To All:

A recent article shows that we are undergoing the effects of Kali Yuga.  It is 
said that eventually the entire world population will be occupied mostly by 
mlecchas, the lowest type of human beings ever.  At that time, Kalki will 
incarnate to wreak havoc among the population of the earth.

************

More Americans say they have no religion
         
By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll, Ap Religion Writer – Mon Mar 9, 
12:14 am ET AP 

A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic 
population has been shifting out o of the Northeast to the Southwest, the 
percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they 
have no religion at all.

Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 
percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious 
Identification Survey.

Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious 
region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, 
at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no 
religion rose in every state.

"No other religious bloc has kept such a pace in every state," the study's 
authors said.

In the Northeast, self-identified Catholics made up 36 percent of adults last 
year, down from 43 percent in 1990. At the same time, however, Catholics grew 
to about one-third of the adult population in California and Texas, and 
one-quarter of Floridians, largely due to Latino immigration, according to the 
research.

Nationally, Catholics remain the largest religious group, with 57 million 
people saying they belong to the church. The tradition gained 11 million 
followers since 1990, but its share of the population fell by about a 
percentage point to 25 percent.

Christians who aren't Catholic also are a declining segment of the country.

In 2008, Christians comprised 76 percent of U.S. adults, compared to about 77 
percent in 2001 and about 86 percent in 1990. Researchers said the dwindling 
ranks of mainline Protestants, including Methodists, Lutherans and 
Episcopalians, largely explains the shift. Over the last seven years, mainline 
Protestants dropped from just over 17 percent to 12.9 percent of the population.

The report from The Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford, 
Conn., surveyed 54,461 adults in English or Spanish from February through 
November of last year. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.5 percentage 
points. The findings are part of a series of studies on American religion by 
the program that will later look more closely at reasons behind the trends.

The current survey, being released Monday, found traditional organized religion 
playing less of a role in many lives. Thirty percent of married couples did not 
have a religious wedding ceremony and 27 percent of respondents said they did 
not want a religious funeral.

About 12 percent of Americans believe in a higher power but not the personal 
God at the core of monotheistic faiths. And, since 1990, a slightly greater 
share of respondents — 1.2 percent — said they were part of new religious 
movements, including Scientology, Wicca and Santeria.

The study also found signs of a growing influence of churches that either don't 
belong to a denomination or play down their membership in a religious group.

Respondents who called themselves "non-denominational Christian" grew from 0.1 
percent in 1990 to 3.5 percent last year. Congregations that most often use the 
term are megachurches considered "seeker sensitive." They use rock style music 
and less structured prayer to attract people who don't usually attend church. 
Researchers also found a small increase in those who prefer being called 
evangelical or born-again, rather than claim membership in a denomination.

Evangelical or born-again Americans make up 34 percent of all American adults 
and 45 percent of all Christians and Catholics, the study found. Researchers 
found that 18 percent of Catholics consider themselves born-again or 
evangelical, and nearly 39 percent of mainline Protestants prefer those labels. 
Many mainline Protestant groups are riven by conflict over how they should 
interpret what the Bible says about gay relationships, salvation and other 
issues.

The percentage of Pentecostals remained mostly steady since 1990 at 3.5 
percent, a surprising finding considering the dramatic spread of the tradition 
worldwide. Pentecostals are known for a spirited form of Christianity that 
includes speaking in tongues and a belief in modern-day miracles.

Mormon numbers also held steady over the period at 1.4 percent of the 
population, while the number of Jews who described themselves as religiously 
observant continued to drop, from 1.8 percent in 1990 to 1.2 percent, or 2.7 
million people, last year. Researchers plan a broader survey on people who 
consider themselves culturally Jewish but aren't religious.

The study found that the percentage of Americans who identified themselves as 
Muslim grew to 0.6 percent of the population, while growth in Eastern religions 
such as Buddhism slightly slowed.








Reply via email to