Americans appear to be falling out of love with church – though not necessarily with Jesus.
A Pew Center survey released today indicates that while three in 10 people who don't go to church say it's because they aren't believers, a much larger proportion say it's because they practise their faith in other ways.
Others cite things they dislike about particular congregations or religious services (for example, they haven't found a church or house of worship they like, or they don't like the sermons). Still others name logistical reasons, like being in poor health or not having the time to go, as very important reasons for not regularly attending services.
For others, it's because they are in poor health or haven't the time that they don't attend.
However, in spite of the fact that they rarely if ever attend church, this group is still quite religious. Seven out of 10 identify with a religious group and most say religion is either 'very' or 'somewhat' important to them.
According to Pew: 'To be sure, they are not as religious as Americans who report going regularly to religious services. But by several standard measures, they are much more religious than those who say, "I am not a believer."'
However, while many of those who say they do not attend church claim it is because they practise their faith in a different way, they are less likely to be involved in activities such as environmental stewardship and social justice campaigning than those who do attend, by 50 per cent to 63 per cent.
The survey also found that more than half of those who believe but don't attend are women. They tend to be older, less educated and more Republican.
Those who don't attend because they don't believe are more educated, largely male, younger and Democratic.
Of those who attend regularly – once or twice a month – eight out of 10 say 'becoming closer to God' is an important reason why.
Roughly two-thirds say they attend religious services to give their children a moral foundation, to become better people, and for comfort in times of trouble or sorrow. Smaller majorities say that valuable sermons and being part of 'a community of faith' are very important reasons for their regular religious attendance.
Among other findings is the relative importance place on sermons by Protestants and Catholics. Among those who attend church regularly, Protestants are roughly twice as likely as Catholics (71 per cent to 36 per cent) to say valuable sermons are a very important reason.
