Confidence in Religion at New Low

[GMDino]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/183674/confidence-religion-new-low-not-among-catholics.aspx

Quote:PRINCETON, N.J. -- Americans' confidence in the church and organized religion has fallen dramatically over the past four decades, hitting an all-time low this year of 42%. Confidence in religion began faltering in the 1980s, while the sharpest decline occurred between 2001 and 2002 as the Roman Catholic Church grappled with a major sexual abuse scandal. Since then, periodic improvements have proved temporary, and it has continued to ratchet lower.

Trend: Percentage of Americans With a "Great Deal"/"Quite a Lot" of Confidence in the Church/Organized Religion


Confidence Steadies Among U.S. Catholics

U.S. Protestants' confidence in the church and organized religion also hit a new low this year, with 51% now saying they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in it. While confidence among U.S. Catholics is also at 51%, this represents a steadying after more than a decade of varying confidence during which their ratings reached as low as 39%.

Although confidence among Protestants has been sliding since 2009, Catholics' has remained above 50% each of the last two years, the first time it has achieved this since 2003-2004. The leadership of the popular Pope Francis, including his recent initiative to hold high-ranking leaders of the Catholic Church accountable for their role in past child sex abuse scandals, may be a factor.

Confidence in the Church/Organized Religion, by Religious Preference -- 1973-2015


Gallup does not have data on confidence in the church broken out by Protestants and Catholics for most of the 1990s, but the earlier trends show that confidence in organized religion fell among both religious categories starting in the mid-1980s, before it recovered somewhat in 1991. Previous Gallup analysis suggests the drop was related to numerous Protestant televangelist scandals. Yet Protestants generally maintained higher confidence in religion than Catholics did during this period.

As low as confidence in the church and organized religion is among Protestants and Catholics relative to the past, it is predictably much lower among nonreligious adults as well as non-Christians. In the latest poll, conducted June 2-7, 10% of the nonreligious and non-Christians combined said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the church or organized religion.


Confidence in Church/Organized Religion by Religious Preference




In addition to serious scandals that have come to light surrounding various religious leaders and church institutions in recent decades, the increase in the share of Americans identifying as nonreligious or as members of a non-Christian faith is another reason that confidence in the church has declined. The total percentage of Americans identifying as Catholic, Protestant or other Christian in Gallup polls has fallen, while the percentage with no religious affiliation has risen considerably.

Implications

The church and organized religion is losing its footing as a pillar of moral leadership in the nation's culture. Once reliably at the top of Gallup's confidence in institutions list, it now ranks fourth behind the military, small business and the police, and just ahead of the medical system. The good news for the church is that it still ranks among the more well-respected institutions at a time when fewer than one in four Americans have confidence in several others, including Congress and the media.

Poor behavior on the part of some religious leaders has caused serious self-inflicted wounds for the church and organized religion -- damaging its image among Protestants and Catholics as well as among non-Christians. At the same time, the nation is becoming less Christian and less religious, and those outside of Christianity naturally view the church with less respect. Any progress that organized religion can make in restoring confidence among the faithful may help stabilize its numbers, and perhaps soften others' skepticism.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted June 2-7, 2015, with a random sample of 1,527 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

For results based on the total sample of 796 Protestants (including nonspecific Christians), the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For results based on the total sample of 309 Catholics, the margin of sampling error is ±7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

Learn more about how Gallup Poll Social Series works.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

Thank god!

[StLucieBengal]

83% and 87% of Catholics and Protestants have quite a lot/some faith in church/ organized religion....

And 37% of non christian and non religious have quite a lot/some faith in church/ organized religion.

God has nothing to worry about ... lol

[*rfaulk34*]

(06-17-2015, 09:18 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Thank god!  

I see what you did there, but don't get too happy because things like this are supposed to happen before the end times. 

[StLucieBengal]

Dino you would enjoy this site. http://www.ronaldweinland.com

My former brother in law joined this church... And his wife ended up having to join too or lose him.

[GMDino]

(06-17-2015, 09:44 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: I see what you did there, but don't get too happy because things like this are supposed to happen before the end times. 

46 failed end-of-the-world predictions that were to occur between 30 & 1920 CE, but didn't.

[Beaker]

Religion will continue to decline for two reasons:

1. As humans become more educated overall, the flawed logic of religion becomes clearer.

2. As more of the reasons for previously unexplainable things are uncovered, the mystery of life no longer requires religion as an explanation.

The decline of religion overall is not a bad thing since religion is one of the biggest reasons humans see themselves as different (and in their minds superior) from each other and other species in the natural world. These perceived differences are the main cause of conflict between humans and the view that the Earth is a resource to be used rather than a framework to live as part of.

Eventually people will understand that everything in the physical world came from the same source, and that that source is not judgmental. That we are all part of the same whole. That if we harm others we are simply harming ourselves. Once (and unless) these basic truths are understood, humankind will finally turn for the better.

[Belsnickel]

Religion has served a couple of purposes throughout the years that as our society has progressed, it has lost out on its monopoly of. No longer are religious sects the oasis of learning and literacy. They aren't entangled with the government to the level they once were. They aren't the only social halls beyond guilds any longer.Communities are longer built around them in most of the developed world.

So many changes have taken place in our society that has caused the role of organized religion in our lives to decline, so this is of no surprise. We will never see it die. There will always be those that find comfort in it. The fear of a final end to your existence is a very human thing and religion provides a belief that there is something more to it other than us just being parasites upon a rock floating through something much larger than we can truly comprehend.

[BmorePat87]

confidence in liberal polls at an all time low...

[SteelCitySouth]

(06-18-2015, 11:38 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: confidence in liberal polls at an all time low...

Confidence in Pat's pole at an all time low....

[*bfine32*]

(06-18-2015, 10:05 AM)Beaker Wrote: Religion will continue to decline for two reasons:

1. As humans become more educated overall, the flawed logic of religion becomes clearer.

2. As more of the reasons for previously unexplainable things are uncovered, the mystery of life no longer requires religion as an explanation.

The decline of religion overall is not a bad thing since religion is one of the biggest reasons humans see themselves as different (and in their minds superior) from each other and other species in the natural world. These perceived differences are the main cause of conflict between humans and the view that the Earth is a resource to be used rather than a framework to live as part of.

Eventually people will understand that everything in the physical world came from the same source, and that that source is not judgmental. That we are all part of the same whole. That if we harm others we are simply harming ourselves. Once (and unless) these basic truths are understood, humankind will finally turn for the better.

Most likely too educated to see the conflict in your post.

States that religion makes folks feel superior; yet states it is declining because we are becoming more educated and states once everyone no longer believes in religion the World will be better.

Who is feeling superior (in their mind)?

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-18-2015, 12:10 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Most likely too educated to see the conflict in your post.

States that religion makes folks feel superior; yet states it is declining because we are becoming more educated and states once everyone no longer believes in religion the World will be better.

Who is feeling superior (in their mind)?

Well, he does have historical fact and precedent on his side.  The more educated society becomes in general and the more science explains that religion previously held purview over the less religious people become.  Hard to argue with the blatant facts of this.  Still, thousands of years of cowering from the gods is hard to break overnight, hence the slow progression.

[*Nately120*]

I'm waiting for the day organized religion becomes so unpopular that hipsters run to it and declare themselves to totally have been into it before everyone else.

[*rfaulk34*]

(06-18-2015, 09:44 AM)GMDino Wrote: 46 failed end-of-the-world predictions that were to occur between 30 & 1920 CE, but didn't.

Comparing someone's "prediction" to what's written in the bible. 

Well done, Dino.

[Benton]

(06-18-2015, 10:05 AM)Beaker Wrote: Religion will continue to decline for two reasons:

1. As humans become more educated overall, the flawed logic of religion becomes clearer.

2. As more of the reasons for previously unexplainable things are uncovered, the mystery of life no longer requires religion as an explanation.

The decline of religion overall is not a bad thing since religion is one of the biggest reasons humans see themselves as different (and in their minds superior) from each other and other species in the natural world. These perceived differences are the main cause of conflict between humans and the view that the Earth is a resource to be used rather than a framework to live as part of.

Eventually people will understand that everything in the physical world came from the same source, and that that source is not judgmental. That we are all part of the same whole. That if we harm others we are simply harming ourselves. Once (and unless) these basic truths are understood, humankind will finally turn for the better.

For me, the opposite has been true. The older I get and more I understand about the universe, the more I believe there was something that guided its creation. And the last bolded graf agrees with my views on religion.

[SteelCitySouth]

(06-18-2015, 12:34 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I'm waiting for the day organized religion becomes so unpopular that hipsters run to it and declare themselves to totally have been into it before everyone else.

That will be the day I buy my first pair of skinny jeans, and a trucker hat.

[*Nately120*]

(06-18-2015, 01:01 PM)Benton Wrote: For me, the opposite has been true. The older I get and more I understand about the universe, the more I believe there was something that guided its creation. And the last bolded graf agrees with my views on religion.

Hmm, I always thought people placed more value upon religion as they aged because the looming shadow of death and an eternity of nonexistence was unpleasant.  

[*rfaulk34*]

(06-18-2015, 01:04 PM)SteelCitySouth Wrote: That will be the day I buy my first pair of skinny jeans, and a trucker hat.

Liar. Your wife told me last night, that you already have a closet full. Along with a bunch of pairs of oversized shades.

[WhoDeyWho]

(06-17-2015, 09:44 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: I see what you did there, but don't get too happy because things like this are supposed to happen before the end times. 

Indeed.  They are predestined.

[*rfaulk34*]

(06-18-2015, 01:10 PM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: Indeed.  They are predestined.

Lunch is over. Gotta jet!!