Rhetoric Race and Religion
There is an unspoken reality in America. Despite the nation’s history as a self-proclaimed bastion of religion tolerance and freedom and despite the intentions of the founding fathers to separate Church from State, America is a deeply religious nation. The vast majority of Americans identify with the notion of a Creator, and this is reflected in nearly every aspect of American society — from the currency Americans use, to the way they socialize and play, to the way they salute the flag.
But that may be changing. According to a new survey from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 28 percent of all American adults have left the faith they grew up in for another religion or no religion at all. The report shows that the number of religiously unaffiliated adults (16.1 percent) is more than twice the number of individuals who reported being raised unaffiliated. One-in-four 18 to 29-year-olds report not having a religious affiliation.
“This shift is a logical, perhaps inevitable result of the democratization of religion in America, said Ramon Luzarraga, an assistant professor of theology at Benedictine University in Mesa, Ariz. “Since the early 19th century, Americans generally have thought themselves the final arbiter of religious truth. Historically, if one does not like what a Church is preaching or advocating, they usually join another church or start their own congregation. Now, a person not being involved with any religious institution altogether has become an option for Americans because church membership is no longer a prerequisite to full social membership in American society.”
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