this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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Over the past few decades, the number of Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated—often referred to as “nones”—has grown rapidly. In the 1970s, only about 5% of Americans fell into this category. Today, that number exceeds 25%. Scholars have debated whether this change simply reflects a general decline in belief, or whether it signals something more complex. The research team wanted to explore the deeper forces at play: Why are people leaving institutional religion? What are they replacing it with? And how are their personal values shaping that process?

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[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 2 points 15 minutes ago* (last edited 14 minutes ago)

For me it's because religion is brain cancer that fucks up anyone who takes it seriously.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago

No no no, this ancient religion from the Middle East based off of several other cultures mythology is the TRUTH!

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 19 points 12 hours ago

Because it's a grift?

[–] gerowen@lemmy.world 22 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Because it's all horseshit?

[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 5 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

I was going to say bullshit but either will do.

[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

When it comes to bullshit, you have to stand in awe of religion.

[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago

I miss carlin. I would love to hear his take on the current bullshit.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 5 points 13 hours ago

I'll do ya one better and go with tyrannosaurus shit.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 21 points 16 hours ago

My guess is that the extreme hatred flowing out of outspoken "Christians" in the US is a huge turn-off, as it should be.

[–] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 5 points 12 hours ago

I can give you 100+ reasons why…. None are good for you and/or me.

[–] Ushmel@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

We can just go to therapy instead of confessional.

[–] stevedice@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Ushmel@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Not if you actually tithe 10% like they want you to and have insurance and/or community support. Which of course not everyone has. But my point is that more insurance covers it now than 30 years ago.

[–] Zenith@lemm.ee 10 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (2 children)

Everyone, myself included always come back to the same reason - there is no proof.

If I was given actual proof of a god or pantheon or any other ridiculous nonsense I’d absolutely change my mind but actual proof magic exists can’t exist because magic isn’t real

I fully accept that I don’t and can’t truly understand the universe but where the fuck does that somehow morph into “god did it” it’s ok not to know everything I don’t need made up bullshit to fill the gaps so I can feel better about not having every answer. Live with not knowing, that’s what being human is meant to be, acceptance

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[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

In the 1970s, only about 5% of Americans fell into this category. Today, that number exceeds 25%.

That's ... a surprisingly slow transition. I can understand that an official turn away from christianity only started in the 1970s, fueled by a cultural revolution.

But the fact that only 25% of people have officially said no to religion as of today is staggering me. I would have thought it would be closer to 80%, maybe.

[–] ReiRose@lemmy.world 1 points 53 minutes ago

Quantitative analysis showed a steep and consistent decline in institutional religious involvement. The number of respondents attending religious services dropped dramatically between 2003 and 2013. At the start of the study, over 80% attended services at least occasionally. By the end, nearly 60% reported never attending.

Affiliation with religious institutions also declined, with formal identification falling from nearly 89% to just 60%. Belief in God showed a more modest drop—from about 83% to 66%—while individual spiritual practices like meditation actually increased. The percentage of participants who practiced meditation rose from 12% to over 21%, suggesting that spirituality remained meaningful even as institutional ties weakened.

The 'nones' didn't say no to religion, just to organized religion. Atheists are not in that percentage, nor are people who have a religious identity (eg Pagan, Jewish etc) but don't actively go to gatherings of that religion.

[–] turtlesareneat@discuss.online 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Considering who has the fertility advantage here, I am not sure this trend will even continue indefinitely. I've seen it in my own distant family, the only ones to have a BUNCH were the weird-ass Christian extremists whose kids are all named Isaac and shit.

The rest of us mostly had no kids, with a few having 1 or 2.

And obviously, the intro to Idiocracy, but it's true.

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

R strategists do not have good relationships with their kids.

that actually checks out!

what a nice pun: R-strategist as in biology, but also as in Republican, or "hard-R people".

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 5 points 13 hours ago

Never underestimate the power of indoctrination to an incurious victim.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 4 points 13 hours ago

It's been a slow trend over the last decades but it's encouraging to hear about.

[–] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 6 points 16 hours ago
[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

They have tech now. And conspiracy theories. Lots of stuff to cult about. They can build their own religion if they want.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 6 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

With blackjack and hookers! In fact, forget the religion!

[–] TurnOnTheSunflower@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

samus12345, you lead and I will follow. All hail samus12345.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 5 points 16 hours ago (1 children)
[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

the atomisation of society!

it would throw society into chaos! (/s)

[–] fireweed@lemmy.world 11 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

For their study, Schnabel and his colleagues used data from the National Study of Youth and Religion. This included four waves of longitudinal survey data and 183 in-depth interviews conducted from 2003 to 2013. The sample included over 1,300 individuals, each tracked from adolescence into young adulthood. [...] The number of respondents attending religious services dropped dramatically between 2003 and 2013.

The study used data that's 12 years old! Millennials are not young adults anymore. At this point it's well known that Americans, especially the younger cohorts, are moving away from religion, so why even bother reanalyzing ancient data?

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago

It is very useful to reanalyze old data. Recently, a study came out that concluded that we have misunderstood the role of nutrition and calories in fitness, and it examined studies over a period of decades to come to the conclusions. You don't always need new data to make new conclusions.

[–] Zenith@lemm.ee 3 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Gen Z is more religious and conservative, than millennials, a lot more

[–] capital@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Generally less able to identify scams so, it tracks.

I'm not sure they got to play the tutorial levels that we did.

A lot of us millennials had hotmail accounts that got the actual stereotypical Nigerian Prince emails. They were obvious as shit, so we learned to put our guard up. Gen Z came of age into a world full of pig butchering scams and other such sophisticated shit.

[–] Zomg@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Because I don't need God to be a good person, or know what good morals are.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

I think it was Penn Jillette who put it best...

I murder all I want to, and the amount I want is zero

[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 2 points 12 hours ago

Most of us get our sense of decency from the inside. Some can only find it in a book. Which is more dangerous the person who sense of right and wrong are with them or the ones who are just one crisis of faith from not having any?

[–] P1k1e@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

Not to mention you'll do a better job at it if you think for yourself on the subject rather than delegating it to a spiritual leader with potentially dubious agendas

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Here's my theory why:

  • People nowadays have higher average education and can much more easilly spot the logical inconsistences in Religion.
  • People are so overexposed and overwhelmed by swindles in the modern era that they are more naturally spotting the swindle nature of ancient swindles such as Religion.
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