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Less Than Half of Americans are Church Members

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
According to Gallup, American membership in a church, synagogue, or mosque has fallen below 50% for the first time since they started tracking the data decades ago:

U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time

Researchers link this decline predominantly to an overall decrease in religious affiliation altogether, but also notes that church attendance has declined among those who identify with a religion. Additionally, there is a generational correlation, with older adults much more likely to both identify with a religion and to be a member of a religious organization.

Thoughts?
Woohoo!
Other causes?
Child abuse by clergy.
Will this trend continue?
I hope so.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
According to Gallup, American membership in a church, synagogue, or mosque has fallen below 50% for the first time since they started tracking the data decades ago:

U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time

Researchers link this decline predominantly to an overall decrease in religious affiliation altogether, but also notes that church attendance has declined among those who identify with a religion. Additionally, there is a generational correlation, with older adults much more likely to both identify with a religion and to be a member of a religious organization.

Thoughts? Other causes? Will this trend continue?

In some faiths, membership is different than attendance. Muslims, for example, can, and do go to any mosque available. They might go to one close to work for Friday prayers, but then another with family on other days. In Hinduism and Sikhism, generally membership is the people who actually operate the mandir or gurdwara. As many as 80% of Hindus aren't members of any temple. I know one chap in my local city that goes daily to two different temples, spending about 15 minutes at each. I don't think he's a member of either. I'm not a member of any local temple, yet go a lot.

Not sure if the researchers factored this difference into it. Perhaps their questionaire was about attendance. But I also wouldn't be surprised if the research was based on the Christian model where attendance at a church and membership at that church overlap to a high degree.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
According to Gallup, American membership in a church, synagogue, or mosque has fallen below 50% for the first time since they started tracking the data decades ago:

U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time

Researchers link this decline predominantly to an overall decrease in religious affiliation altogether, but also notes that church attendance has declined among those who identify with a religion. Additionally, there is a generational correlation, with older adults much more likely to both identify with a religion and to be a member of a religious organization.

Thoughts? Other causes? Will this trend continue?

I believe this will continue and those away from Christianity will wax more wicked so God will have good reason to end the world.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
Just a curious thought...

Has attendance or affiliation with non Abrahamic groups increased at all in the last decade? It seems NeoPaganism has had a greater reach in recent years, and meeting someone that has taken on Buddhist practices(either formally or informally) is becoming less uncommon.

I believe a person who will not fall on his knees for Jesus will fall for anything.
 
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