As a cultural apologist, I would add that the parallels between watching American football and participating in American religion are noteworthy. On a typical Sunday, 100 million Americans (30 percent) watch an NFL game, roughly the same percentage as attend worship (28 percent). Most who participate in either activity engage in a transactional experience.
Three-quarters of U.S. adults say they want to grow spiritually, and more than 4 in 10 say they are “more open” to God than they were before the pandemic, according to a new Barna survey.
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature,” wrote Karl Marx, “…the opium of the people.” Decades of often painful historical experience has proven his observation both right and wrong. Believing in God does ease pain and suffering of faithful followers, but he was wrong in thinking that religion, especially Christianity, leaves them with nowhere else to go from there.
According to Christianity Today, survey data shows that among those born in 2000 or later, women are more likely to be religious nones than men.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Hollywood actor and professing Christian Chris Pratt shared that he is “not religious” but has a personal relationship with God.
South Carolina’s governor signed a bill into law that labels churches and religious organizations an “essential service” during emergencies.
A Massachusetts school committee has approved a Hispanic church’s application for a religious private school known as the Real Life Learning Center.
According to a national study by Ipsos and the Episcopal Church, nearly 4 in 10 American adults believe that religion in the U.S. makes the country stronger.
