A new study from the American Sociological Association reports on the dramatic rise in the population reporting “no religious preference” over the past decade or so. One primary reason, they posit, is the rise in the intertwining of religion and politics – people simply are turned off by it all and end up disengaging in organized religion or not becoming involved in the first place. Most of this group considering themselves “spiritual” (even believing in a traditional Christianity) rather than being “religious” and part of a Christian church.
Once again, I have been saying for a long time that I believe a reason for the demise of the U.S. mainline denominations, our own Episcopal Church included, is the intertwining of liberal politics and liberal theology. Each ‘system’ – political or theological – on its own has an integrity and strength and each can contribute to the understanding of the other, but when one is equated with the other both fail to live up to their potential. “Theo-politics” just doesn’t cut it, and in my opinion is an affront to the cause of the Gospel. The same can be said for conservatism, and the same dynamic is being witnessed even now.
Since the 1980’s another whole segment of American Christianity has become increasingly political and polarizing. This time, the politicized Religious Right has succeeded in enmeshing conservative politics and conservative theology within American Evangelicalism (and somewhat within Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, etc). I believe we will witness soon an exodus from American Evangelical denominations that have aligned themselves too closely with conservative political causes. Where these people will go, I have no idea. Perhaps to the increasing numbers of Americans who claim “no religious preference?”
Here is a paragraph from the study report:

Hout and Fischer maintain that one important reason for this change in religion preference is political. Specifically, their study found a link between having no religion and rejecting clerical activism, which supports their hypothesis that during the 1990s, having a religious identity increasingly became seen as an endorsement of conservative views. Hout and Fischer found that many liberal and moderate Americans felt that religion became distressingly politicized in the 1990s. As to the role of secularization (i.e., skepticism), the researchers did not find this to be a cause of the increase in “no religion,” because most “no religion” responders maintain religious faith, a belief in God, and a belief in life after death.

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