Atheist

Despite a consistent decline in the share of adults in the United States who identified as Christians over the last 17 years, the trend appears to have slowed in the last five years of a long-term Pew Research study.

The slowdown may not last, however, as other data from Pew's third Religious Landscape Study shows America's youngest adults are significantly more likely to be unaffiliated with religion than their older counterparts, suggesting potential future declines in the "American religious landscape." 

After many years of steady decline, the share of Americans who identify as Christians shows signs of leveling off – at least temporarily – at slightly above six-in-ten, according to a massive new Pew Research Center survey of 36,908 U.S. adults.

The Religious Landscape Study (RLS) is the largest single survey the Center conducts, aiming to provide authoritative figures on the size of U.S. religious groups because the U.S. census does not collect that information.

A major new study on religious views in the United States finds – as Americans’ connection to organized religion continues to fade – there are deep divides over the appropriate role for religion in American public life, with sizable shares in favor of a more formalized role.

There's a global, fast-growing population of people without a religion. That's according to a new AP-NORC Poll.

Why it matters: Religion has long been a powerful force in society, touching politics, art and daily life. The rise of nonbelievers and people with no religious affiliation is diminishing its influence.

By the numbers: 3 in 10 U.S. adults said they had no religious affiliation.

About half of them identify as atheist or agnostic, and the other half say their religion is "nothing in particular."

The percentage of Latinos in the United States and Latin America who say they have no religious affiliation has been steadily rising despite how ingrained religion is in Hispanic culture.

State of play: The percentage of Hispanics in the U.S. who identify as atheists or agnostics grew in the past 12 years, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Though you wouldn’t know it from most American media outlets, the phenomenon of vandalizing and burning religious sites which is accelerating in Europe has, like a virus, jumped an ocean and is now among us.

Over the past month, statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary have been damaged in states as far apart as Colorado, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, and Massachusetts. On July 11, a vehicle was driven into a Catholic church in Florida with the clear intent of burning the building to the ground while congregants were inside.

Here’s a simple question: How many Americans don’t believe in God?

The United States is a significantly less Christian country than it was seven years ago.

That's the top finding — one that will ricochet through American faith, culture and politics — in the Pew Research Center's newest report, "America's Changing Religious Landscape," released Tuesday.

This trend "is big, it's broad and it's everywhere

Inclusive policies for atheists along with growing media attention and the rising number of religiously unaffiliated populations in the US may herald the start of a shift in how America perceives those who don't believe in God.

The Christian right’s obsessive hatred of Darwin is a wonder to behold, but it could someday be rivaled by the hatred of someone you’ve probably never even heard of. Darwin earned their hatred because he explained the evolution of life in a way that doesn’t require the hand of God. Darwin didn’t exclude God, of course, though many creationists seem incapable of grasping this point. But he didn’t require God, either, and that was enough to drive some people mad.