The Rise and Fall of Religious Affiliation in the U.S.

The New York Times reports on a by on religious affiliation in the United States.

The graphic below tells the whole story:

Religious makeup in the U.S.
As a “protestant” it does sadden me to see this, but it also gives me that internal nudge that every Christian asks of themselves periodically: “What am I doing to make a difference?”

Read the to get the overall look at the report and read to find out more details, but here is the key paragraph that stood out for me:

The survey finds that the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion.

Broken down this says that a very large chunk of the unaffiliated are the younger demographic in our society. I have heard many pastors and speakers talk about the importance of teaching our youth what we know to be true, and this is the data to prove it.

What are your thoughts?

  • http://www.prevailmagazine.org Shey | Prevail Magazine

    I think it’s to be expected. The bible does talk about a “great falling away” (the great apostasy) and I beleive that has already been started and will continue to increase at an even higher rate.

    It’s even more important now to be grounded in our faith. It’s easy to trust in God whenever times are going rough, but when thing are going well, we seem to forget about him sometimes.

  • http://www.prevailmagazine.org Shey | Prevail Magazine

    I think it’s to be expected. The bible does talk about a “great falling away” (the great apostasy) and I beleive that has already been started and will continue to increase at an even higher rate.

    It’s even more important now to be grounded in our faith. It’s easy to trust in God whenever times are going rough, but when thing are going well, we seem to forget about him sometimes.

  • http://www.willbrownonline.com/ Will

    Good points, Shey.
    I do believe that being grounded in your faith is the key to living out your faith in today’s world.

    Thanks for the comment.

  • http://www.willbrownonline.com/ Will

    Good points, Shey.
    I do believe that being grounded in your faith is the key to living out your faith in today’s world.

    Thanks for the comment.