From Axios:
The U.S. is undergoing its fastest religious shift in modern history, marked by a rapid increase in the religiously unaffiliated and numerous church closures nationwide.
Why it matters: The great unchurching of America [which is mainly among Protestants] comes as identity and reality are increasingly shaped by non-institutional spiritual sources — YouTube mystics, TikTok tarot, digital skeptics, folk saints and AI-generated prayer bots.
[SD note: the situation is exacerbated by clergy scandals, dry prolonged sermons, modernized rituals, and focus on theology rather than deliverance, healing, and the supernatural aspects of Christianity; scroll for more:]
- It’s a tectonic transformation that has profound implications for race, civic identity, political persuasion and the ability to govern a fracturing moral landscape. By the numbers: Nearly three in 10 American adults today identify as religiously unaffiliated — a 33% jump since 2013, according to the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).