Gallup
Survey: 53% of Americans identify as Protestant, 24% as Catholic, 18% as unaffiliated
Mormons are by far the most religious of any group in this analysis, based on self-reported importance of religion and religious service attendance, followed by Protestants/other non-Catholic Christians and Muslims. Catholics are slightly less likely than these groups to say religion is important in their daily life and that they attend religious services frequently. Those who identify with a non-Christian religion other than Judaism or Islam are less religious still. And Jews are the least religious group measured.
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Based on this 77% of us are Christians, 18% are unaffiliated and only 5% are something other than Christian. Why in hell do we Christians allow our-self to be dictated to so much by such a small minority? This turning the other cheek thing has gotten out of hand.
MikeA on December 24, 2012 at 7:10 PM
MikeA, what is it that you are suggesting? The United States has separation of church and state so what does it matter which religion is more popular?
agirlacamera on December 24, 2012 at 7:14 PM
That sort of explains why they tend to vote against the best interests of Jews.
ButterflyDragon on December 24, 2012 at 7:14 PM
And a good number of those people are going straight to hell. Voting to tax your neighbor is just coveting his goods. That’s one of the big ten by the way.
BDavis on December 24, 2012 at 7:15 PM
I am unaffiliated and christian.
astonerii on December 24, 2012 at 7:16 PM
It does? When did this happen? Why doesn’t anyone tell me these things?
BDavis on December 24, 2012 at 7:20 PM
I think you miss the point.
Its not a popularity contest. It’s an equal protection under the law question.
Why should a minority of people be able to shape the direction of a culture via little more than a whining mouth and a gaggle of “equality” lawyers and anachronistic ideology?
Mimzey on December 24, 2012 at 7:25 PM
I’m going to guess it happened around 1972 in a college dorm at 3am while huffing on a hash pipe.
Mimzey on December 24, 2012 at 7:26 PM
It may be that you, by your use of profanity, as well as your casting doubt on the efficacy of Jesus’ teaching, are illustrating the main problem with the statistics.
The main problem here is that folks assume that everyone who claims to be a Christian is one.
A Christian is, by definition, a Christ-follower.
Less than half of self-professed Christian Americans can name one book in the Bible.
Thirty percent of self-professed Christian Americans think the Sermon on the Mount was delivered by Billy Graham.
Thwenty-five percent of self-professed Christian Americans don’t know the meaning of Resurrection Sunday (AKA Easter).
Twelve percent of self-professed Christian Americans think Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.
Fifty percent of self-professed Christian Americans said Sodom and Gommorah were husband and wife.
Eighty percent of self-professed Christian Americans said there is a verse in the Bible that says “God helps those who help themselves.”
If 77% of us were Christians, abortion would be illegal, Obama wouldn’t be able to be elected dog-catcher, & our entertainment industry would be extremely different.
itsnotaboutme on December 24, 2012 at 7:47 PM
BDavis: Mark 12:14-17, just sayin’
Knott Buyinit on December 24, 2012 at 8:07 PM
If you substituted “Muslim” for “Christian” in your post, you’d be a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
CorporatePiggy on December 24, 2012 at 8:19 PM
If you had three braincells your posts would be far more beneficial to world.
astonerii on December 24, 2012 at 8:27 PM
“Separation of church and state” doesn’t mean what most people who fling around the phrase “separation of church and state” think it means.
Kensington on December 24, 2012 at 8:35 PM
Sweetheart –
Less than 20% of people who call themselves muslim can read arabic.
50% of them have not studied the Koran.
etc.
etc.
They still call themselves Muslim and you still treat them as such.
Next?
CorporatePiggy on December 24, 2012 at 8:35 PM
Actually I’d say less than 10% of them can read Arabic. In the stans it’d be well below that.
CorporatePiggy on December 24, 2012 at 8:36 PM
Who’s definition is this? Who gets to define “Christian”? You?
I have been reading/hearing this and similar survey statistics for years. I have read it in blogs, and heard it from the pulpit. I have no doubt about the Scriptural ignorance of the average American, but I still have a hunch this stuff about the belief that Joan of Arc is Noah’s wife or Billy Graham preached the Sermon on the Mount has reached urban legend status. Can you cite a source for these statistics?
HeIsSailing on December 24, 2012 at 8:54 PM
It is only some very modern version of Christianity that would be so definite about abortion. I am not so sure that a renewed faith in Christianity by the sorta Christians would change abortion politics. It certainly would do nothing to slow acceptance of gay marriage. More and more Christians just don’t understand what the Bible is getting out in those verses purportedly anti-gay. And soon they will be the majority.
My fear is nothing would change the entertainment industry. I would love for it to reflect something more like Christian culture than the trash non-culture it does now. But the Christians I know what the trash like most other people do.
thuja on December 24, 2012 at 9:16 PM
The problem is when the Muslims in Name Only develop an interest in their faith traditions and start practising some of those great muslim faith traditions like cruelty towards animals, exploitation of women, homophobia, and jihad.
thuja on December 24, 2012 at 9:20 PM