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(RNS) If you’re dismayed that one in five Americans (20 percent) are “nones” — people who claim no particular religious identity — brace yourself.
How does 38 percent sound?
That’s what religion researcher David Kinnaman calculates when he adds “the unchurched, the never-churched and the skeptics” to the nones.
He calls his new category “churchless,” the same title Kinnaman has given his new book. By his count, roughly four in 10 people living in the continental United States are actually “post-Christian” and “essentially secular in belief and practice.”
If asked, the “churchless” would likely check the “Christian” box on a survey, even though they may not have darkened the door of a church in years.
Kinnaman, president of the California-based Barna Group, slides them into this new category based on 15 measures of identity, belief and practice in more than 23,000 interviews in 20 surveys.
The research looked at church worship attendance and participation, views about the Bible, God and Jesus, and more to see whether folks were actually tied to Christian life in a meaningful way or tied more by habit or personal history.
Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, once called nominals — people attached by name only — “survey Christians.” They don’t want to cut ties with their parents or go all the way to atheism, Stetzer said, “so they just say ‘Christian’ since it is the default category from their heritage.”
Kinnaman now has the numbers to back that up.
“We are far from becoming an atheist nation,” he said. “There are tens of millions of active believers in America today. But the wall between the churched and the churchless is growing higher and more impenetrable as more people have no muscle memory of what it means to be a regular attender at a house of worship.”
How these people think, pray and use their time is shifting away from a faith-based perspective. As a result, a churchless or secular worldview “is becoming its own social force.”
When political scientists burrow into election results, they may find that church attendance is less and less useful for predicting or evaluating political social and cultural attitudes. If you are not around people of strong belief, there’s not a lot of spillover impact.
Stephen Mockabee, an associate professor of political science at University of Cincinnati, has compared church attendance to medication: “It’s not only the drug but also the dose that matters.”
The churchless come in several tribes, according to Kinnaman.
About a third (32 percent) still identify as Christian. They say they believe in God but they’re wobbly on connections. Kinnaman calls them “Christianized but not very active.”
That might include Katie West of Mount Sterling, Ky., or Mike Wilson of Webster City, Iowa.
West keeps the Christian label because, she said, “I follow or at least try to follow the teachings of Christ.” She avoids religious services “unless roped into a wedding or funeral,” but considers herself “a spiritual person without looking at a Bible.”
Wilson is the paid webmaster for a Lutheran church but he can’t recall the last time he attended a worship service or read the Bible. He checks the Christian box if asked in a survey, even though he resonates more with Buddhist and other Eastern philosophies.
“Religion is the starting point to enlightenment, but at some point you have to take that leap of faith and make your personal relationship with God exactly that — personal,” Wilson said. “So if you can find a religion that encompasses that better than Christianity, I will call myself that.”
Other “tribes” among the churchless include:
- 25 percent are self-identified atheist or agnostics. Kinnaman calls them “skeptics.” And their ranks have changed in the last two decades. The percentage of women is up to 43 percent from 16 percent since 1993. Highly educated and more mainstream than before, “this group is here to stay,” he said.
- 27 percent belong to other faith groups such as Jewish or Muslim or call themselves spiritual but not religious.
- 16 percent are Christians — people with a committed relationship with Christ, Kinnaman said — who don’t go to church anymore.
Kinnaman predicts no change in direction. He concluded: “The younger the generation, the more post-Christian it is”:
- Millennials (born between 1984 and 2002) — 48 percent
- Gen X-ers (born between 1965 and 1983) — 40 percent
- Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) — 35 percent
- Elders (born in 1945 or earlier) — 28 percent
Karen King, 52, a dispatch scheduler for a local transit agency in Mount Vernon, Wash., knows her state is among the least churched in the nation. Yet among the secular crowds, there are plenty of churchgoers.
“I know because I schedule people to get to churches through Dial-A-Ride. There must be 40 or 50 churches between Mount Vernon and nearby Burlington.”
And King goes to none of them.
The granddaughter of a Presbyterian pastor, King says she hasn’t been to church for a worship service in more than 30 years. Her daughter, a millennial and a pagan, doesn’t go either.
Although King still thinks of herself as a Christian, she has stepped back from denominational brands. Instead, she says, she just tries to show love.
“I do random acts of kindness. I talk to God when I think I need to. I think I have a good connection to Mother God and Father God.“
More fish in the stream.
If you actually followed Jesus of the bible – there’s not a many church who teaches his real message – nor will they preachers listen & even When They Know the truth – OFTEN reject teaching it for their Co$$ers would be bare in their fear and they serve demonic works for filthy lucre.
You are totally insane and are a hypocrite of the first order.
O wise one in thine own eyes:
What is the New Covenant?
Who according to the Scriptures from the OT is Jesus?
Why, using the OT alone, was it required for Jesus to come and die?
Do you even know what a hypocrite is? what LAW standards s your measuring rod ?
Inquiring minds wanna know the REAL TRUTH, but yet I doubt that you can maintain integrity long enough to give us a full synopsis.
II Timothy 3.16 All scripture is given by inspiration of יהוה, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Just keep proving your insanity, it’s very entertaining. Anyone who attempts to guide their life in accordance with a myth is insane.
I Peter 5
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of יהוה, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Do you know where the “light” goes when the light bulb filament burns out? It goes to the same place that your imaginary soul goes, into oblivion, never to seen and heard forever. What’s left of you goes into the ground and nurtures the plants and worms.
See, I can comment on something just as irrelevant as you, except that my statement is fact. That beats the heck out of a fable or myth.
No Cigar, This time try again without ADDING to or TAKING from the Biblical doctrine. Betcha you have NO real clue do you.
Every Nation on Earth is where they are at and bound Because of Biblical Israel as the Nations they are.
Deuteronomy 32
8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
If you were any more full of it, it would take a fleet of septic tank cleaners just to remove one days worth of your BS.
Once again, you didn’t answer the question, but I didn’t expect you to because you’re incapable of any response that doesn’t “come” from your myths and fables. Quote me where I added to or took from “biblical doctrine”, that’s your thing. Hypocrite.
And you STILL have no love.
I Corinthians 13.6 rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth;
It doesn’t matter what happened to you as a baby, you can get over that trauma with Jesus.
Say, how much of the Bible had you heard or read before you concluded your decision to reject everything.OH, and was that in equity where you came through in your reasoning or even a smidgen of integrity or are you totally without which I’m leaning towards.
God SPOKE specifically regarding you: Psalms 7.11 Elohim judgeth the righteous, and El is angry with the wicked every day.
Well then Bobbie, I have boundless love for my family and my country. Superstition and fantasies, not so much.
It wasn’t reading the bible that totally convinced me that the scriptures were made up, although it helped. What convinced me was the time when we had returned from a field trip to The Denver Museum of Natural History where we were astonished to see the evidence of the evolution of life on this green earth. I was especially interested in the dinosaurs.
We, at Sunday school the following week end, were discussing what we had seen, when our Pastor intruded in the conversation and told us that those “things” had never existed. When I asked the Pastor where all of those fossils had come from he replied that Satan has a factory to make all of the things which lead us astray. Then I asked him, how did ousands of museums around the world come to possess similar displays? He declined to answer what I thought was a legitimate question. Then he told me that I was surely going to go to he11.
HoG, sorry to hear that story but that pastor didn’t have a clue.
Sorry that you’re sorry, but I’ve never found one who did.
I see you do your own due diligence… Trusting in what OTHERS tell you.
I’d suggest that since now you’re probably at least an adult – that you investigate the whole matter with new eyes instead of prejudiced self serving ones. There’s nothing wrong with leaving a church like that, in fact it’s what’s wrong with 99.9% of them today, they sell their own religion and make another Jesus than portrayed in Scripture.
At least try to have some integrity. Without pitting scripture against itself, look into the matter.
If you search for truth with all your heart ready to renew your mind to it rather than serve your own, you can find it.
All science supports the bible, however beware of false assumptions, straw-men, and the likes. Keep in mind God does not change & he does not lie, and he lived according to his morality when he was dwelling in the flesh.
At least do yourself the service of being able to use the bible against wannabe or self proclaiing Christians. You can find out the real deal from those who are not – some may be baby’s some have a great deal of skill but use the word inappropriately etc, but when you know the whole story – you can certainly find those who know it and they are few and far between. There’s a lot of flavors of doctrine, but if it does not square with the whole of scripture it’s got a chink in the armor. if you are astute in study, you will find out from the OT alone why Jesus was required to come – most Christians don’t know.
Make that “what’s wrong with 100% of them. In over 70 years of experience I’ve never found one which is not grounded in lies and fantasy.
Searching for truth, in a fable? Get serious. There is just as much to “learn” from Aesop’s Fables.
Why would I want to discredit “wannabe” Christians? They have the man-made right to observe, or not, any “religion” of their choosing. At least it says so in the Constitution.
Wow, you must not be very good at research or only spend a few minutes a year… TRUTH because you’re blinded by your imagination, lusts and SIN which is more important to you than your Creator & Pure Truth which will reveal your flaws and require you to turn from your wicked life if you had any value worth savoring. You call it a fable & never did adequate investigation while instead trusting in man….constitution O yeah, it’s right up your ally, ANTICHRIST and works against God, complete humanism…Man HAVE NO RIGHTS – they have OBLIGATIONS & yes DUTY, but no rights – rights are given by fallen men to control OTHERS – you serve your demonic god, and I’ll serve the Creator who is without flaw.
Psalms 107.
1 O give thanks unto יהוה, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of יהוה say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
And about that 100%
Would you, Bobbie, enumerate my “lusts” and “sins”? You must be some kind of a “god” if you can. Certainly though, not MY “god”.
And yes, I’m very good at all kinds of research. I hold patents for many of the processes and resulting products which were a result of that research.
Have a nice deluded life, and when the lights go out for you, permanently, no after-life, no eternity, no basking in the “glory”, remember that I told you how it was going to be.
LOL, a broken tool you are and ten to the hundredth power ever so wrong. You’re a liar and have done ZERO research on the bible and the God of the Bible and certainly no integrity therefore no equity therefore your a TOOL, a laughable TOOL.
Malachi 1.14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto יהוה a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith יהוה of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
If that’s all you have, you’re really pathetic.
How so Tool?
Will you openly accept an assault in your heart and mind by the Creators holy Spirit to doom your wisdom to total destruction in submission to the truth?
I think you can’t even TRY to do that, me thinks that you are probably seemed so much, because Yahweah has already turned his back on you – I think you’re close if not on the fence, it’s my hope to push you into the fire and make you jump one side or the other – which I don’t care & either will be happy to be doing my job.
It’s a sad sad excuse of a being whom we call of the family of mankind who like you get their jolly from walking many miles in these shoes: For behold, the sinners stretch tight the bow; they prepare arrows for the quiver, to shoot in moonlight the straight in heart.
O swine, by the way – that pathetic reply you gave just showed how little you pay attention and lack of ability to carry the water or football the distance.
Nope, I won’t.
About that 100% of the Churches… Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of יהוה.
It’s required that you HAVE the SOMETHING to compare it to, the Bible, which YOU Already admit that you’v never studied much less read – WOW, the audacity.
I call you out as a LIAR yes a FRAUD and nothing but a TOOL.
The conspiracy is that your mind and yourself and your demons you serve are in conflict enough to lie because there’s probably still a chance for you to find the truth before it’s too late.
In 70 years 100% of them, and none remember of 70 years none, were grounded in truth but lies ? How would you KNOW since you don’t know God and reject truth having NO biblical foundation to compare it to.
Deuteronomy 8:3: And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of יהוה doth man live.
You’re not very smart as you stand, with God you could change that. Heck, I’d have more respect for you if you just were honest, but you are too small a man to even do that.
You’ve got One and only One hope:
For thy Maker is thine husband; יהוה of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The Elohim of the whole earth shall he be called.
Go figure out that last bible verse.
Romans 3.4 By no means: yea, let יהוה be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
O, and JUST IN CASE you choose to actually grow a pair – and study – Replace God or LORD where appropriate with יהוה – it will help you see the whole picture better.
Do you practice being an illiterate, right-wing, elitist religious snob? Or does it just come naturally. If it comes naturally, please don’t have any children. Have a nice deluded life.
Much appreciation, I know my job is effective since it BOTHERS your puny mind so much. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O יהוה; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
You don’t “bother” me at all, but you have validated and reinforced my belief that you are nothing but a far right-wing whack job. You are the “tool”, the tool of ignorance and gullibility.
Ooooh, far right-wing – I appreciate it.
For behold, the sinners stretch tight the bow; they prepare arrows for the quiver, to shoot in moonlight the straight in heart.
I’m so glad that you appreciate something, is that a first for you?
Anybody who perpetrates the notion that myths are anything except fables and made up stories is a hypocrite, a charlatan and a fraud.
Let’s have some more irrelevant cutting and pasting of your myths, it’s quite entertaining.
LOL ROTFLOL AHAHAHAHA HAHAH AHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHA
Isaiah 54
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; יהוה of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The Elohim of the whole earth shall he be called.
Oh look everyone, Bob found out how to attach a picture to his avatar! Are you trying to be manly, Bob? It’s not working. You’re STILL a hypocrite, now only worse.
You obviously never got an education worth it’s salt… I hear there’s a lot of free ones online, suggest you start with the basics, and reason in equity instead of your God Damned Unjust Perversion… And no did NOT take the ‘Lords name” in vain, but please feel free to be brainwashed into thinking I did. I Corinthians 13.6 rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth;
Name any perversion that I am associated with, I’m waiting ……. If you don’t think that you just took your “god’s” name in vain, I don’t know what else you might call it.
Speaking of education “worth its salt”, I hold two advanced degrees in the physical sciences (those are the ones which encompass real, provable facts and don’t delve into fantasy and mythology) which enabled me to develop several processes upon which I hold the patents; from which I derive much satisfaction and compensation.
Oh, and by the way, it’s obvious, except to you, that it is improper usage of the language to end a sentence with a semicolon which is a punctuation mark (;) used to separate parts of a sentence or list and indicate a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a period. That’s one small thing that we, who have an education “worth its salt”, learn in grade school. Did you make it through grade school, yet?
Do you have any more totally unrelated “biblical” quotes you’d like to share?
Phooey Baloney…
You sacrifice truth on the sacred alter of your perverted wisdom.
Hebrews 13.15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to יהוה continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
What? Is “Phooey Baloney” a perversion? I TELL the truth, no altar is required.
Psalms 11978 Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.
So then, I ask you what kind of “perversion” that Phony Baloney might be and you respond with phony baloney. You appear to be stuck on stupid, which is a terminal condition.
You can’t even quote Psalm 119:78 without screwing up something, can you? Illiterate, pathetic loser.
Hey guys. Everyone on FAVS is sick of your name calling. Maybe try playing nice? We try to encourage thoughtful dialogue here.
Ban.
I agree. This site is not meant for this and these persons have been asked to comply with some good boundaries. Toodles.
Exodus 23/1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
Fine with me.
Good testimony such as this is what disturbs you so you bury your head in the sand instead of growing a pair and being a man, so since you had no role model, learn from Jesus instead as he was the Manliest man of all time and obviously you have issues with that based on your posts
Ephesians 5
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of יהוה.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of יהוה upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
Wow! you are confused! Jesus was a manly man? no, he was, according to the fable, a godly man.
LOL, coming from an antichrist who detests Jesus who’s NEVER read or even attempted to with INTEGRITY study the Scriptures because he’s larger than life – HAHAHAHAHA AH HA AH HA funny.
If you’d have the guts to measure with truth as your guide, you’d find out otherwise… besides:
I Corinthians 14.20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
You have to make a conscious decision to die to yourself.
You must count the costs and be willing to go through to the hilt if required. Pretty sure you lack the qualities necessary to be a man.
Yep, I know of better than 60 dead communists who, if they could, would disagree with you. Are you by chance, a communist?
Acts 17.23 For as I passed along and observed the things you worship, I found also an altar bearing the inscription, `TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ “The Being, therefore, whom you, without knowing Him, revere, Him I now proclaim to you.
Exodus 3.15 And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
So then, you worship an “unknown God”, how nice for you. All “gods” are unknown because in order for something to be known, it must exist.
I totally called that response, a knee jerk TOOL reply… Go and study ALL you can about the bible, history and know it’s teachings and you will find the meaning of the verse.
No thanks, I’m busy reading something more readable and believable, Aesop’s Fables.
Once again, you are incapable of answering a simple question. If you were deprived of the capacity to quote only scripture, which you think is pertinent, you would be totally without a means of communication.
Haha, without scorn & ridicule and equity you’re even at a worst place, the pot is black, just look at yourself and pluck the beam out of your own eye before you cast stones at your very own glass house. Hypocrite !
Actually there’s a very sound reason why I do when I do and what I do How it’s done, see, you’d not probably really be able to figure it out because it requires REASON & adherence to a standard.
But, I’ll give you a hint:For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of יהוה, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
See, you just can’t answer a question. Where’s the REASON in that?
“…they serve demonic works for filthy lucre.”
“You are totally insane and are a hypocrite of the first order.”
Thess bible bashings are epic in their phraseology! 4 gold stars!
??
Bob and The HoG, I know you’re both new to this website, and we’re glad you landed here. However, this is a place for respectful, thoughtful, dialogue – not obnoxious, rude comments. If you can’t do that, maybe you should move your conversation elsewhere.
No problem, elsewhere sounds good.
After you’ve had equity and read the bible with a lust for truth, tell me where.
Isn’t “lust” a sin? Are you suggesting that I need to go out and sin?
Where? Any orifice will do.
Bob and The HoG, please move along.
Seriously.