Americans are less religious than ever before. In a nation long associated with Christianity, nearly a third of United States citizens now have no religious affiliation.
Christopher Tremoglie of The Washington Examiner writes that spirituality is important to society. There is some evidence to indicate that adherence to religion (any religion) can help prevent recreational drug use while encouraging social bonds. Reversing the decline of religion can improve many of the problems growing in modern-day America.
Tremoglie continues:
“In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999,” McKinney said. Moreover, she pointed out that the Pew Research Center revealed that the number of people without a religion has also increased in recent years.
“They found that about 29% of Americans now identify as having no religion, which is up 3 percentage points from 2019,” McKinney said.
McKinney believes this lack of religion has had devastating consequences in our country’s society.
“We see this reflected in various societal indicators such as the rising numbers of divorce, depression, and drug abuse,” McKinney said. “The mass killings and sadistic tortures of the 20th century, in which some estimates place the butcher’s bill at as high as 150 million victims, shows what happens when godless regimes are on the march.”
Given the surge in homicides, carjackings, and other criminal acts, this claim does have some validity. As believers in a deity decreased, crime and other acts of immorality rose. While some may argue this is an oversimplification, recent studies echo McKinney’s assertions, showing a definitive correlation between the influence of religion in society and immoral and criminal behavior.
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