The Pew Research Center recently issued a new Religious Landscape Survey, and it’s full of interesting data about what Americans believe – and don’t believe – about God, the afterlife and the Bible.
Here are some highlights:
-62% of Americans identify as Christian. 2% are Jewish, and 1% each are Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist. The second largest religion in America isn’t really a religion at all – it’s “religiously unaffiliated” at 29%.
-5% of Americans identify as atheists, and 6% are agnostic. Overall, 16% of Americans say they don’t believe in God.
-67% of Americans believe in Heaven, but 31% do not. 55% of Americans believe in Hell, while 41% do not.
-64% of Americans say religion is either “very important” or “somewhat important” to them. 35% of Americans say religion is “not too important” or “not at all important to them.”
(Not all figures go to 100% because some people answered “don’t know” or refused the question.)
What does data like this have to do with separation of church and state? Consider two things: One, America’s diversity continues to expand, and we can thank church-state separation for that. In our country, people are free to join or leave religious groups as they see fit. They can blend traditions, create their own DIY faith or reject religion entirely. Americans are free to experiment when it comes to religion. In some countries where there is no division between religion and government, people who do that can be imprisoned or even killed.
Two, the data underscores why we need separation of church and state now more than ever. America’s religious life is big, noisy and all over the map. We don’t agree – and that’s a good thing. Our diversity is robust and exciting.
These findings are also a rebuke to Christian Nationalism. The rigid fundamentalism backed by government power that Christian Nationalists are trying to foist on all of us is rejected by most Americans. The theological straitjacket they want us to wear is too confining. We won’t accept it.
Separation of church and state is facing some serious challenges right now, but we will restore it to full power because we have to. No other system can give us the vibrant, diverse religious life we have. Only separation can protect that life.
This data proves that the America Christian Nationalists want is not the America we are now and is certainly not the America we will be in years to come. That emerging America is marked by expanding pluralism and real religious freedom. It is an America worthy of defending. And with your help, Americans will do just that.
