Fewer Believe in the Supernatural, More in the Rational
More Americans describe themselves as "non-religious" or not religiously affiliated than at any other time in history, and recently this trend has picked-up speed. New findings suggest that the problem is not one of faith but relevancy in daily life, with about 45% of respondents to a Gallup poll saying they believe religion is old fashioned and out-of-date.
A new poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal revealed that slightly more than 1 in 5 Americans now feel that religion is not very important to them. Of the 20% of Americans who feel this way, the greatest amount identify as white men under the age of 35 who are economically at the high end of the lower middle class(1). Read the poll results on NBC.com.
A Harris Interactive Poll on American's religious beliefs shows that while 74% of Americans believe in God, belief in God, miracles and heaven has declined while belief in the theory of evolution first described by Charles Darwin has increased. Read the poll results on Harris Interactive.
Followers most often leave their current faith because they disagree with its dogmatic or doctrinal teachings, while people most often adopt a faith movement that allows the opportunity for spiritual growth without conflicting with evolving social norms.(2)
Watch a video of Unitarian Universalists explaining this liberal, welcoming faith: [youtube wezp1W2HKlU] Read about the poll results on Huffington Post.