Americans Say Religion is Losing Influence; Majority Prefer Moral President
Most Americans say religion is losing influence in the country, surveyors for the Pew Research Center recently discovered.
While 80% of survey respondents see religious influence declining, only 18% believe it is gaining influence.
Sierra Johns, 33, a Christian stay-at-home mom near Charlotte, NC, agrees with the survey’s findings overall but believes those previously influenced by religion are “actually clinging tighter to God and their beliefs.”
“Religion has been cultural for so long, but no longer,” she said. “I believe many who used to be ‘religious’ no longer feel the need to identify that way because culture as a whole has a different, more moralistic–versus theistic–worldview.”
Majority Desire a Moral President; Few See Biden and Trump as Religious
While surveyors found that 94% believe it’s important that the President of the United States lead a moral life, few see either major presidential candidate for the 2024 election–former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden–as particularly religious.
Surveyors found that 51% of Republicans say having a president who shares their same religious beliefs is important. This number jumps to 70% when looking at White evangelical Protestants.
However, only 25% of Democrats find it important that the president share their religious beliefs. Just 11% of religiously unaffiliated Americans say this is important to them.
Only 13% responded as seeing President Biden, a Catholic, as “very religious.” The number was even smaller for former President Trump. A mere 4% of respondents see Trump, a non-denominational Christian, this way.
Helen Thomas, 40, a freelance writer from Kenosha, WI, believes the influence of both religious and political leaders themselves is partly to blame for the drop in religious influence among the nation.
“We have such poor examples of ‘religious leaders’ and Christianity in general,” she said, “such as megachurches…and Donald Trump.”
Thomas, who considers herself a non-denominational Christian, sees extremism as part of the reason why the American culture is seeing a decline in religious influence.
“Especially the far right political extreme seems to align with the most conservative Christian beliefs and act as if we Americans all ‘should’ be in agreement with them,” she said.
49% See Religious Decline as Negative; Minority Pleased With Survey’s Findings
Nearly half of survey respondents–49%–believe religious decline in the country is a negative thing. Only 13% saw the decline of religion’s role in America as positive.
Lisa York, 47, a painter from Buffalo, NY, agrees that religion is losing its influence in America, but she is among the minority who is pleased with this finding.
“Some of the worst wars and actions have been committed in God’s name,” she said. “People use the Bible to hide behind when they are being prejudiced and hateful.”
York, a former Catholic, clarified she doesn’t believe all religious people have poor motives, but “some of the worst humans I know are the most ‘religious,’” she continued. “It’s as though they think going to church every weekend gives them permission to treat people terribly the rest of the time.”
York’s personal experience with religion has left her viewing the construct as “hypocritical.” She believes religion should not affect a person’s decision to act kindly. “I don’t need to be afraid of God to treat others well,” she continued. “That should happen regardless of whether you are religious or not.”
Mandy Devine, 56, a Christian life coach in Statesville, NC, agrees with the survey’s findings but believes the word ‘religion’ should be replaced with the word ‘Christianity’ in this context, she said.
“It is true that the impact of the body of Christ (the church) appears to be declining,” she said. I believe the reason for this is two-fold:
- Our inability to operate in unity within the church, and
- Our failure to look different (from) the world by accepting the attitudes, opinions, and actions of this world as if they are of God.”
“If we love God with all our hearts, love our neighbors, & and begin to walk in unity,” Devine continued, “people will be knocking the doors down to be part of this beautiful gift of grace.”
