Statistics on Religion in America Report. An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details statistics on religion in America and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape.
Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid. Key Findings and Statistics on Religion in America More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether. Even smaller religions in the U.S. reflect considerable internal diversity. A Very Competitive Religious Marketplace.
David Briggs: Is Religion In America in Decline? Duke University sociologist Mark Chaves' working title for his new book on trends in U.S. religion was "Continuity and Change in American Religion.
" But the folks on the Princeton University Press marketing team suggested he could attract more attention with the bolder title: The Decline of American Religion. Chaves, director of the National Congregations Study, took another look at research showing indicators of traditional beliefs and practices are either stable or falling in a nation that is a symbol of the staying power of religion in the West. His conclusion: "The burden of proof has shifted to those who want to claim that American religiosity is not declining. " The Secrets of Scientology. This is a very disturbing video documentary for the BBC programme Panorama, by reporter John Sweeney.
BBC reporter John Sweeney's last investigation into the Church of Scientology resulted in an explosive confrontation with church officials. This time, in a Panorama Special, one of those officials has turned whistle blower to help him reveal the dark secrets of the church, which boasts Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its devotees. There were no histrionics from John Sweeney this time but a second look at Scientology underlined the insidious aspects of the controversial organization. As Sweeney delved into L Ron Hubbard's mysterious pseudo religion and found himself hounded and harassed, the group's continued denial that it is a cult seemed laughable.
This is a so-called church, yet so much of its treatment of non-believers smacks of paranoia, notably the revelation that Sweeney’s 2007 ‘exploding tomato’ impression was encouraged. The Story of God. Professor Robert Winston presents a definitive three-part documentary series on the history of mankind's quest to understand the nature of God.
The Story of God is an epic journey across continents, cultures and eras exploring religious beliefs from their earliest incarnations, through the development of today's major world faiths and the status of religious faith in a scientific age. The series examines the roots of religious beliefs in prehistoric societies and the different ways in which humanity's sense of the divine developed.
It looks at the divergence between religions that worship a range of deities and those that represent strict monotheism. The series begins with Professor Winston examining the religions which believe in many different gods and explores why mankind started to believe in God at all. "But most of all the answer," says Professor Winston, "lies in the human desire to be united with something bigger than ourselves.
" Around the World in 80 Faiths. A Closer Look at the Influence of Religion in America. When I wrote my 2006 book “The Holy Vote” I thought I was writing about the end of something, not the beginning.
It looked like openly religious politics, the voter appeals intertwined with religion, and the alliance of one of the two main political parties in the United States with one particular religion had passed its high water mark. I was right about that, but didn’t anticipate the strange ways religion would continue to put its imprint on our shared political life.
Here we are, the better part of two years into the Obama administration, and curious questioners at a small group meeting are asking the president why he is a Christian. You never heard Lyndon Johnson talking about it, not Richard Nixon, or Gerald Ford. The president’s faith narrative notwithstanding, large numbers of Americans are still telling public opinion researchers that they think the president is a Muslim. The Muslim center in Lower Manhattan continues to spark controversy and outrage. Religion: Religions. Despite Religious Roots, Americans Struggle to Understand Others' Beliefs. The Naked Truth.