Pew Research - Religious Landscape Survey

“Virtue, Morality, and Religion; this is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed, so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger.” Patrick Henry

Prior to the 2024 election, when asked of the voting public what issues were of greater importance to them, most responded the economy, inflation, illegal immigration, and the Ukrainian/Russian and Middle East wars. However, I believe of equal importance on the minds of the American people were cultural issues as well, including abortion, traditional values, religious freedom, parental rights, and the transgender movement.

Concerning these and at the heart of the division in the culture war, and the one defining element that is the foundation of the others, is religious freedom. A majority of people of faith spoke out and voted their conscience, in defiance of the radical far Left and Democratic Party's position on cultural issues. The election sent a message: we the people will not tolerate the undermining and desecration of our values.

With this in mind, the consideration of religion in the lives of the American people has recently been updated; the Pew Research Center has released its “Religious Landscape Study.” The survey was extensive, but for purposes here, I have concentrated on those areas that will speak directly to the most often discussed aspects of religion in America.

This is the third authoritative study by the Pew Center, and was taken from June 17, 2023 to March 24, 2024. It is comprised of the 50 states and District of Columbia; 36,908 Americans participated; 25,250 online, 10,733 on paper, and 925 by phone, in both English and Spanish. Those who participated were questioned about their religious affiliation, beliefs and practices, political and social views, and demographic characteristics.

According to the Pew Center, the people who were recruited to take the survey were selected according to Address-Based Sampling (ABS). This system is part of the United States Postal Service Assistance, and its Computerized Delivery Sequence, which through its program gives most, if not all, U.S. adults a chance of being selected to participate. Following are several of the statistics.

> Christianity has seen a decrease in its numbers, from 78% in 2007, 71% in 2014, and 62% in its recent survey of adults who identify as Christian. The survey shows the number has stabilized at 61-64% with small fluctuations.

> According to the denominations of the Christian religion: Protestants are 40% of the adult population, Catholics are 19%, other groups including Greeks, Russians, Orthodox Churches, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses total approximately 3%. 

> The number of Americans who identify with religions other than Christianity has been trending upward, but the number is in single digits.

> Non-Christian religions in the present number of adults: 1.7% Jewish, 1.2% Muslim, 1.1% Buddhist, and 0.9% Hindu.

> After a long period of sustained growth, religiously unaffiliated who identify as Atheists, Agnostics, or no religion in particular, account for 29% of the adult population; this now seems to have plateaued since the last survey was taken. 

> Since the 2007 survey, Americans who report that they prayed daily, at least once a day, has remained consistent between 44-46%, and since 2021 this same number has been sustained.

> Since 2020, the percentage of U.S. adults who responded that they attend religious services at least once each month has remained constant at about 33%.

> People who believe they have a soul or spirit, aside from their physical body - 86%.

> People who believe in God or a Universal Spirit - 83%.

> People who believe there is something beyond the natural world, even though they can’t see it - 79%.

> People who believe in an afterlife, whether heaven or hell - 70%.

> There are both hopeful and dire results as to the advance or decline, respectively of religion and spirituality in America. Young adults (18-24) are less inclined toward organized religion than are older adults (74 and older), in the following categories:

• Identify as Christian (46 vs. 80%)
• Pray Daily (27 vs. 58%)
• Attend religious services at least once a month (25 vs. 50%)
• Religiously unaffiliated (43 v.s 13%)

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams

How important is religion in the life of America and the lives of her people? I began and ended this article with quotes from Patrick Henry and John Adams. Virtue, Religion, and Morality were often on the minds of the Founding Fathers. In their writings and when speaking, they would often express the importance of religion, and believed it to be an integral part of a successful, thriving republic. There are many among us today, however, who do not; think Democrats, the media, big business, Hollywood, and secular-run education.