The real reasons Americans are walking away from organized religion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1aa5dis4Pc

 

The great unchurching of America

The U.S. is undergoing its fastest religious shift in modern history, marked by a rapid increase in the religiously unaffiliated and numerous church closures nationwide…

https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/great-unchurching-america-religiously-unaffiliated

 

 

 

America isn't in the midst of a religious revival—and the numbers prove it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyUSCHObEW0

 

The global religious exodus: Why people are switching—and ditching—faith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kptl-Xcq-1M

 

The Decline of White Christian America with Robert P. Jones (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad dives into PRRI’s 2023 Census of American Religion with Dr. Robert P. Jones, author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy. 

Together, they break down the ongoing decline of White Christian America, the growing number of younger people who are religiously unaffiliated, and the stark differences between the religious demographics of the Democratic and Republican parties. 

They dig into how these demographic shifts are shaping the culture and politics of the country, offering key insights into the religious and racial trends transforming the U.S. today.

Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/the-decline-of-white-christian-america-with-robert-p-jones/

Opinion | Young Women Predictably Flee Organized Religion - The New York Times

In a 2021 article for Georgetown University's Berkley Forum,Maxwell explained that years earlier, Southern Baptists doubled down on a specific vision of complementarianism "with the publication of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, which proclaimed that wives should submit to their husbands and that pastors should be men." Even so, there have been women in the S.B.C. who gained great prominence as Bible teachers and speakers outside of the formal role of pastor; several people mentioned to me Beth Moore, who left the S.B.C. in 2021 over its handling of sexual abuse scandals and many members' embrace of Trump...

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/12/opinion/genz-women-organized-religion.html  

More Americans are ditching religion, citing anti-LGBTQ bigotry and clergy sex abuse

Religiously unaffiliated Americans are the fastest growing “religious” group in America, now comprising 26% of the population. 

Their reasons for leaving organized religion include anti-LGBTQ bigotry, clergy sex abuse scandals, and the toll it takes on their mental health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD7hKTByk4w

People say they're leaving religion because of anti-LGBTQ teachings and abuse : NPR

People in the U.S. are leaving and switching faith traditions in large numbers. The idea of "religious churning" is very common in America, according to a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)…

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/27/1240811895/leaving-religion-anti-lgbtq-sexual-abuse

New book ‘The Exvangelicals’ explores why many Americans are leaving the church | PBS NewsHour

"I grew up with the impression that we were sort of a small, kind of persecuted minority. And that is a theme in many ways comes from the Bible, this idea that, if you follow God, you will be persecuted, just as Christ was persecuted. 

What I didn't realize growing up as an evangelical kid was that I was part of a massive subculture, a giant movement that was close to one in four Americans during my adolescent years, at least, and that had a huge and outsized political influence on this country and still does in many ways. 

So that sense of embattlement and persecution, I think a lot of it goes to the fact that white Christianity used to be the dominant culture really in this country. And it's increasingly on the decline, for a whole bunch of reasons, some of which just have to do with increasing diversity..."

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/new-book-the-exvangelicals-explores-why-many-americans-are-leaving-the-church

Atheist Debates - Why are people LEAVING Christianity?

If people are leaving church communities because of how those faith communities treat their gay friends - what does that mean? Is religion just a club of conveniently agreeing people and NOT a statement of confidence about the truth of a god?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd6fSMTFkeA

The Christian Crypto Fraud (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #515)

— Christian pastor and wife sued over alleged cryptocurrency fraud scheme. (1:30)

— An Ohio pastor was punished for opening his church to the homeless. He deserves it. (23:50)

— Conservatives are falsely claiming NBC censored Jesus in an interview with C.J. Stroud. (48:30)

— A Mississippi school rightly reprimanded a kid who said “Jesus Christ” out of frustration. (58:00)

— Have the “Nones” finally peaked? (1:07:40)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2024/01/25/the-christian-crypto-fraud/

Nearly 30 percent in U.S. now identify as having no religious affiliation - The Washington Post

Trying to understand how nones construct their values, the study found that the group places a relatively high value on science. Forty-four percent of nones say there is a scientific explanation for everything, even if they don't understand how everything works, compared with 16 percent of religiously affiliated Americans. Fifty-six percent of nones say science does more good than harm, compared with 40 percent of the religiously affiliated who say the same. 

But when it comes to identifying important factors for deciding between right and wrong, nones and religiously affiliated Americans look similar, with 82 percent of the former and 83 percent of the latter saying "they don't want to hurt people." The motivation of "logic and reason" was picked by 82 percent of nones and 79 percent of the religiously affiliated…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/01/24/nones-no-religion-study/

Confidence in organized religion dropped significantly since 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0YpcSwqhcw

The Great Dechurching looks at why people are leaving churches - The Washington Post

A new book looks at why millions of Americans left church — and what might bring them back...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2023/09/15/christianity-church-attendance-decline/

Opinion | America Is Losing Religious Faith - The New York Times

Moore cites data suggesting that the reason people leave churches is not that they lose their belief in God so much as that they lose confidence in religious leaders and in the church's moral leadership. He thinks faith can still recover; I'm not so sure. 

Religious charlatans like Falwell may have meant to usher in a new Great Awakening, but in fact they taught millions of Americans to be wary of preening ventriloquists who claim to speak for God...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/23/opinion/christianity-america-religion-secular.html

Reacting to New Research on American Evangelicalism | Here's The Stats!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfI-UIcV8E0

Opinion | The Largest and Fastest Religious Shift in America Is Well Underway - The New York Times

It's complicated and multifaceted, but to summarize, it's largely a combination of Christianity's association with far-right politics and the fact that being unreligious has become more socially acceptable over time...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/opinion/religion-dechurching.html

In face of Christian nationalist power, Americans reject religion | openDemocracy

New Ipsos poll suggests Trump and Christian nationalism have discredited religion in the eyes of many Americans
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/poll-us-religious-disaffiliation-christian-nationalist-power/

 

The Religious Landscape is Undergoing Massive Change. It Could Decide the 2024 Election. - POLITICO

For instance, of Michigan's 83 counties, 65 experienced a drop in religious adherents between 2010 and 2020. In populous Oakland County, which encompasses the far northern suburbs of Detroit, the share of people affiliated with a religious congregation dropped two percent in the prior decade. That drop in share coincided with a rise in Democratic fortunes: President Joe Biden won the county by 108,000 votes, more than double Barack Obama's margin eight years earlier. Oakland County points to a future where Democrats have an easier pathway to victory as churches, synagogues and mosques continue to empty out...

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/14/democrats-religion-census-secular-00095858

Opinion | ‘Christianity’s Got a Branding Problem’ - The New York Times

"I no longer attend services, nor want to. I am simply too angry at what so-called Christians are doing to our children and society," said Katherine Claflin, 67, who lives in Kansas. Although she belongs to a progressive church, she said that "right-wing 'Christians'" have nudged her away from church attendance entirely, a fact she finds painful...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/opinion/christian-religion-brand-nones.html