The United States may be a nation under God, but it’s increasingly one that doesn’t recognize the power above it.
A Gallup poll has revealed that Americans have less faith in God today than any other time during the past 78 years.
98% of those surveyed identified as believing in 1944. That number remained in 1947, as it did during the ’50s and ’60s.
Faith took a nosedive in 2011, with only 92 percent of respondents saying yes.
It had fallen five points by 2012, two years after the last Gallup survey. Through 2017, Gallup’s last survey of the country, it remained stable.
And now, in 2022 — some might say a more difficult year than many since the mid-twentieth century — only 81 percent of the nation’s populace subscribe to the existence of a higher power.
You can expect the details to be as detailed as possible:
In recent years, belief in God has dropped the most among young people and those on the left side of the political spectrum (liberals/democrats). Comparing the 2022 numbers to the average 2013-2017 polls, these groups see drops of at least 10 percentage points.
Other key groups have seen a decline in most, but conservatives and married adults saw little change.
The largest drop in faith is seen among the least religious groups, such as liberals (62%) and young adults (68%). The highest levels of belief in God are found among Republicans (92%) and political conservatives (94%), indicating that religious beliefs play a key role in American politics.
What can we believe instead of faith as our faith fades? We believe in our own abilities, as suggested by the signs all around us. And not only that, but a new morality insists that’s the most righteous faith of all.
Sadly, it isn’t so. Despite the greatness of the song, the greatest love of all isn’t that which we have for ourselves. In an earlier time and for thousands of years, such affection was identified as “selfishness.” A great love, as was stated long ago, is the sort in which one will “lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
We were also once instructed to “do to others as [we]They would do it. [us].”
In both cases, virtue was defined by one’s treatment of and consideration for those around them. This was a moral rule, but maybe those laws can only be true if there’s a God.
We can then only focus on our own needs in the absence of God or law. We are all gods in this case. Such appears to be a popular pursuit — contemporary righteousness calls us to be “empowered.”
What is the outcome of our empowerment? According to cultural cues, it would seem not well — we are empowered, only so long as everyone tells us so. Any refusal to confirm our strength causes “harm” and must be stopped.
If that’s our best attempt at power, we haven’t got a prayer.
Speaking of, here’s Gallup with more:
A follow-up question in the survey probed further into what Americans’ belief in God entails. The survey asked specifically whether God heard prayers and whether God intercedes when people pray.
About half of those who believe in God — equal to 42% of all Americans — say God hears prayers and can intervene on a person’s behalf. According to 28%, God listens but can’t intervene in prayers, and 11% believe God doesn’t.
Nearly three quarters (defined as Americans who regularly attend weekly religious services) of Americans that are most religious believe God listens to prayers and can act.
A third of young adults say God hears their prayers and can help them.
America’s future direction: We will follow the lead of our youth, wherever they are. And if the trend concerning faith continues, we’ll arrive there alone — without the leadership or companionship of a recognized Creator.
-ALEX
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