Many U.S. Roman Catholics and Protestants are leaving the churches of their childhood and either choosing other faiths or no religion at all, according to an extensive survey released Monday.
More than a quarter, or 28 percent, of American adults said they have left the faith in which they were raised, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
About 16 percent of Americans say they are not members of any religious group, making the "unaffiliated" group the fourth largest religious tradition in the United States, rivaling the number of members in mainline Protestant churches.
The three largest religious traditions are Protestant evangelicals at 26 percent, Catholics at 24 percent and mainline Protestants at 18 percent.
The Catholic Church has lost more members than any other religious group, the survey found, with about 10 percent of all Americans reporting they have left.
Those losses, however, largely have been replaced by Catholic immigrants entering the country, Pew researchers said. As a result, the total percentage of the U.S. population that identifies as Catholic has remained fairly stable.
In a shift that could significantly alter the nation's religious fabric, the study also found a sharp decline in American Protestantism—that "the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country."
The number of Americans who report they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51 percent. Moreover, that population is diverse and fragmented, encompassing hundreds of denominations. The three largest groups are evangelical churches, mainline churches and historically black Protestant churches.
"If these patterns persist, we are seeing that America is becoming a less Protestant and less Christian nation," said John Green, senior fellow with the Pew forum.
Other major findings include:
•The Midwest most closely resembles the religious makeup of the overall population. The South has the heaviest concentration of evangelical Protestants. The Northeast has the most Catholics, and the West has the largest proportion of unaffiliated people, including atheists and agnostics.
•Mormons and Muslims are the groups with the largest families; more than one in five Mormon adults and 15 percent of Muslim adults in the U.S. have three or more children living at home.
•Of all the major racial and ethnic groups in the United States, black Americans are the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation. Even among unaffiliated blacks, three in four belong to a "religious unaffiliated" category—they say religion is either somewhat or very important in their lives. Slightly more than one-third of the unaffiliated population overall is in that category.
•Hinduism exhibits the highest overall retention rate with 84 percent of adults who were raised as Hindus saying they were still Hindu.
Findings in the report came from a national survey of 35,000 adults conducted from May 8 to Aug. 13, 2007.
This comes as no real surprise. I have often heard that one of the largest religious groups in the US is inactive Catholics. Nevertheless, I still question the validity of a survey--even if it was taken from a sample of 35,000, there could still be a hidden bias.
The information on Hinduism is interesting given that I just paid a visit to a Hindu temple. Also interesting is the information on Mormons and Muslims having the largest families. I easily recall the association of large families with Catholicism.
Undoubtedly we are living in times when faith and religion are competing more than ever with a world view that has little room for God. It is ironic to see large numbers of people turn from truth and even embrace what seems to have more in common with fantasy than with sound doctrine.
What we are given in our times is an even more urgent call--a responsibility and duty--to proclaim the truth of our faith. Ours is a world whose ailment is such that it does not recognize the need for a physician. It is as if we have been deceived into believing that all is well while a disease is busy taking its toll.
I recall--years back--hearing preachers say that a falling away would come before the Lord's return. They were referring to 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3, which states that an apostasy or rebellion would come. Of course since the beginning of Church history there have been numerous apostasies, rebellions and instances of falling away.
Even with the potential negativity that abounds with such as report, we must not in any way despair. Faith is strong and the fact is that the times are ripe for great growth. At least in my part of the world we are seeing a great increase in the size of our parishes, and it's not all immigration either. I have noticed over the years that each year our RCIA group tends to grow. This year is no different.
In many ways growth and retention of members is all about what we are willing to do as parishes to invite and keep people where they are. Our consumer society has become accustomed to a professional sell, and thus more and more we must offer religion that is noble, dignified, and anything but amateur in feeling or in presentation.
I'm adding a link here to the Pew Forum's actual survey. Beware, it is a 143 page PDF, still it's worth spending some time with it. Also, you can link directly to the Pew Forum here and then click on surveys in the left hand column under publications.
Jesus asked it long ago:
Will you also go away?
He knows that He asks for much. He also knows why; it is entirely for our own sakes. The survey of inactive Catholics just in my mind alone reveals a foreboding fruit. Some have replaced the Eucharist with sleeping in; others, with Tai Chi. Or work. Or ham and eggs with friends. Or sports meets. Others depend on Native American spirituality and angel-card readings; still others visit every spirituality but Christianity (Buddhism, Temple, etc.). One has replaced it with Jehovah Witness. Many have exchanged the Eucharist for a good (megachurch) homilist.
If they could but hear His question, it might make a difference. He doesn't need them; He desires them, and desires the best for them. He knows exactly what they are up against without Him. People don't even fight satan anymore; as a matter of fact, many of them carry his temporal mark in many tattoos without realizing they've been so snowed. It's no wonder evil has moved so boldly of late.
I know a convert in Oregon, and another from the south, and indeed, they are thought unusual (and are tormented), even by their families. California alone probably holds the greatest array of ideologies. It's not surprising that the Northeast has the most Catholics --we're all Irish and Fr. Canadian (a blessedly noisy bunch). I've occasionally read that the U.S. is mission territory. Sounds funny, but I must agree more than not.
Posted by: JustMe | February 26, 2008 at 08:57 AM