Reasons for decline of Christianity in the US

[Zzyzx]

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In a current thread RWJ mentions reasons (in addition to the Internte) for decline of Christianity in the US.

I understand, and absolutely agree, that Christianity is on the decline in the U.S. You throw out the internet as a possible reason, which could have an impact. I have my own reasons, and will be glad to discuss upon request.

Let's explore the topic. What reasons can be identified to account for the decline?

[Youkilledkenny]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

While superstition, guilt and fear feed religion, knowledge and self sustainability kill it.
The more we learn about ourselves and our world around us the less we need any deity and less a deity based religion such as Christianity.
Because we will never know everything, and people are needy and lazy and society pressures us in certain ways, the need for a god, and thus Christianity, will never go away. And while that's mostly unfortunate in today's world (IMO) it can be leveraged into more positive means.

[Elijah John]

I wonder, assuming that Christianity is indeed declining in the US, does that mean that atheism is on the ascendancy? Or is the decline of Christianity in direct proportion to the increase of Islam, Eastern religion, and New Age forms of Spirituality such as Wicca?

How's atheism doing in the US?

[Zzyzx]

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How's atheism doing in the US?

EJ, the 'religiously unaffiliated' group (or 'nones' – no religious affiliation -- which may include Atheists, Agnostics, Ignostics and others) has been growing rapidly in the US.

Those identifying specifically as Atheists increased from 1.6% of the US population in 2007 to 3.1% in 2014 – doubling in seven years . . .

Religiously unaffiliated people have been growing as a share of all Americans for some time. Pew Research Center’s massive 2014 Religious Landscape Study makes clear just how quickly this is happening, and also shows that the trend is occurring within a variety of demographic groups – across genders, generations and racial and ethnic groups, to name a few.

Religiously UnaffiliatedReligious “nones� – a shorthand we use to refer to people who self-identify as atheists or agnostics, as well as those who say their religion is “nothing in particular� – now make up roughly 23% of the U.S. adult population. This is a stark increase from 2007, the last time a similar Pew Research study was conducted, when 16% of Americans were “nones.� (During this same time period, Christians have fallen from 78% to 71%.)

Overall, religiously unaffiliated people are more concentrated among young adults than other age groups – 35% of Millennials (those born 1981-1996) are “nones.� In addition, the unaffiliated as a whole are getting even younger. The median age of unaffiliated adults is now 36, down from 38 in 2007 and significantly younger than the overall median age of U.S. adults in 2014 (46).

Religious Affiliation by GenerationAt the same time, even older generations have grown somewhat more unaffiliated in recent years. For example, 14% of Baby Boomers were unaffiliated in 2007, and 17% now identify as “nones.�

�Nones� have made more gains through religious switching than any other group analyzed in the study.� Only about 9% of U.S. adults say they were raised without a religious affiliation, and among this group, roughly half say that they now identify with a religion (most often Christianity). But nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) have moved in the other direction, saying that they were raised as Christians or members of another faith but that they now have no religious affiliation. That means more than four people have become “nones� for every person who has left the ranks of the unaffiliated.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/20 ... ous-nones/

[Tired of the Nonsense]

Many people conceive of atheists as those vile blaggards who openly and unrelentingly attack religion in general, and Christianity specifically. Because they are hateful, mean and vindictive. I don't know where anyone got THAT idea. Christians certainly do not consider themselves to be "hateful, mean and vindictive" when they declare that those who do not believe as they do are destined to suffer in torment and agony for all of eternity.

But as a result of the stigma attached to the term atheist many individuals who have no religious beliefs whatsoever tend to shy away from referring to themselves as atheists. Because the word is inflammatory and they don't want to be bothered with defending it. When pressed these individuals will simply acknowledge that they are "not religious" instead. They prefer to leave it at that. But of course the word atheist simply means to be without theology. If a person does not subscribe to a belief in a supernatural God-Being they are an atheist by definition. They just do not choose to spend their time in endless discussions about why they do not subscribe to one or another of some other person's foolish notions. Unlike those vile blaggards who openly profess their atheism when challenged and who will happily explain in great detail why some other person's foolish notions are nothing but ancient foolish notions. And will do so endlessly.

And so atheists, agnostics, Ignostics, and anyone who does not subscribe to any specific organized religion has come to fall under the term "none." Those that when asked what religion they belong to, check the box NONE. For many of these people, undertaking some deep intellectual struggle on whether or not to consider themselves atheists, agnostics or ignostics, simply is not worth their time and trouble.

[1213]

Let's explore the topic. What reasons can be identified to account for the decline?

Difficult to say, people may have many reasons for rejecting Christianity. I think it certainly has not helped that only very few are really teaching what Jesus or the Bible tells. People have usually only some human doctrines, instead of words that Jesus told. And human doctrines don’t seem to be reasonable and good. At least by what many atheist say, they have idea of Christianity that even I probably would reject, because it has been distorted to unreasonable form and is in my opinion quite far from what the Bible actually says.

And on the other hand, if people would really hear what Jesus said, the teaching is not very nice for people that love more this world than righteousness and truth. Even if the message of Jesus would be loud and clear, not many would accept it and agree with it. It seems to be something that many don’t want to receive.

Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most assuredly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."
Matt. 13:18-23

[DanieltheDragon]

[Replying to post 5 by Tired of the Nonsense]

I think this is why I identify as atheist. Just like the gay community has adopted what once was a pejorative and antagonistic word(and still can be) and made it a more palatable label less antagonistic label. Non theists and those who don't believe in gods should not need fear using the term.

[wiploc]

What reasons can be identified to account for the decline?

My favorite theory is that the Republicans have tainted the brand. They claim to carry the banner for Christianity (like you can't be a real Christian if you don't vote for their candidates) and then they behave so reprehensibly that people are repelled. People wind up thinking, "If that's Christianity, I don't see the appeal."

And of course, since Christianity has no logical appeal, once you destroy the emotional appeal, there's nothing left.

===

A note on the impact of the internet. I predicted that it would cause a "Cambrian explosion of microcultures"; it would let people find like-minded people to interact with, regardless of how weird their beliefs.

Only, in the case of atheism, the belief turned out to be not-that-weird. When I was a kid in Kansas, I didn't know of a single other atheist. I'd read about Madalyn Murray, but she was the only other one I'd even heard of. (Not counting the Russians, of course.)

The internet let the cat out of the bag: We are everywhere. We are normal. Christianity is no longer a default, something to be chosen automatically.

The internet played a considerable part in this change.

[postroad]

[Replying to post 6 by 1213]
It seems that the days of exponential growth described in the text have come to an end.

[Zzyzx]

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Christianity is no longer a default, something to be chosen automatically.

You nailed it . . . no longer the default position.

The internet played a considerable part in this change.

I doubt that anyone can argue against the Internet being a big contributor to removing Christianity from an exalted position. People in Kansas (or Arkansas or other non-urbanized states) can access information that contradicts the tales and emotional appeals of religions.

Those who once heard only one side of the theistic story can now access many competing views and decide for themselves what makes sense. Of course, it may take a generation or more for the full effect -- but as older generations die out many of their beliefs should die with them.