The College Fix

A new Pew Research study shows that religious affiliation in America is in decline:

• One-fifth of American adults have no religious affiliation, and this number is increasing rapidly.

• The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a fast pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.

• In the last five years alone, the unaffiliated have increased from just over 15 percent to just under 20 percent of all U.S. adults.

It’s important to note that the study distinguishes between religious affiliation  and religious or “spiritual” belief. And while Americans (especially the young) are becoming less likely to attend religious services or to be members of religious groups, that does not necessarily mean that they have no religious beliefs.

Among those with no religious affiliation, 68 percent say they believe in God. 58 percent say the feel a “deep connection with nature and the earth.” And 21 percent of those with no official religious affiliation say they pray every day.

The study indicates that part of what we are seeing is the “de-formalization” of religious belief rather than the abandonment of it. Yet the news for churches and religious groups isn’t good. Even those who do profess some kind of spiritual belief are rapidly becoming less likely to participate in organized religion.

Read more here.

(via Drudge)

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