ANSWERS: 24
  • ***Before anyone rants about CNN and "liberal bias" - this survey was also on Yahoo! News and AP*** Now then, I'd like to say a big "I-told-you-so", but I sort of saw this coming for a while now. And keep in mind this is just the rise in those who are willing to admit it; there are plenty more nonreligious people in America, probably as high as 20%.
  • I think its an accurate study. I think people are abandoning Christianity because there are so many people who go out and do horrible things in the name of Christianity and as a result it's turning people off to Christianity. Example: a 9 year old girl was raped and impregnated by her father, instead of the Catholic church opening their arms to this poor little girl they excommunicated her and her mother because she chose to have an abortion. This is not what the Bible teaches.
  • I think it is accurate. So many zealots are shoving Christianity at people on the end of a battering ram that it is having an adverse effect. When it is shoved down your throat, you choke.
  • I think it would be accurate from what I have witnessed in my own life. People don't want to be told what to do by people who don't even do it themselves....although personally I do suggest you seek out God for yourself.
  • It's a fairly misleading study. Apparently the number of people who consider themselves Christian increased from an estimated 151,225,000.00 in 1990 to 173,402,000.00 in 2008. Another thing that struck me as odd was their classification of Atheists and Agnostics. According to their notes, they claim that the number of Atheists grew from 8.2% in 1990 to 15.0% in 2008. If you look at their numbers, however, .7% of the population in 1990 described themselves as Atheists or Agnostic. In 2001, that number was .9% of the population. In 2008, that number was 1.6% of the population. If you want to look at just raw numbers, it went from 1.1m in 1990 to 3.6m in 2008 - not really that massive an increase considering the number of Christians went up by 20 million in that period. So it seems that if you answered their questions about God with "I don't know" or "I don't want to respond" then they assume you consider yourself to have no religion. So, this study by Trinity College turns out to be slightly biased and guilty of faulty statistics in attempts to paint a picture of a God-less America. If you throw the aforementioned data, because it's statistically irrelevant, then you find that nothing really has changed except the fact that there was a 3900% increase in the number of people attending so-called "Mega Churches" and a 400% increase in the the number of born-agains.
  • I think that we see prophecy being fulfilled here. As Jesus asked: "Nevertheless, when the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?”—Luke 18:1-8.
  • I'd say it's about accurate. Chalk it up to bad "marketing" over the past few decades. If Billy Mays had been selling us Christianity rather than Robert Tilton, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and others, America's view of religion might be slightly more positive. The last thing we need is another "He-stole-on-my-klondike-take-a-duck-take-a-duck-take-a-duck send me $1000 for this here prayer cloth shoo-ma-ma-boo-yah-ka-ta-ka-na and Gawd will heal you-a-HAH!!!" sales pitch from some sanctimonious self-appointed and ordained bishop/pastor from the Third International Bapticostal Post-Millennial Non-Tribulation Sanctuary of Holy Light, Flaming Tongues, and Revelation Church of God in Christ by the Holy Ghost Power Tabernacle of Heavenly Worship and Divine Healing Center of Prosperity for Jesus Amen in His Name Warrior Sanctuary Training Academy of Hallelujah by the Renewed Waters of New Life Victory Glory Mission of the Nazarene.
  • People research and become more knowledgeble. I know I did.
  • I already knew this was happening, I think we all saw it coming.....elation ensues.
  • it was the same in Noah's day..Abraham's...Israel ,the Israelites did the same to God,(turned their backs on HIM) but some still remained...same as America is becoming Godless...as prophesied before HE comes...its not new news:)justme
  • One of the main problems with this study is the misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the word and meaning of Christian and Christianity. Is there such a thing as an ex- Christian? This is a question for which there is definitely a clear and explicit biblical answer. First John 2:19 declares, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” This Scripture makes it abundantly clear—there is no such thing as an ex-Christian. If a person is truly a Christian, he/she will never depart from the faith “…for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us…” If a person who claimed to be a Christian denies the faith, he/she was not truly a Christian. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us…their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” No, there is truly no such thing as an ex-Christian. It is important to distinguish between a true Christian and an “in name only” Christian. A true Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. A true Christian is a person who understands what the Bible says about sin, sin’s penalty, who Jesus is, what Jesus did for us, and how that provides for the forgiveness of sin. A true Christian is a person who has received Jesus Christ as personal Savior, has been made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and is progressively being transformed into the image of Christ. A true Christian is a person who is kept a Christian by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:13, 30; 2 Corinthians 1:22). This true Christian can never become an ex-Christian. No one who has truly and fully trusted in Christ as Savior could ever deny Him. No one who truly comprehends the evil of sin, the terror of sin’s consequences, the love of Christ, and the grace and mercy of God, could ever turn back from the Christian faith. There are many in this world who claim to be Christians, but are not. Being a Christian does not mean being an American or having white skin. Being a Christian does not mean recognizing that Jesus was a great teacher or even seeking to follow His teachings. Being a Christian means being a representative of Christ and a follower / servant of Christ. There are people who have had some connection to a “Christian” church and then later renounced that connection. There are people who have “tasted” and “sampled” Jesus Christ, without ever actually receiving Him as Savior. However, there is no such thing as true ex-Christian. A true Christian will never, and could never, renounce the faith. Any person who claimed to be a Christian, but later rejects the Christian faith, was never truly a Christian. In light of what I just posted, I would have to say that this study represents people who were never Christians to begin with, only people who tried on a denomination or a religion and found it didn't fit their life style so they moved on to something else. Just because you're a Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, or Lutheran, doesn't mean that you automatically become a Christian.
  • As long as Scientology isn't on the rise I'm fine with it. But yeah, religions come and go. Always have, always will.
  • It doesn't surprise me. For many years, organized religions have been counting non-participating members, and no one bothered to ask. Now, these people are willing to admit that they have dropped out, because there is less stigma attached.
  • I think there is a study for everybody :)
  • The reason is that 20 years ago we did not have all these immigrants with thir wierd faiths in America.
  • That is hard to believe. However, I would certainly hope so - it's about time that religion goes away altogether and reason and common sense take its place
  • like others have said, i believe it's because there's less stigma attached to being non religious in the classical sense. that and because more are willing to research the different religions "holy" texts and find the many flaws in them.
  • America is not a Christian nation anymore.There are christians who live here,but our government could careless about God.Notice the judgement that is starting to take place.You abort 53million babies and you can expect God to judge.
  • The reason for this is because people are allowing more influence from perverted sources, and from sex in the media to influence their mind. This causes them to become vicously lustfull towards their sins, and when they show up to church on sunday they are convicted and instead of changing the sin, they dump God. It is also because sin is becoming so widely accepted that the people dont allow themselves to be convicted, they just "do what they want" and that attitude will just keep them in the sin that they are living in. But Jesus even prophecied this outbreak of sin, and Paul did as well so it is not too much a surprise to me. GOD IS GOOD Michael
  • One thing for me is there are a lot of distractions out there now expecially for teens and it isn't cool to go to church with your parents. My son left it up to his two daughter's if they wanted to go to church after they made a move far away for us the grandparents and the parents no longer go either. So it is sad for me as I've found a very good Baptist Church to go to that I grew up in and I did not bring my sons up in the church which was wrong on our part. Now we are back going to church and it has really changed a lot. Really like it now and it is casual but structured.
  • My understanding is that we are now 3 generations removed from being a predominantly Judeo-Christian nation. Certainly soemthing else is trying to replace it whether it be Islam or Secular Humanism. As the "progressives" move USA farther away from the precepts of Christianity, we move closer to a society that came about 4,000 years ago. To those who don't know what happened there, you can learn by going to Genesis Chapter 11.
  • I haven't heard that, but it makes me optimistic.
  • I think they are pretty much on target....Makes me think of what Jesus said at Matthew 7:15-23 " (Matthew 7:15-23) “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; 18 a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits YOU will recognize those [men]. 21 “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. 22 Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ 23 And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew YOU! Get away from me, YOU workers of lawlessness. Jesus knew that many would claim to serve him, yet be hypocrites....What do you think? Could money be a big motivating force at work here? Especially among the leaders of these organizations that are saying one thing and doing another.....VEW
  • Have you read the cover story in "Time" magazine?

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