WHAT’S BEHIND THE RISE OF THE RELIGIOUS “NONES”?
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WHAT’S BEHIND THE RISE OF THE RELIGIOUS “NONES”?
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“The rise of the ‘nones’. Why is it happening?” FOX News contributor and Fox Nation host Tom Shillue asked a panel of experts on “Deep Dive.”
Shillue was referring to new Pew Research Center polling that shows that more Americans than ever before say that they are not connected to any religious faith. The Pew survey, conducted in 2018 and 2019, found that the percentage of the U.S. population that described themselves as “religiously unaffiliated” had risen to 26%, up from 17% in 2009. At the same time, the percentage of Americans describing themselves as Christians has declined 12 percentage points over the past decades.
“First of all, I think the best way to understand ‘nones’ is ‘none of the above’ because that’s usually how the question is asked,'” said Fox News contributor, theologian and ethicist, Jonathan Morris, a former priest. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Much worse would be ‘I don’t believe in anything.’ That’s not really what this study says.”
In fact, Pew Research Center has noted that among those who identify as “religiously unaffiliated” in their survey, “many… believe in God.”
“It’s not ‘I don’t believe in God,'” continued Morris. “I remember when I was working down in lower Manhattan, which is a very young population. There were so many young adults who would come and say, ‘my parents aren’t really practicing anything’, but they grew up as Presbyterian or Catholic and they didn’t give me anything. And they were kind of ticked off. And they were saying, ‘I want something.’ So none of the above is not necessarily all that bad.”
Fox News chief religion correspondent Lauren Green said that she spoke to one theologian who attributed the rise of the ‘nones’ to the “breakdown in the family.”
“It’s the family unit where you normally play out your faith, where you get your morals, your ethics because it’s lived out in that sense. And you’ve got a high divorce rate. You’ve got kids are growing up with no center in their family. And so they’re looking for other things to do to fill that void,” she added.
Shillue asked the panel if the apparent proliferation of atheist books could be interpreted in a positive way because it indicated that people are searching for meaning in life.
“This whole cottage industry of atheistic activism… influences people, I think, in a negative way,” said Morris. “It substitutes the search for real meaning by saying ‘I am committed to’ almost ‘I belong to’ the religion of atheism… And I think in the end, there’s going to be a lot of people asking the same question that people have asked for millennia. That is, ‘who am I? Where am I going? Let’s figure this out.’ And that will never end.”
(Excerpt from Fox News. Article by Matt London.)
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The Lord gave me this Word for my book SPIRIT CALLING 7 years ago….
“I am drawing people to Me by the outpouring of My Spirit upon the earth. Be a channel of My Spirit. Touch the wounded with My Healing Restoring Power. Be a vessel of My Calming Spirit, My Gentle Love, My Tender Mercy, My Calming Peace, My Nurturing Spirit. Claim My Power. Stand firm against the enemy, and you will see Wonders yet unseen.”
Many are “nones” b/c they wont commit to a hypocritical bunch of “religious” – anything and everything is except-able Christianity.
What makes Christians any different than the unbeliever ? really- other than having more places to be, etc. nothing in most “Christians” that says THIS IS THE REAL THING !
they show the world Piousness, surface only routines, greed, same worldy parties/ music? just some words changed. in consistent Whole Body too many conflicting messages and too little evidence of The Real Creator- ONE & ONLY Supreme GOD.
Oh Lord may those naming You as Lord come out from the world and be separate from it. Living a holy acceptable life in your sight according to Your Word. Forgive us and restore us to You! Then heal our land!Amen!
I agree. People know when a person is Christ like and has faith. Be an example like the word.
That’s exactly right..God draw us all closer to you so that your very essence oozes out of us!
Just read an article by Aimee Semple McPherson who wrote (all those years ago) “that the crying need of the church today, is a real baptism of the Holy Spirit. . . .such as the 120 people received on the day of Pentecost.” The same is true today. Our wonderful Heavenly Father is the GOD of miracles. The preaching of His Word should be accompanied by signs and wonders, such as happen when the Holy Spirit is poured out on His people. This can only come about by prayer and fasting and waiting upon The LORD, and it WILL come when GOD’s people finally decide to give up on our own efforts to build His church and instead pray and fast and wait for HIS power to come upon us and honor GOD by the way we live. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Mari, Right on, Jesus commanded the disciples to “wait” for the “promise” of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Christian Church in America needs the power of the Holy Spirit to bring Bible reality to God’s people. The enemy has confused and lied to God’s people, concerning “speaking in tongues” (Praying in the Spirit) The Baptism so changed my life that 50 years ago, I went from a “church going” Christian to a minister of the gospel, with healing and signs accompanying our ministry.
My prayer for all believers is to ask The Father to show you the power that comes with the “baptism” for your life ! Love all believers !
So good to read your response, Pastor! Amen! Amen! Amen! Thank you!
Lord, please confuse the strategy of the demonic realm fueling atheism. Make one lie prove another wrong until they kill each other and fall to the ground in Jesus name, Amen.
“None of the Above” may also mean for many of us “Nones” that we prefer to call ourselves “Followers of Jesus” and do not want to be labeled as “Evangelical” because that word has always carried a bad taste to the secular population. Sometimes I even refer o myself as a “Lover of Jesus” or as the early Church “A follower of The Way”. We love Jesus, we read and study the Bible, and we meet in home groups, or small churches, but we have no interest in being labeled or associated with tribal denominations because we’ve seen the dark underbelly of all that. A lot of the “nones” are also PK’s.
Pastor Ruth, MDiv in progress
AMEN!!!!!!
But I might add we must “LET OUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.”
ALL GLORY GOES TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND TO HIM ALONE.
People are tired of a Master Pastor/Priest with nothing for them to do, which has nothing to do with the 1st century church, but above all, where are the miracles, without miracles you have no church, and especially where are the apostles doing mighty miracles:
1 Cor 14:26
26 What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. ASV
1 Cor 12:28
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, (divers) kinds of tongues.
ASV2 Cor 12:12
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works. ASV
John 14:12
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater (works) than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.ASV
The Lord spoke to me about the god of technology years ago. The devil’s distractions that cause widespread addictions to spending times on machines rather than with God and chemical addictions for dependency on drugs.
In spite of all this, God is watching and His arms are always open to the castaways and the lost. We must continue in prayer and believe God to move on His own behalf and by His own will.
Pastor Regina
Lord I seek Your forgiveness for hypocrisy and Sunday only holiness that many of the body of Christ have been. Forgive us for not making our marriages sacred and a living example to our children. Lord I pray for those searching for “purpose”, “where they are going”, for the missing contentment in their hearts that only You (Abba Father) can fill. Lord bring them to the end of themselves (Pit experience) that awakens the desire for Truth. May the Holy Spirit guide them, open their hearts to Your Truth, who Jesus is and what He did for them. May they repent of their sins, turn from their wicked ways and profess Jesus Christ as their Savior. In faith and trust I ask you. In Jesus name. Amen
Many “nones” are being churched by the Internet.
My church is in Texas and I live in Ohio.
In my case I have a strong group of friends and family
that account for my assembling
together with other Christians.