# Just how religious is the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 19, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580 "2011-07-19T14:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/41 "2011-07-19T20:51:32Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > [Less than half](http://www.gallup.com/poll/114544/darwin-birthday-believe-evolution.aspx) of the country believes in evolution, Or alternatively, only one-quarter _doesn’t_ “believe in evolution.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/42 "2011-07-19T20:58:37Z")
In my circles (software in the California Bay Area), almost everyone seems to be atheist or agnostic. We can get pretty militant because of nuts trying to push their crap into schools. I honestly feel a bit bad about it sometimes–I do in fact think there’s room for reasonable religious people–but if there are any around they shut their mouths either to keep the peace or out of embarrassment. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/43 "2011-07-19T21:35:33Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > This is true of cultural products whose _first object_ is the religious content, and for a readily understandable reason: most of it sucks. > > People who set out to be _Christian musicians_, per se, on average just aren’t as good as people who set out to be musicians (many of whom _are_ Christians, even devoutly so, and may well write some songs with Christian themes). There are plenty of country and R&B musicians who perform such songs and get them on mainstream radio stations (granted, the country and R&B audiences are more receptive to such material)–but they’re really driven by musicality more than religion. Josh Turner’s “Long Black Train” is wholly and explicitly religious in its lyrics, but became a hit more for its gently chugging rhythm, some very good production, and that voice. People may claim that the message is most important, but in fact they don’t make gold singles out of any song that asserts there’s “victory in the Lord.” Turner’s other hits were all love songs. “Don’t you see you’re not making Christianity any better, you’re just making rock and roll worse?” -Hank Hill I’m “religious”, I guess, in that I believe in a god, but that’s about it, so I don’t think I could answer your questions. But fortunately here in Pittsburgh, fundamentalists and literalists are few and far between. It’s largely Catholic around here. I went to a Catholic school and I learned about the basics of evolution there. (Just the bare bones, as this was elementary school.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/44 "2011-07-19T22:02:42Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > …There are a few exceptions. _7th Heaven_ was a mainstream show about a religious family that ran successfully until the actress playing the daughter decided she wanted to go pose nearly nude in various magazines. _18 Kids and Counting_ depicts a religious family, although the draw there is their freakish reproduction, not their faith. > > To be sure, there are essentially no declared atheists in pop culture either. Even so **7th Heaven** was more “spiritual” than “religious”. IIRC Jesus was almost never mentioned; even by the Rev Camden. God was mentioned alot. Same deal with **Touched by an Angel** ; alot of talk about God & Heaven, angels as main characters, a couple guest appearances by Satan, but no mention of Jesus or any specific religious dogma really. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/45 "2011-07-19T22:25:09Z")
> [@](#): > > So, tell me, just how religious is the US? It varies wildly from region to region, state to state and even county to county. Basically, the answer is going to be ‘it depends’…it depends on where you are in the country, whether in a large city or a small town, an urban environment or a rural one. Just look at the responses so far in this thread. 😉 > [@](#): > > Are people frightened to say they are atheists? Not ever. I don’t generally walk around with an ‘I’m agnostic, bitches!’ tee shirt on, or have a huge chip on my shoulder or make a big deal about it, but I’ve never been shy about telling people when the subject comes up. I think that most people who get into troubles about this these days are ones who are looking for trouble or are really aggressive about their atheism and highly disparaging about religion and belittling religious people. Sort of like walking into an all black or hispanic neighborhood wearing a white supremacist tee shirt and dressed like a Klan member and then wondering why you got the shit beat out of you… > [@](#): > > If you say you don’t believe in God what would happen to you? Nothing usually. Sometimes folks will argue with me, or act hurt (mostly this from my own family), but generally no one really cares, or they are curious and have questions. I’ve never been tarred and feathered, even at my family reunions. > [@](#): > > How many people do you know who don’t believe in evolution? A lot of my wife’s family would fall into this category, especially my father in law and all three of my brothers in law and 2 of the 3 sisters in law (the other one, interestingly, is a militant atheists, as is her husband). In my own family, a lot of the older generation of uncles and aunts don’t ‘believe’ in evolution, but that’s generally because they are almost completely ignorant of it…several of them can’t even read or speak English, many have never been to formal school or just went to Catholic school for a few grades. I don’t have any friends who don’t ‘believe’ in evolution, though. > [@](#): > > How many people do you know who believe there are angels walking on the Earth? Both my family and my wife’s family are heavy duty Catholic, so yeah, many of them believe in the whole angels thingy. They believe in ghosts too, and the devil and, of course, sin…lots and lots of sin! And blood into wine and flesh into bread, saints, and all sorts of other stuff (lots and lots of superstitions and such on both sides, but especially on my side, since my family comes from rural Mexico). > [@](#): > > If you applied for a job and were asked about your religion would you be happy to say you have none? They actually don’t ask that, but if they did I’d probably answer the way I do for race and pick ‘other’…and then say something smartass. That’s what I do on surveys I take that ask such questions. > [@](#): > > I know there are varying types of Christianity, I guess it’s the amount of fundamentalists around you I’m interested in. Well, not much around me, no. Of course, I don’t live in South Tucson or Mexico with the majority of my family, nor Pennsylvania with my wife’s. Catholics don’t really consider themselves ‘fundamentalists’, per se, but I know what you are getting at. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/46 "2011-07-19T23:33:00Z")
Perspective from a religious person. > [@HumanBear](#): > > So, tell me, just how religious is the US? Not as much people say it is. Most religious people in the US even many Evangelicals are cheesy “gospel of wealth types” who mix and match whatever beliefs they find convenient. Most Americans still approve of fornication, homosexuality and so on. Pornography is a multibillion dollar industry and cussing is quite normal. > [@](#): > > Are people frightened to say they are atheists? Is it only certain areas where caution is required? Certainly not. Quite a lot of my friends and acquaintances are atheists and agnostics. > [@](#): > > If you say you don’t believe in God what would happen to you? Depending on the circumstance some may try to share the Gospel or whatever their respective religious doctrine are but usually this is not the case. > [@](#): > > Is almost everyone around you a believer? No see above. > [@](#): > > How many people do you know who don’t believe in evolution? Depends. Do you mean anyone who doesn’t believe in naturalistic evolution or only Young-Earth Creationists/ > [@](#): > > How many people do you know who believe there are angels walking on the Earth? That’s a pretty obscure topic, can’t say. > [@](#): > > If you applied for a job and were asked about your religion would you be happy to say you have none? As others have noted such an action would be illegal. > [@](#): > > I know there are varying types of Christianity, I guess it’s the amount of fundamentalists around you I’m interested in. Depends on your definition of fundamentalist. > [@](#): > > 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/](http://uk.alpha.org/)). I suspect much of it is due to Muslims, not Christians especially the introducing creationism in schools part. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/47 "2011-07-19T23:33:32Z")
Socially I don’t think it’s a good move to come out as an atheist except to close friends or perhaps in an academic or at least philosophically open setting. If pressed it’s better to come off as a wayward Christian, a private person, or just an asshole. You’ll draw less attention to yourself that way. ---
**Author:** ![SimonMoon5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SimonMoon5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SimonMoon5)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/48 "2011-07-20T00:06:40Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > It’s worth noting that religion is largely absent from mainstream American pop culture. Well, I think it depends what you mean. Religion is so pervasive that it has seeped into everything. As an outsider, I see it everywhere. For example, I have seen Lady Gaga perform songs on TV shows (such as SNL or the Graham Norton Show) and I discovered that her songs include a high religious content. I think her outfits are great, but I don’t like the religiosity of her songs. That’s just one example. If I had time, I could list the religiousness in every TV show I watch. Sure, the Simpsons may be the only popular TV show to really _focus_ on religion (and often with contradictory views: Lisa shows how the religious people are fools, while Ned Flanders prays for things to happen causing God to show up and make them happen), but the innate religiosity of the nation is reflected in the TV shows. It’s like if you have a peanut allergy, you suddenly realize how peanuts are everywhere, but if you don’t have a peanut allergy, you don’t notice them. As an atheist, I see religion everywhere. And there are people still fighting to keep “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” on our money… and they always win. And I think the popularity of “The Last Temptation of Christ” would have been unheard of in a less religious country. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/49 "2011-07-20T00:12:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Wait, where do you live? Because I live in _South Carolina_ and that is by no means the case. (I do work in a profession that requires a masters’ degree in the state capitol with a major university nearby, of course.) Sure, some people don’t believe in evolution, I’m helping a woman do an opinion school paper against “Darwinism” even as we speak. But plenty of people do. I had absolutely no problem finding a guy to date who believes in evolution, full stop. I live in Las Vegas, via South Carolina, via Arizona. I’m surprised you know anyone in SC that does not want to wedge god or spiritualism or intelligent design or purposeful direction into evolution. The only people I know who don’t feel the need to do that are all on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/50 "2011-07-20T00:15:19Z")
> [@SimonMoon5](#): > > And I think the popularity of “The Last Temptation of Christ” would have been unheard of in a less religious country. Possibly you are thinking of _[The Passion of the Christ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_the_Christ)_. _[The Last Temptation of Christ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Christ_%28film%29)_ was not as well received, [del]despite[/del] being a much more interesting film. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/51 "2011-07-20T00:32:59Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > In my circles (software in the California Bay Area), almost everyone seems to be atheist or agnostic. We can get pretty militant because of nuts trying to push their crap into schools. I honestly feel a bit bad about it sometimes–I do in fact think there’s room for reasonable religious people–but if there are any around they shut their mouths either to keep the peace or out of embarrassment. No, we tend to be quieter because atheists and agnostics have shown an ability to be just as assholishly bigoted as believers once they get a critical mass around them. I guess you could call that keeping the peace. I have no desire to spend time at work explaining that I am a Christian who does not condemn gays, nor do I disdain science, and I am pro-choice. However, if I simply state that I am a Christian, I run the risk of employment discrimination and other general false assumptions made by others that I will not get an opportunity to correct. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/52 "2011-07-20T00:37:39Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > No, we tend to be quieter because atheists and agnostics have shown an ability to be just as assholishly bigoted as believers once they get a critical mass around them. I guess you could call that keeping the peace. > > I have no desire to spend time at work explaining that I am a Christian who does not condemn gays, nor do I disdain science, and I am pro-choice. However, if I simply state that I am a Christian, I run the risk of employment discrimination and other general false assumptions made by others that I will not get an opportunity to correct. Where do you live, that you believe Christians run the risk of employment discrimination? I can see how you would be wary of people making false assumptions, but actual discrimination? I seriously doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/53 "2011-07-20T00:47:08Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > I have no desire to spend time at work explaining that I am a Christian who does not condemn gays, nor do I disdain science, and I am pro-choice. However, if I simply state that I am a Christian, I run the risk of employment discrimination and other general false assumptions made by others that I will not get an opportunity to correct. That’s all well and good, but labels have connotations and if you don’t make your positions clear, I think it’s fair for people to assume you’re aligned with mainstream Christian principles. That doesn’t excuse employment discrimination, of course, but I’ve never seen evidence of that. Where I work, I don’t know any Christians personally, but I know _of_ some, and they don’t seem to face any problems. They just wouldn’t enjoy sitting at my lunch table. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/54 "2011-07-20T00:50:26Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > 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). “…34.2 million Americans (15.0%) claim no religion. Of which, 1.6% explicitly describe themselves as atheist (0.7%) or agnostic (0.9%)…” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that article states that 1.6% of the people who claim no religion are atheist or agnostic, not 1.6% of the population. I’m only questioning this because they put in “Of which”. The last time I did research on these demographics, I found the percentage of atheists and agnostics were a fraction of a percent. The number was roughly 500,000 in the entire U.S. Doing the math here (1.6% of the 15%) comes out to a little over 500,000. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/55 "2011-07-20T00:53:29Z")
I have lived in semi-Bible belt North Carolina all my adult life, and I have never had any qualms about saying i am an atheist. Furthermore, I have never in my life heard of a single episode of anti-atheist violence anywhere in the US, and I think it is reasonable to assume that atheists have nothing to worry about. I hope that does not change; frankly the way the 21st-century US Right Wing is evolving I am a bit apprehensive; I hope the country’s record of religious tolerance remains unaltered. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/56 "2011-07-20T00:54:56Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Where do you live, that you believe Christians run the risk of employment discrimination? I can see how you would be wary of people making false assumptions, but actual discrimination? I seriously doubt it. I have listened to statements at technology companies of “careful, he is religious, probably not too smart and does not believe in science.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/57 "2011-07-20T00:56:12Z")
Coming out as an atheist has met with more disapproval than coming out as gay. And it’s amazing how the two are so closely linked to certain demographics. If I lived in the Bible Belt, or an inner-city Black community, an atheist and a GLBT person would probably be equally frowned upon. But where I live, most of my friends and relatives are religious, but not fundamentalists. They accept the fact that I’m gay, and tolerate my atheism. My relatives, who are Jewish, assume that I’ve “turned my back on my religion” because I’m gay. Nothing could be further from the truth. And to the best of my knowledge, everyone I know accepts evolution, though a few people may have their doubts. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/58 "2011-07-20T00:56:44Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > That’s all well and good, but labels have connotations and if you don’t make your positions clear, I think it’s fair for people to assume you’re aligned with mainstream Christian principles. > > That doesn’t excuse employment discrimination, of course, but I’ve never seen evidence of that. Where I work, I don’t know any Christians personally, but I know _of_ some, and they don’t seem to face any problems. They just wouldn’t enjoy sitting at my lunch table. And I can assume that an atheist is aligned with the outspoken atheists that we see here on the Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/59 "2011-07-20T01:10:05Z")
Folks - ignore my hijack. I let myself get worked up over a few snide comments. Apologies to the OP. Yes - the US is more religious than much of Europe, and Americans are typically willing to wear their faith on their sleeve. How much it impacts you depends on where you are, and how long you are there. Religion is wrapped into the culture, and into a lot of community activities, and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580/60 "2011-07-20T01:37:08Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > “…34.2 million Americans (15.0%) claim no religion. Of which, 1.6% explicitly describe themselves as atheist (0.7%) or agnostic (0.9%)…” > > Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that article states that 1.6% of the people who claim no religion are atheist or agnostic, not 1.6% of the population. > > I’m only questioning this because they put in “Of which”… Also the “explicitly describe,” which requires that respondents know what those words mean and be willing to identify by them. I’d think questions which simply asked for agreement or disagreement with a list of belief statements (not statements _about_ beliefs) would be more telling, and yield a vastly higher number of people who could be described as agnostic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-religious-is-the-us/589580.md?page=4)