Christians declining in raw numbers *and* as share of American population

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Most people believe in spirituality rather than organized religion.

Connect your spirit to the heavens, but not be bound to words of scripture of a bible or text.

Pray about you want in life, and pray away obstacles.  And one can live a spiritual life.

I look at Joel Osteen. And go to church from time to time, but not bound to it like I used to be.

[/]

Good.

[Famous Mortimer]

We'll see if the Millennial generation continues to be this irreligious when they hit their prime childbearing years and start having to wrangle with religious education or the lack thereof of their kids. Traditionally, having children increased the religiosity of demographic groups.

This trend isn't unexpected, but the speed of it is. I was expecting "None" to place in the high teens by the next Pew survey, not 23%.

EDIT: Thought: maybe the speed with which None is raising also has to do with increased comfort among lapsed/non-practicing people to embrace the None label rather than continuing to identify with a birth religion they don't practice anymore.

Millennials can barely afford to have children at all, let alone send them to private religious schools.

[SNJ1985]

One look at the state of American society today proves that America is not actually a majority Christian nation. If it were, it would look something like the Massachusetts Bay Colony with more advanced technology. In reality, modern America looks like Sodom and Gomorrah on steroids. Abortion, homosexuality, fornication, divorce, drunkenness, pornography, greed, covetousness and a whole host of vile sins are commonplace in modern America. The United States is the largest producer of pornography IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. It has one of the highest divorce rates IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Over 90% of Americans have had pre-marital sex. The American entertainment industry, an extremely wealthy industry with tons of influence over the population, relentlessly and brazenly pushes every sin in the book.

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/america_is_immoral.htm

The American music industry is Satanic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhbqRm7-1Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQrVcwZeF4Y

America would look very, very different if it really were a majority Christian country.

The Bible says that evidence of a genuine faith in Jesus Christ is a desire to serve God and obey His commandments. American pop culture, in all its in-your-face hedonism, suggests that most people in this country do not have that desire. I am NOT implying that works bring salvation. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. What I am saying is that good works are evidence that a person has genuinely been saved. I am also not trying to imply that Christians never sin; every single human being on this planet, myself included, is a sinner. What I am saying is that if you're a Christian, you are supposed to strive as a matter of course in your life not to sin. You are supposed to be ashamed of your sins and not want to engage in sin.

''Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.'' - James 2:17

''And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?'' - Luke 6:46

[SNJ1985]

There is one more thing I would like to say. Only God knows for sure whether or not someone has been saved. I'm simply saying there is evidence we can look at which suggests that someone might not have actually been saved.

[they don't love you like i love you]

We'll see if the Millennial generation continues to be this irreligious when they hit their prime childbearing years and start having to wrangle with religious education or the lack thereof of their kids. Traditionally, having children increased the religiosity of demographic groups.

This trend isn't unexpected, but the speed of it is. I was expecting "None" to place in the high teens by the next Pew survey, not 23%.

EDIT: Thought: maybe the speed with which None is raising also has to do with increased comfort among lapsed/non-practicing people to embrace the None label rather than continuing to identify with a birth religion they don't practice anymore.

Millennials can barely afford to have children at all, let alone send them to private religious schools.

He's talking about things like Sunday school, not religious private schools.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

We'll see if the Millennial generation continues to be this irreligious when they hit their prime childbearing years and start having to wrangle with religious education or the lack thereof of their kids. Traditionally, having children increased the religiosity of demographic groups.

This trend isn't unexpected, but the speed of it is. I was expecting "None" to place in the high teens by the next Pew survey, not 23%.

EDIT: Thought: maybe the speed with which None is raising also has to do with increased comfort among lapsed/non-practicing people to embrace the None label rather than continuing to identify with a birth religion they don't practice anymore.

Millennials can barely afford to have children at all, let alone send them to private religious schools.

He's talking about things like Sunday school, not religious private schools.

Altho, the idea of Sabbath schools is fairly recent, less than a quarter millennium old.  Also, they originally were also schools in the usual sense, helping to teach reading and other generally applicable life skills.

[Famous Mortimer]

We'll see if the Millennial generation continues to be this irreligious when they hit their prime childbearing years and start having to wrangle with religious education or the lack thereof of their kids. Traditionally, having children increased the religiosity of demographic groups.

This trend isn't unexpected, but the speed of it is. I was expecting "None" to place in the high teens by the next Pew survey, not 23%.

EDIT: Thought: maybe the speed with which None is raising also has to do with increased comfort among lapsed/non-practicing people to embrace the None label rather than continuing to identify with a birth religion they don't practice anymore.

Millennials can barely afford to have children at all, let alone send them to private religious schools.

He's talking about things like Sunday school, not religious private schools.

I don't think anyone is going to "wrangle" with the idea of what to do with their kids for one hour every week at 11am on a Sunday. More than likely, they will just sleep in.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I don't think anyone is going to "wrangle" with the idea of what to do with their kids for one hour every week at 11am on a Sunday. More than likely, they will just sleep in.

One person at the UU church in the area that I chose to not attend made the suggestion that UU was for atheists and agnostics who wanted their children to get religious education, so that nobody would do so is underestimating the admittedly small number of people today who go to church not for their own sake but that of their children.

[Famous Mortimer]

I don't think anyone is going to "wrangle" with the idea of what to do with their kids for one hour every week at 11am on a Sunday. More than likely, they will just sleep in.

One person at the UU church in the area that I chose to not attend made the suggestion that UU was for atheists and agnostics who wanted their children to get religious education, so that nobody would do so is underestimating the admittedly small number of people today who go to church not for their own sake but that of their children.

Again, these are old people raised by the actually religious. Two generations removed from devout religion, people aren't going to care about "religious education". Also, if for some reason you do just want to educate your children that Christianity is a thing, there's the internet.