Christians in America

[RedPillAddict]

The landmark ARIS 2001 study indicates that the percentage of Americans who consider themselves Christian has dropped about one percent every year, from 86.2% in 1990 to 76.5% in 2001.

(biblical nonsense)

 

76.5% Consider themselves Christian. Not 76.5% Fundy assholes. After leaving the church I have noticed that 90% of the people I know that say they are Christians know nothing about the stories of the bible and dont attend church at all.

 

Is it possible that maybe 30%-40% of that 76.5% merely assume they are Christians because they live in America and havent given it much thought? I have had many of my friends tell me that their parents tell them they should go to church...yet the parents do not go. They just think that it would be good for their children to go because it seems like a place to go to be considered a good person.

 

I dont think that th majority of Americans are real Christians, but that the majority just considers themselves to be because they are American.

[Emperor Norton II]

That's probably the case. Church-going Christians are a minority even in the US. A lot of people don't swallow that BS hook, line, and sinker. Most assuredly, most Americans are also too fucking lazy to care.

[Caretaker]

Yes, I tend to think that figure is inflated..... I probably would have labelled myself Christian back in Jr. High school even though I wasn't much different then. I simply called myself that because I thought it was the "American thing to do."

 

Well, I realized since then that I wasn't, and I know a few people who call themselves Christians who are Christian only by label but are probably Deist at best.

 

You know who you are.

[- AUB -]

Same in the UK, most say xtians, most are secular as hell, and all except evolution. The fundies are right, liberals aren’t really xtians, but serve to promote the myth of xtian majority.

[chefranden]

American Adults Religious Identification (Age 18+)

 

Christian Religious Groups

 

Catholic 24.5%

 

Baptist 16.3%

 

Christian (no denomination specified) 6.8%

 

Methodist/Wesleyan 6.8%

 

Lutheran 4.6%

 

Other [>1%]: Presbyterian; Pentecostal/Charismatic, Protestant, Nondenominational, Episcopalian/Anglican; Morman/Latter-Day Saints; Churches of Christ

Other [= or >.3%]: Jehovah's Witness; Seventh-Day Adventist; Assemblies of God; Church of God; Holiness/Holy; Congregational/United Church of Christ; Church of the Nazarene

Others [smaller representations yet]: Disciples of Christ; Church of the Brethren; Mennonite; Orthodox (Eastern); Quaker; Reformed/Dutch Reform, and many more

 

Total Christian 76.5%

 

Other Religious Groups

 

 

Jewish 1.3%

 

Muslim/Islam 0.5%

 

Buddhist 0.5%

 

Other <.5 and >.3%: Hindu; Unitarian Universalist; Other [examples]: Pagan; Wiccan; Spiritualist; Native American; Baha'I; New Age; Sikh; Scientologist; Taoist; Deity; Druid; Eckankar; Santaria; Rastafarian

 

Total Other Religions 3.7%

 

No Religion Groups

 

Agnostic 0.5%

 

Atheist 0.4%

 

Not a worldview group, but rather individuals who stated: "No religion" 13.2%

 

Other [smaller representation groupings examples]: Humanist; Secular

 

Total No Religion Specified 14.1%

 

From Here

[☆ TexasFreethinker ☆]

I dont think that th majority of Americans are real Christians, but that the majority just considers themselves to be because they are American.

I think you're right that many Americans think they are christians because they believe in god and since god's a christian they must be one too. They don't even think about the possibility of other religions since our society drums into you that

 

good citizenship = morality = god belief = christianity.

[dogmatically_challenged]

Saviorforsale

Is it possible that maybe 30%-40% of that 76.5% merely assume they are Christians because they live in America and havent given it much thought?

I would go as far as to say it is very probable. Thats what I see in my neck of the woods anyways.

[sonofspong]

My guess is, most christians call themselves such because they were born into thier faith. Its basically the beliefs and norms that their parents instill onto them that shapes thier faith.

 

You gotta realize that the easiest way to become a Christian is to be born to Christian parents. The more nutty you're parents are, chances are the the more nutty you will be. My parents were pretty liberal christians, in some regards. Because of this, although I belived in jesus and all that other bullshit, I grew up with no innate concern for the rediculous religious norms that plague most christians; I cursed all the time (and usually got smacked by my parents for it, but i guess im a sucker for getting smacked); I desired nasty, sinful premarital sex every second of the day (never got any); violent movies=good, sesame street=kiss my ass;

nor did I think twice whether or not my actions were what jesus would do (I always thought he was kind of a hippie)

 

Was I a good christian? probably not. But the fact was, I always just assumed god was just some generally good benifactor. It wasn't until I really started reading the bible, and pondering the existence of god, did I truly discover how rediculous and warped the christian faith is. Even worse, the god whom I considered "good" was really a monster, nothing like what I had envisioned him to be.

 

My guess is this is the same mentality that most christians posses. They really haven't given god much though; they just follow the paradigims given instilled upon them by their parents. Once you force them to give some serious thought into thier faith, they'll begin to see the bullshit and lies that the "good book" is built upon.

 

Unfortunately, you got those bible thumpers who are so warped by christianity that there is no hope for them. They're like the "blue pills" of the Matrix movies, so reliant on the system that their very lives and minds cannot comprehend other possiblities.

[dogmatically_challenged]

sonofspong

They really haven't given god much though; they just follow the paradigims given instilled upon them by their parents. Once you force them to give some serious thought into thier faith, they'll begin to see the bullshit and lies that the "good book" is built upon.

This is my experience sometimes with people when the subject is braught up. These folks are lumped together with all other xians in a lot of polls.

 

sonofspong

Unfortunately, you got those bible thumpers who are so warped by christianity that there is no hope for them. They're like the "blue pills" of the Matrix movies, so reliant on the system that their very lives and minds cannot comprehend other possiblities.

I never focus too much on these folks in RT unless they come back with questions.

[Poonis]

I don't think anyone can call themselves a true christian until they have participated in at least one auto-da-fe, one inquisition, one crusade, and owned at least one slave.

 

Every other christian of today is just a watered-down wanna-be of god's glorious ferocious mercenaries of yester-millenia.

[Sokudo Ningyou]

I don't think anyone can call themselves a true christian until they have participated in at least one auto-da-fe, one inquisition, one crusade, and owned at least one slave.

 

Every other christian of today is just a watered-down wanna-be of god's glorious ferocious mercenaries of yester-millenia.

 

 

You forgot participation in stoning, having incestuous relations, committing polyagamy, and surviving at least one Sodom and Gomorrah of the 20th/21st century.

[Lens]

I think that xtians realize that most people who claim xtianity are secular, but they don't care. What they need are these people to claim to be xtians in the polls to bolster their agenda. You know how xtians love to quote polls showing 80 whatever percent of people on earth believe in a god in order to diminish atheism, but they don't bother clairifying that they believe most of these people are going to hell along with the atheists for belonging to the wrong religion. I think that this is also why it is so important for xtians to attack freethinkers and to demonize them as well; to try to prevent all the real atheists out there from coming out of the closet.

 

I read or saw on a documentary once that the US government can actually make a pretty good estimate of when Americans are at home based on electrical usuage or phone usage. The actual number of hoseholds that were empty on a Sunday morning was a miniscual fraction of the number who claim to go to church on Sundays. I am going to try to find this source.

 

I think it is very interesting that the number who will bravely admit to being atheists or who don't claim a religion is so high. I have no doubt the number is easily double or triple those polls.

[Lens]

Just found this quote at the bottom of a poll showing the percentage of americans who attend church at least once a week.

 

"This is a reduction from 55% in 1991. Attendance data are grossly inflated. Independent studies that count actual participation have revealed that the actual attendance values are typically one half of those found by polls."

 

I think it is clear that these polls grossly overstate the religion 'cause' and understate the non-believers 'cause'.

[Purple Rhino]

IMO, these numbers are grossly inflated if there is an assumption that Christian and Fundie are the same beast.

 

Fundies are the minority of the christians in America, they're just the loudest and most obnoxious. I know many many people who consider themselves christian just by default. They never had any interest in a personal spiritual journey and were born 'christian' so end of story. I know Tarot readers who consider themselves christian and even a Catholic Witch (lol she really is a nice person)

 

So I agree with the others here who say American = Christian just beacuse.

 

PR