
Only Science!

[bemildred]

12. More in U.S. jump to new faiths, poll finds

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-religion26feb26,1,214176.story

[madokie]

13. I was around the ripe old age of 14 when I realized I don't believe this stuff anymore

damn near 60 now and still feel the same way. It started with me when I started seeing do as I say and not as I do and it just went down from there. The church that my dad started and built back in the early '50 is still having services today but I haven't darkened the doors since my dads funeral in '77, doubt I ever do again. Nothing personal just I'm not a religous person anymore, I find, to me anyway, that a lot of the blame of where we are today can be lain at the feet of the Evangelicals. I hear it all the time when I mention the war in Iraq, when I'm in the company of said people, say things like they ought to turn that place into glass or kill 'em all and let god sort them out. No thats not how I see the world. Hell I'm a multi-nationality person myself who believes for instance, that Gays are born that way, that they are just different from us boys or you girls. Kind of like a cross if you will.
Yep, a cross they will have to bear their whole existence here on earth. so say, religion

peace

[Riddler]

15. After 9 years of parochial school and and Catholic upbringing,

I decided years ago that if the hate-mongering, hypocritical, power-hungry, immoral, sanctimonious assholes who call themselves "Christians" and were/are represented by people like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, et al, are what Christianity is all about, I want no part of anything that has to do with these people. I find it difficult to believe in a "God" that destroys innocent babies lives and yet allows pieces of shit like the Bushes and Cheneys to live worry-free powerful lives. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are the the biggest argument against a "God" I can think of, and the pretend Christians who worship and support them are all the reasons I need to not believe in a God.

[RoadRage]

17. I couldn't have said it better myself...

It bothers me to no end that so called Christians vote for BushCo in the name of "Abortion".. using that one issue (or a couple of others along with it) as their entire reason for voting. But it never occurs to them that by doing so they're taking the lives of some unborn embreyo's over the lives of soldiers who are very well alive - getting killed every day. What about the lives of those innocent BORN children in Iraq and other countries who are being bombed & killed every day? Why are they less important?

Because if you allow yourself to succomb, Religion can twist your mind to make any argument seem plausible - even if it's not.

[kineneb]

14. never quite understood the "worship god" thing

Even as a kid, I figured if there was an all-powerful, all-knowing god, why would he/she/it need to be worshiped and appeased? Yeah, I sang in the Methodist choir, but because it was a good choir, not for the religious experience. More recently, I had a gig as keyboard player in a Methodist church. Hey, I liked the music in their hymnal (I am a music mercenary). But the job did not change my mind.

Buddhist and staying there...
god? What god? Which god? Does it really matter? (no)
Buddha was just this guy, ya' see...worship him-no. think he had good ideas- yup.

[Habibi]

16. I never imagined myself part of a church.

After being forced to attend as a child, I just dropped the whole thing for many years. Recently I've become quite involved in my Unitarian church, though. To my surprise, I'm very happy there. Of course, they don't do dogma. They are about social justice and spiritual growth.

[LanternWaste]

18. I suppose I'm in that stat-- having been brought up a Baptist...

I suppose I'm in that stat-- having been brought up a Baptist and now a happy, content (yet always spiritually challenged) Presbyterian.

[musiclawyer]

19. Spirituality is a good thing

Most organized western christian religions leave a lot to be desired. I was raised catholic and still go on the "big days" But when politics started creeping in, that was a big turn off. Most people think all roman catholic churches ae the same. Not true. Some are tolerant and provide a really great experience. Others are politicized and really harmful. It depends on who is running the show in the Parish. I know the Anglicans are in a real bad schism right now, and it's all politically derivative.

I used to date a Russian lady who introduced me to the orthodox church. I really liked it. It was a good experience and everyone was very open and tolerant. I wish there was one around wehre I live, but I live in the sticks with the nearest one an hour away, so it's not a viable place for me to go right now.

So count me in as a statistic.

[pegleg]

20. Former atheist , now non-doubting believer - but organized

religion has so much to account for. Religious belief can never be forced on anyone, but the freedom to believe and to worship must always be protected.