This is what hypocrisy does to an institution:
The secularizing shifts in American society show no signs of slowing. The latest Pew Research Center survey of the U.S. religious composition finds the religiously unaffiliated share of the public is 6 percentage points higher than it was five years ago and 10 points higher than a decade ago.
About three-in-ten U.S. adults (29%) now are religious “nones” – people who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religious identity. Self-identified Christians of all varieties (including Protestants, Catholics, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Orthodox Christians) make up 63% of the adult population, down from 75% a decade ago. In addition, the share of U.S. adults who say they pray daily has been trending downward, as has the share who say religion is “very important” in their lives.
Religious conservatives enthusiastically backing shameless Republicans for years and ecstatically embracing the libertine liar Donald Trump exposed them for what they are. Other religious leaders failing to step up didn’t help. Combined with all the financial corruption and moral rot in churches that molested children and covered it up, it’s taken its toll. People no longer trust these institutions and are questioning the whole enterprise. No one should be even a little bit surprised.
It’s holiday fundraising time here at Hullabaloo. If you care to put some change in the Christmas stocking, you can do so below or at the address on the sidebar: