Although it is not a religion by definition, atheism is growing, while Christians are on the decline. Other changes discovered by the Pew Research Center reveal that our nation is changing and growing, and independence is slowly replacing the prior dominance of priests and ministers in the practice of our daily lives. The two most conflicting subjects in American history are politics and religion, and both are experiencing a loss in loyalty.

Here’s what the mainstream media does not know or tell the truth about today. They have no memory of life in the United States post WWII. They didn’t watch as their parents struggled to find work. They have no knowledge of how families, friends, and neighbors banded together to find normalcy in a nation whose entire focus was defeating the Third Reich and the Japanese, and now was forced to find a path to a peacetime economy.

During the restructuring of an entire nation my family, and everyone else I knew, clung to their religious beliefs, and a hope that our God would see us through those difficult times as He had during the war.

My family was Catholic, but our Patriarch, my mother’s father, lectured us that our belief in the Church was private, and we must respect everyone else and their personal belief.

To make a long story short, as I grew into my teen years, I began to question my Christian faith. I received no answers to my questions. I began to avoid attending mass and all other religious occasions. This surprised my mother. I had been an altar boy and attended retreats designed to recruit new candidates for the priesthood.

Throughout my late teens and early twenties I began to view the tales in the Bible as ‘fairy tales,’ and denounced the use of fear to control faithful Catholics. I questioned the intent of the priests to influence my thoughts and actions. I sought freedom in its every aspect. I no longer accepted the teachings of other men and sought my own understanding of spirituality and a search for what God actually wanted from me; if there was one.

Today, nearing my seventh decade on earth, I still have questions, but I also have beliefs. Like many I do not believe that God intended to communicate directly with humans. I also believe that he did not want grand churches built in His honor. He had already given us the oceans, the forests, and the meadows. It was my responsibility to understand morality and what spirituality meant to me; that was not the responsibility of a religious leader.

Statistics regarding religious belief in our nation today are similar to my search for the truth.

Although our nation was not founded on religious belief, the influence of Christians, primarily Protestants created a dominance throughout modern history. However, a research study in 2014 revealed that in 2007 Americans identified themselves as Protestants by a percentage of 51.3 percent. In 2014 the percentage dropped to 46.5 percent. The decline continues as the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers experience the end of their lives. Younger Americans question everything, including religion.

A new phenomena is on the rise; Americans are either denouncing all religion, or changing religion at a surprising rate. Ethnicity in all religions has become more diverse. Thirty years ago nearly all Hispanics were Catholic, but that is no longer the norm.

Pope Francis has a great influence on Catholics. Sixty percent of Catholics who embrace the Democratic Party believe that climate change is caused by man. Catholics who align themselves with the GOP have a much smaller belief at twenty five percent.

In 2015 Christians support same-sex marriage by 55 percent. White evangelicals only display 24 percent in favor while those who claim to have no religious affiliation approve by a rate of 82 percent.

The Christian religious right has one major cause; they believe that all abortions should be abolished. They are losing ground. Americans now believe that abortion should be legal in most cases by a 55 percent majority.

Although their numbers are declining, those who say that they attend religious services at least once a week support the GOP by a margin of 58 percent to 40. Those who never attend services favor Democrats by a margin of 62-36 percent.

Most religions will not answer the questions of their followers. Their response is that the answers are a matter of faith. America in the 21^st century demands answers. A study of religious history reveals multiple religions with the same basic belief and history as Christianity many years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

Right wing politicians hate change and attempt to deny that our country must evolve into the 21^st century. The GOP is the party of the Great Old Past; and their coffins are under construction as I write this.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of Jeff Ruane

Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/By-James-turnage/e/B00LOCJ2Z2