This is the decline in membership of the Seven Sisters of Mainline Protestant Christianity. American Baptist: -24% Disciples of Christ: -74% Evangelical Lutheran: -45% Presbyterian Church USA: -62% Episcopal: -36% United Church of Christ: -57% United Methodist: -40%

Ashes to ashes

Being politically liberal and being highly religious are just not compatible. Among white people who never attend: 45% are liberal. Among weekly+ attenders: 11% are liberal. That same pattern is there for every single racial group.

Family/childhood home gone. My folks lived there for 60 years. Now they are old. Lost everything. Neighborhood all ashes. Town all ashes.

When do people leave religion? According to this survey of 2,400 nones, there's a specific window of time: 15-25 years old. That's when more than half of non-religious folks head for the exits. The most popular age was 18.

About 60% of white evangelicals identify as "very conservative" or "conservative." About the same share of atheists describe themselves as "very liberal" or "liberal." There's no religious group I can find that is evenly balanced between left and right on this metric.

For people who were raised in an evangelical household, but left that - where do they end up? In the 1970s: 56% became mainline Protestants 20% became non-religious. In the 2020s: 18% became mainline Protestants 59% became non-religious.

I write books because I enjoy it. But writing books today is like making horse shoes. Kinda neat, but mostly useless.

The next Congress will include: - 1 "Humanist" (Rep. Jared Huffman) - 1 "agnostic" (Yassamin Ansari) - 1 "none" (Emily Randall) - Nearly two dozen Democrats who chose not to answer the religion question www.friendlyatheist.com/p/one-new-me...

Why are the non-religious always at the forefront of social progress?

When out for a walk, people who give their barking/growling dogs treats to “distract” them are actually just rewarding them and encouraging their viciousness.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zisn... Secularization porn.

“Government sources have told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan.” t.co/TPpsCAuU9q

Democracy and secularity seem to go hand-in-hand. I wonder which causes which? Or are they both caused by a third factor?

This morning 5-7 feet

From GOODBYE RELIGION by Cragun and Smith (2024)

So proud of our Secular Studies series at NYU press!

Some light morning reading to start your Thursday. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/o...

There is no mandate. Pass it on.

Secular people always least homophobic. Explanations?

Not: “Are you….?” But: “Do you identify as?” Can someone help me here? 🤔

If I Stack The words Does it Make It Poetry? 🧐

There are many reasons that murder rates may be high or low. But clearly, religion is not one of them.

"One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection. But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all." -- Arthur C. Clarke, born #OTD 1917

Ryan, how dare you post anything that does not completely support ongoing secularization. 🤯

Fun fact - religious attendance has stopped dropping. 24.8% of folks reported weekly attendance in 2019. It was 24.5% of respondents in 2023. That difference is not statistically (or substantively) significant.

Imagine a small liberal arts college, where students read books and write analytical papers. It is in your imagination -only - that such a thing exists.

For those who study secularization… 🤔

The Christian share for Democrats is too high. We need a greater percent of the non Christian to be atheist and agnostic and not simply non Christian religions.

Reading a book about disproving the existence of witchcraft, written in 1656.

You and me right now

Only the best people…

This is how little religion has changed in the United States in the last 5 years. Protestants: 43% -> 42% Catholics: 22% -> 20% No Religion: 29% -> 29% All Others: 6% -> 9% We've reached a plateau now. I don't know how long it will last, but the landscape has stabilized.

I cannot believe this is up for debate

My morning

"Make it illegal for health care professionals to provide someone younger than 18 with medical care for a gender transition" 84% of white evangelicals agreed. 72% of Muslims. 51% of Jews. 41% of Agnostics. 35% of Atheists.

Anyone who claims to understand anything that Hegel wrote is a straight up liar.

PATTON OSWALT

In our secular democracy, we don't base our laws on what "Jesus defines." The U.S. Constitution enshrines the separation of church and state, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their beliefs, have equal rights under the law.

I teach at a top liberal arts college. I’d say 90% of my students don’t read books, don’t own books, and when I assign books they treat them like they are cholera.