America Loses Religion, Somewhat

Recent Gallup polls have shown American religiosity falling to new lows. For the first time since 1936, Gallup finds that a majority of Americans are not members of any religious body, a trend driven both by rising rates of irreligion and by the fact that just half of religiously affiliated Millennials report being a member of a specific congregation. Our society is becoming less religious, and religious people are becoming less attached to their communities. This change has been much discussed for years, with conservatives bemoaning the loss of religious morality and progressives often celebrating the emergence of a society they say is less restrained, more diverse, and more open. But the history of American religion is far more complicated than either side lets on. American religious life has varied widely over time, and while the faithful today may have cause for concern, they do not have cause for despair.