Survey: One in five Americans has no religion

[Locutus]

CNN decides to try its hand at trolling, announces that the fastest growing religion is Atheism

via Fark

Washington (CNN) – The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion.

The number of these Americans has grown by 25% just in the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans.

Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.

Pew found that those who are religiously unaffiliated are strikingly less religious than the public at large. They attend church infrequently, if at all, are largely not seeking out religion and say that the lack of it in their lives is of little importance.


more


Survey: One in five Americans has no religion – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

 

[Praxius]

So how is this "trolling?"

 

[Corduroy]

Do they count babies? All of them are unaffiliated.

 

[WLDB]

Not surprising. Its been growing for years though very slowly. Ive seen news stories from the 1960s talking about this. The older generations were worried that the younger people were abandoning religions. They turned out to either be wrong or they greatly exaggerated the numbers of young people leaving religion. Its a bit more believable today. Most people I meet in my age group are either atheist/agnostic or believe in a god but are not affiliated with any particular religious group. The religious people in my age group who I've met tend to be first generation immigrants.

Even though the atheist/agnostic/non-religious groups are growing they don't have a whole lot of power. Aside from non belief or indifference to religion these groups agree on very little. There are atheists of every political stripe out there so they can't very well organize the way the evangelicals do.

 

[TenPenny]

How can you equate 'having no religion' with 'atheism'?

They're quite obviously not the same thing.

 

[Goober]

How can you equate 'having no religion' with 'atheism'?

They're quite obviously not the same thing.

Yes, they are lost and in need of guidance. Will you pray for them.

 

[WLDB]

How can you equate 'having no religion' with 'atheism'?

They're quite obviously not the same thing.

They didnt. They pointed out there are people who are atheists but they are only a part of the 'non religious' population. A fair number of non-religious people do believe in some form of god or elements of one religion or another.

 

[damngrumpy]

I am not surprised, religion is nothing more than a commercial brand now.
It is a giant cover up for superstition and manipulation. Religion did not of
course start out this way. It was supposed to be a spiritual feeling but it is
now part of the politics of society. Yes the preachers are nothing more than
politicians with the same goals. In fact the churches attempt to manipulate
the political agenda at every level. They do that by dictating and interpreting
your spiritual experience.
And no Atheism and no religion are two different things.
What people in the Jesus and other religions don't get is they have less and
less to offer and they are restrictive to the point where followers look for other
distractions. If they want success they have to have a message that people
want to opt in not opt out of.
As a kid I was in a Catholic family, when I became an adult I became a retired
Catholic, that does not mean I don't have some spiritual thoughts although I
admit the present offering of religion has little meaning for me.
I see Muslims who praise the Lord by cutting someone's throat. There is a Jewish
and Christian community that believe the end times stuff and their nonsense is a
threat to world stability.
There are other who spend their time looking at rocks that run out in December.
Not a lot to offer is there?

 

[gerryh]

I am not surprised, religion is nothing more than a commercial brand now.
It is a giant cover up for superstition and manipulation. Religion did not of
course start out this way. It was supposed to be a spiritual feeling but it is
now part of the politics of society. Yes the preachers are nothing more than
politicians with the same goals. In fact the churches attempt to manipulate
the political agenda at every level. They do that by dictating and interpreting
your spiritual experience.
And no Atheism and no religion are two different things.
What people in the Jesus and other religions don't get is they have less and
less to offer and they are restrictive to the point where followers look for other
distractions. If they want success they have to have a message that people
want to opt in not opt out of.
As a kid I was in a Catholic family, when I became an adult I became a retired
Catholic, that does not mean I don't have some spiritual thoughts although I
admit the present offering of religion has little meaning for me.
I see Muslims who praise the Lord by cutting someone's throat. There is a Jewish
and Christian community that believe the end times stuff and their nonsense is a
threat to world stability.
There are other who spend their time looking at rocks that run out in December.
Not a lot to offer is there?

You're looking in all the wrong places.

 

[JLM]

I am not surprised, religion is nothing more than a commercial brand now.
It is a giant cover up for superstition and manipulation. Religion did not of
course start out this way. It was supposed to be a spiritual feeling but it is
now part of the politics of society. Yes the preachers are nothing more than
politicians with the same goals. In fact the churches attempt to manipulate
the political agenda at every level. They do that by dictating and interpreting
your spiritual experience.
And no Atheism and no religion are two different things.
What people in the Jesus and other religions don't get is they have less and
less to offer and they are restrictive to the point where followers look for other
distractions. If they want success they have to have a message that people
want to opt in not opt out of.
As a kid I was in a Catholic family, when I became an adult I became a retired
Catholic, that does not mean I don't have some spiritual thoughts although I
admit the present offering of religion has little meaning for me.
I see Muslims who praise the Lord by cutting someone's throat. There is a Jewish
and Christian community that believe the end times stuff and their nonsense is a
threat to world stability.
There are other who spend their time looking at rocks that run out in December.
Not a lot to offer is there?

I have no problem with religion, just the people who f**K it up.

 

[darkbeaver]

one in five Americans has no brain, one in five Americans has no job, one in five Americans has no home, one in five Americans haven't eaten yet today, one in five Americans has lost a body part at war

 

[JLM]

They didnt. They pointed out there are people who are atheists but they are only a part of the 'non religious' population. A fair number of non-religious people do believe in some form of god or elements of one religion or another.

If you believe in a God you are religious, by the definition.

 

[Cannuck]

If you believe in a God you are religious, by the definition.

Not necessarily.

Religion | Define Religion at Dictionary.com

One may believe that there is a Gawd without having specific beliefs about what that means.

 

[Johnnny]

I believe in the Cthulu..... "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"

 

[Locutus]

Yeah, and four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum too. So what.

I'm still not gonna lose sleep over the 4 or even the one, let alone stop chewing Thrills soap gum.

 

[Bar Sinister]

This ties in with various other surveys indicating that Americans are becoming more and more secular. In fact a number of studies have shown that many religious Americans tend to exaggerate their religious zeal including exaggerating the number of times they attend church. This trend simply fits the US in with what is happening in other Western nations including Canada.

 

[WLDB]

If you believe in a God you are religious, by the definition.

Not all the definitions. Believing in a god doesnt mean you are part of any organized religion which is likely what the study was asking about. I have problems with organized religion, not what individuals do/believe in private.

 

[Praxius]

I believe in the Kraken

 

[Nuggler]

;-).........Well 20 % 's a good start.

We sure hear enough from the other 80.

blah blah blah blah................and etc.

 

[TenPenny]

If you believe in a God you are religious, by the definition.

I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.

Spoken like a good reformed slave trader!