First up from the God Machine this week is an interesting trend pointing to a rise in irreligion for the last several decades. Matt Yglesias, whose post features a nice chart, explained:
One hears from a lot of secular people worries that the country is plunging over the edge into theocracy. At the same time, the press often seems to feel that the country is experiencing a massive religious revival that it needs to cover by hiring new “religion” correspondents. The truth, as shown in the above chart based on National Election Survey data, is more like the reverse — more people than ever say “other” or “none” when asked about their religious beliefs.
It’s this, rather than an intensification in fervor, that’s made it possible to mobilize conservative Christianity for political purposes. Back in 1960 there were so few avowedly irreligious people out there that trying to rally opposition to the perils of secularism was a non-starter.
The raw data is online here, but there’s a definite trend. Looking back over the last six decades, the NES data shows the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as “Protestant” has gone from the low-70s to the mid-50s; the numbers for Catholics and Jews have remained largely the same; and the number for those who profess no religious affiliation has more than tripled.
To be sure, even those who said “none” in response to the religious question aren’t necessarily non-believers; those respondents just may not feel comfortable affiliating with a specific denomination or tradition. In this sense, it may not be a meaningful rise for atheists, so much as non-conformists.
That said, it’s interesting to speculate about the overall trend. Are Americans rebelling against the theological excesses of Christian conservatives? In a post-9/11 environment, are we seeing an uptick in the number of people who want to disassociate themselves from organized religions?
Other items from the God Machine this week:
* On Thursday, priests brawled at the alleged Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus: “Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born. But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed. For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into each other with fists, brooms and iron rods while the photographers who had come to take pictures of the annual cleaning ceremony recorded the whole event. A dozen unarmed Palestinian policemen were sent to try to separate the priests, but two of them were also injured in the unholy melee.” One gets the sense that some people aren’t filled with the holiday spirit.
* Nine out of 10 U.S. households already have a Bible. So, what are publishers to do to sell more copies? Get creative: “You can’t update the content, or get the author on Oprah. But you can make the look sizzle. If pink and shiny sells a purse, why not a psalm? In the conference room they call the Bible Bunker, executives of Bible publisher Zondervan pore over fabric swatches. They watch PowerPoints on the latest in appliances and accessories, noting color trends. They caress bold new patterns in embossed faux leather. ‘People ask, ‘How do you get excited working on one darn book?’ ‘ says Scott Bolinder, an executive vice president. ‘Yet there’s probably no place you can be more imaginative — and more strategic.'”
* And finally, Reeves, Louisiana, a small town in the southwest corner of the state, is filled with some pretty religious folks. So, locals have been less than pleased that all of their local phone numbers begin with 666, a number which some Christians consider the “mark of the beast.” Reeves Mayor Scott Walker worked with the phone company, and the state Public Service Commission, among others, to make the change. Starting next week, their numbers will start with 749, and the community couldn’t be happier about it. “This boils down to, this is a very, very religious community,” Walker said.