A spin on the decline of religion in America

[Cartoonist]

https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v4-28-686/

Recent research argues that the United States is secularizing, that this religious change is consistent with the secularization thesis, and that American religion is not exceptional. But we show that rather than religion fading into irrelevance as the secularization thesis would suggest, intense religion—strong affiliation, very frequent practice, literalism, and evangelicalism—is persistent and, in fact, only moderate religion is on the decline in the United States.



For a better image, see the PDF at link.

So let me get this straight. Not strong affiliation is in decline. No affiliation is on the rise. Strong affiliation is flat-lining. I come to a different conclusion than they do.

[msongs]

1. the bible cultists are not going away anytime soon

people who believe time stopped 2000 years ago and rely on training manual written by human males, not an actual god, will stop at nothing to keep their power

[3Hotdogs]

2. Wouldn't ya wanna protect your pension if it was you?

However, some of those dudes do perform a public service. Why just last Saturday, D.U. had a post about a minister in Linden, N.J.

He was performing exorcisms and sometimes they didn't work. So he went the extra mile. He sucked the Devil out of a couple of men's bodies, by way of their penis.

Now that's going beyond the call of duty.

[Major Nikon]

3. I think the best you can say about the piece is it's simplistic

It either ignores or is apathetic to the effects in various regions. I always say the bar to church ratio is a better indicator. Never move to a town that's on the back side of that ratio.

[Bretton Garcia]

4. SOMETHING interesting: an unmoving Trumpian 37% approval

From what I know about fundamentalists, evangelicals, they are fanatically DEFENSIVE. They've always seen the outside world as a menace, a threat. And so their core beliefs are centered around resisting it. "Resisting temptation," and rival churches. There is good, and there is evil - and nothing in between.

So more than any other believers, they've resisted change. At least on the official record.

And oddly? Their remarkably flat percentage is almost exactly the same, as the also VERY consistent number as those who approve of Trump.

I think it has to do with always seeing your group as threatened constantly; and having systematically setting up strong defenses from the beginning. And therefore being utterly convinced ... and strongly resistant to anything that seems to disprove their religion. Being ... immovable.

Something similar to fanticism. And? Maybe reflective of some kind of almost permanent, perennial underclass?

Those are all incredibly, remarkably, unbelievably straight lines, in any case, for a graph.

SOMETHING is going on.

[Cartoonist]

5. Trump is their savior

Who will be Judas?

[Bretton Garcia]

6. Maybe every movement betrays itself, its originator ..

... when it declares its origin to be an infallible god.

[Bretton Garcia]

7. Or McGahon (sp?); Trump's former longhair lawyer