Just how religious is the US?

Great Debates
1

I suspect this may lead to a debate, but feel free to move it elsewhere moderators.

I’ve only ever visited Seattle in the US, and that was for a couple of days. I did live in Vancouver for a while, and was surprised when I found a number of what I would call hardcore Christians there.

So, tell me, just how religious is the US? Are people frightened to say they are atheists? Is it only certain areas where caution is required? If you say you don’t believe in God what would happen to you? Is almost everyone around you a believer? How many people do you know who don’t believe in evolution? How many people do you know who believe there are angels walking on the Earth? If you applied for a job and were asked about your religion would you be happy to say you have none?

I know there are varying types of Christianity, I guess it’s the amount of fundamentalists around you I’m interested in.

I live in the UK where almost everyone I know is either an atheist or agnostic, although it seems most people don’t like militant atheists, perhaps because they perceive there’s nothing worth fighting for. However American-style Christianity is slowly taking hold here, with schools teaching creationist ideas; Mormons knocking on the door and trying to prove Darwin was wrong; and the Alpha Group converting people through hypnotism (http://uk.alpha.org/).

2

I’d say the US is pretty religious. I’m not scared of saying that I’m an atheist, but some people think, “If you don’t believe in God, what DO you believe in?”. They can’t understand that you don’t have to believe in anything.

3

Nearly everyone in America would call themselves religious, spiritual, or a believer.

There are some situations where it would be advisable not to pronounce your atheism, for example if you wish to be elected to an official position. Atheists are enough of a minority that people are usually curious about them more than hostile to them, though. Nobody in their right mind would expect violence in response to admitting their atheism, though.

In some places, religion is so thick that people have literally never met an atheist before. You would certainly need to be religious to “fit in” in those places.

Probably nothing. You might get pulled into debates more often than you’d like, and you might suffer excessive proselytizing, but you almost certainly would not be attacked physically. You may be denied employment or avoided in social situations, depending on the community.

Yes. There is probably no major community in America that is not majority religious.

Virtually everyone I know doubts evolution as understood by biology. Most people would agree that some higher intelligent power has created life, and may possibly be “directing” evolution for some purpose. Literally nobody I know in real life (and have had this discussion with) accepts evolution without some spiritual aspect.

Literally everyone I know with whom the issue has been raised.

Absolutely not. I would tell the truth and say that I don’t believe in god, but I would expect that if the question was raised at all that I would not be getting the job. After which I would contact a lawyer, because discrimination like that is illegal in America.

4

I can only answer a little. I am a 35 YO woman living in upstate NY.

** Are people frightened to say they are atheists? **

** I am not frightened to say I am an atheist, but I do approach the issue with caution. I am in no mood to debate and I never attack people’s religion IRL (not even much on the Internet, nowadays), so I am circumspect in some places.

** Is it only certain areas where caution is required? **

There are certain areas it’s harder to say it.

** If you say you don’t believe in God what would happen to you?**

It depends. It usually doesn’t come out in my case until I’ve known people for a while, so they already know I’m a moral, good person, and are genuinely surprised I am not Christian.
In some cases I have had acquaintances cease talking to me, and I’ve had a couple of burgeoning relationships grind to a halt upon this discovery.

** Is almost everyone around you a believer? **

Yes. At least they say they are. Even people who seem in every way they don’t believe, will rarely come right out and say they are atheist, and when I have said it, I’ve been told “You’re very brave, to say it like that.” This of course bothers me - why do I have to be brave just to say what i feel, when I am asked directly.

** How many people do you know who don’t believe in evolution?

None that I know of, but I don’t ask. And my friends all accept it as fact.

** How many people do you know who believe there are angels walking on the Earth? **

Quite a few, surprisingly, and if not angels, then some other godly entity.

** If you applied for a job and were asked about your religion would you be happy to say you have none?**

No, I would not. I might say “I am not very religious”, but I don’t like making a fuss about my beliefs or lack thereof. But I would imagine I’d be unhappy at such a job. If they’re asking me about their religion it’s probably because religion is particularly strong at that workplace.

5

I think it really varies by where you live. Urban California is going to be a different world than rural Georgia. Race and class are additional complicators. The US is really a much more diverse place than it gets credit for. I don’t think there is one good answer.

6

Religious enough to be very annoying about it.

I have no problem with telling people that I am agnostic. I don’t run around with a sign around my neck, but if a conversation drifts into religion, I have no qualms with getting it off religion.

7

Only 1.6% of Americans describe themselves explicitly as atheist or agnostic (a larger 15% claim no religion without describing themselves as atheist or agnostic).

Comparatively, in Canada, 20-30% describe themselves as atheist or agnostic.

So yeah, the US is pretty fucking religious.

Linky. Sources at the bottom of the page.

8

Frightened? No.
Yeah, there’s a lot of religious folks around by evidence of all the churches I see. My town alone of 73,000 has 20-30 churches. However, I’d say the majority of religious folks keep it to themselves and aren’t very preachy about it. And I’m not that preachy about being a non-believer.
I personally don’t know anyone that doesn’t believe in evolution or that angels walk on earth.
The people you’re probably thinking about are religious extremists or the vocal minority (nutters). Not too many of them but they sure do make a lot of noise to get themselves noticed.

9

This is a BIG no-no. As a company, you could face penalties for asking about the religious affiliation of a prospective employee. It’s related to your question as there really are several people for whom there is are “correct” and “incorrect” religions, and they will extend this bias towards hiring. Of course, it still happens on the sly, most typically at smaller firms, but it’s not something you openly flaunt.

In general, religion plays a big role in the American psyche, whether or not you practice a religion.

As you might imagine, the exact behavior you see will depend on the demographics. Most of the posters here are generally in the socioeconomic classes we like to call the ‘middle class’. At work, it’s mostly “don’t ask”. If you don’t ask, you don’t have to deal with awkward social situations. Of course, some people are openly religious, but you generally don’t comment on it in normal social situations. Outside of work, it’s not unusual to run across somebody proselytizing in public areas or going door to door.

Geography also plays a role. It’s probably pretty safe to be openly atheist in a big city. But it’s not such a good idea in some of the smaller towns in South. Actually, it wasn’t so long ago it was a bad idea to be openly (or even covertly) Jewish or Catholic in some of the smaller towns in the South, and it would not come as a shock if this was still the case in some of the out of the way towns.

10

For my part of the country, Upstate New York, Catholicism takes the place that evangelical Christianity holds in the Bible Belt. The region experienced heavy immigration from Italy, Ireland, Poland and what was Bavaria at the time (southern Germany). You’ll hear Catholic radio stations, encounter EWTN on the basic cable tier (and channel 10 in Buffalo), and see local diocese news on the front page of local newspapers. You may be asked about why your forehead is clean on Ash Wednesday, and why there’s meat on your dinner plate on Friday.

The region is politically quite liberal, but socially conservative; an odd mix not often encountered outside of the Rust Belt. Surprisingly, there was general support for SSM in UNY, but abortion remains a hot-button issue, especially in Buffalo.

Buffalo is probably the most traditionally and seriously Catholic of all Upstate regions. Buffalo is the second most Catholic city in the United States, and the percentage of Catholics in Buffalo is higher than Mormons in Salt Lake City. (Cite: The Association of Religion Data Archives.) Catholicism is embedded in the area’s culture in a way that is very similar to what one might see in Italy or Mexico. For example, this being summertime, it’s lawn fete season, a uniquely Buffalonian phenomenon.

There is the assumption that everybody is Catholic, so you may get asked “What parish do you belong to?”, or given advice like "Just say a few decades"or “You should pray to St. Anthony for that.” If you say you’re not Catholic, it’s usually no big deal; no invites to church, no pamphlets, no condemnations to Hell. I attended a very long, very Catholic (but also very beautiful) funeral in Buffalo on Saturday, and nobody shot me dirty looks for not kneeling before I slid into my pew, not doing signs of the cross, remaining silent during prayers to Jesus and Mary, and the like. There’s not the judgmental mindset as what might be encountered with evangelical Christianity in the South. Nobody tries to convert or save you, although they may disapprove of you dating their daughter.

There aren’t many Protestants in the Buffalo area, but what’s there are mostly mainstream congregations; Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Northern Baptists, and the like. Except for the Lutherans (more heavily oriented towards Missouri Synod than ELCA), they tend to have a more liberal, less evangelical slant. Southern-style Bible thumping is frowned upon. Buffalo has a Jewish population of about 25,000; it’s said to double during the academic year. Intermarriage is much higher than among Jews outside of the area, and synagogue membership is lower. There’s a growing Muslim and Hindu population, thanks to immigration and the presence of the area’s many colleges and universities.

Where I live now, in “the most enlightened town in America”, most people aren’t very religious. Atheists, agnostics, and barely practicing Christians and Jews predominate. The most visible religion seems to be Buddhism, followed by New Age/woo practices.

11

Yes it must be it’s so huge, I meant to imply that people should answer the questions as they see the answers in their own part of America, but I don’t think i did a very good job of working it that way :frowning:

12

Thanks so far everyone. It’s really interesting and quite a bit different from here in the UK as far as I can tell. But I suspect if we asked more people here what they do or do not believe in a lot of us ‘middle class’ folks (I think the definition of middle class if different in the UK than the US but don’t ask me to define it :)) would be surprised.

Another question is, if you’re agnostic or an atheist then how do you feel towards the believers? I automatically think they must be stupid / ignorant / crazy and I have to remind myself that I’ve met some well educated nice people who were pretty fundamental about their beliefs and that there’s something going on that I don’t quite understand.

13

Let’s see if I can answer this for my hometown:

Are people frightened to say they are atheists?

Generally not. Although Buffalo is very, very Catholic, there’s generally a “live and let live” mindset. Just so long as you believe that dose dem der Bills der have a chance of making it to dat der Super Bowl’s der this season, you’ll be fine.

Is it only certain areas where caution is required?

For the US, I’d say it’s mainly rural and exurban areas in the Bible Belt, and some “chewy” cities (the opposite of “crunchy” or “granola”), like Colorado Springs, Colorado; Greenville, South Carolina; or Sugar Land, Texas to name a few places.

If you say you don’t believe in God what would happen to you?

In Buffalo? Most likely nothing, although some might not want you to date their sons or daughters.

Is almost everyone around you a believer?

Back home? I’d say the majority of my friends were culturally Catholic, but they were agnostic about their belief in a God or higher power. They may attend church frequently, but it’s mainly going through the motions; it’s what’s expected of them. Jewish friends and family members tend to be agnostic, even though they may still attend temple, and send their children to Jewish religious education.

How many people do you know who don’t believe in evolution?

None, even among the most religious. Evolution and science are givens.

How many people do you know who believe there are angels walking on the Earth?

None. There’s a lot of Catholics who take Mary worship and saints seriously, but I know more that have expressed outright confusion over the nature of trinitarian monotheism and its pagan elements.

If you applied for a job and were asked about your religion would you be happy to say you have none?

It’s illegal.

14

wording

15

Another post:

If you’re looking for a part of the country that is the equivalent of Central and Northern Europe when it comes to religiosity, the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and California to some extent, are your best bet. The Rust Belt/Great Lakes Region: probably akin to Poland. The Rocky Mountain West: subtract the megachurches at the far end of the scale, and it’s probably much like central Europe. The South: probably like some area that is deeply Orthodox. The Midwest can be all over the place, but generally more secular in the northern reaches.

16

It’s a difficult question to answer in general. The US has a culture of religion. People feel that they should identify with a religion, but that doesn’t really determine a belief in that religion or a belief in any religion or God. There are likely to be many atheists who also belong to religions, and don’t publicly discuss their atheism, less out of fear of reprisal than fear of proselytization. We also make a big deal out of freedom of religion, which to some people means freedom to choose the acceptable Christian religion of your choice. Religion plays a greater role in US politics in the past few decades because religious and political issues have been intermixed, and the religiopolitical types turn out heavily in elections.

Getting an accurate picture of religious attitudes in the US is difficult, because like sex, when you ask people about it, their answers tend to reflect something other than reality.

17

You just can’t have that attitude in the US. There are just so many religious people that it would make no sense. How could you think that 98.5% of the people are stupid or crazy? I reserve that for the new-age woo types. I’ve had to change my minds about Mormons as well. Before I moved to the Pacific Northwest I viewed them as crazy people that horded food, thought that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri, and believed the Native Americans were the lost tribes of Israel. But most Mormons are very nice people and tend to be fairly accomplished in whatever fields they are in. I think going off on missions helps kids mature.

18

I find it so hard to understand how these people are so ready to dismiss things like evolution, or can believe in things like angels or the devil. I have had arguments with well educated people, Canadian even :), who program computers for a living and therefore must know something about logic, about how someone can have morals if they didn’t believe in God. They must know there are millions of non-believers out there who aren’t committing crimes and murdering strangers, yet for some reason logic suddenly goes out of the window.

It’s like there are two brains one for religious thinking and one for everything else.

19

The vast majority of Americans do believe in a deity of some sort. However, if you were to proclaim yourself an atheist you would be unlikely to be in any sort of danger anywhere in the United States. Most of the people I associate with do not doubt evolution. When I took biology as an undergraduate, I witnessed a few good students who made low marks on the test that covered evolution simply because they refused to learn the material. I had never before seen a group of people who were so willfully ignorant. As for angels walking the earth, well, I meet all sorts of people who believe that supernatural are around. I believe there’s a high correlation between those who believe in ghost and those who believe in angels.

20

Actually, American-style Christianity is returning to its British roots. Ever hear of John Wesley & George Whitefield? Evangelical Protestant Christianity is virtually a British invention. As was the Rapture doctrine.

Alpha Group- hypnotism? :dubious: