Pew: 62 Percent of U.S. Adults Identify as Christian — Decline of Christianity Slows Down

Since the 1960s, when courts began ruling that prayer and Bible lessons in government schools were unconstitutional, secularists have insisted that the founders intended to erect a “wall of separation” between church and state to keep religion out of government. But that’s not the case.

The Danbury Baptist Association, a group of churches in Connecticut, worried about whether the government would stay out of church matters. Founding father Thomas Jefferson wrote to them in 1802, assuring them that a wall protected churches from the government, not the other way around.

The U.S. Constitution neither states nor implies that the church is a threat to the government. The founders did not intend for the Establishment Clause to be used to discriminate against religious individuals and organizations.

But courts began to rule against any religious references in government schools, citing a so-called wall separating church and state. In recent years, however, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled in favor of protecting the religious rights of individuals and organizations.

Have these trends affected the way Americans identify themselves in religious terms? The Pew Research Institute recently published a study that found a slow-down in the decline of Christianity.

The “decline” has leveled off, according to the study. The report revealed that 62 percent of adults describe themselves as Christians. Forty-four percent said they prayed at least once a day. Thirty-three percent said they attend religious services at least once a month.

The study found that more women are religious than men. Seventy-three percent of black Americans said they’re Christians, as opposed to 62 percent of white Americans. Sixty-seven percent of Hispanics said they’re Christians, but only 33 percent of Americans of Asian descent said the same.

The study presented few surprises. From Pew (emphasis added):

Generally speaking, Americans who are highly religious are the most solidly Republican constituency. U.S. adults with lower levels of religious engagement more commonly identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.⁶⁶

However, Black Americans are a notable exception: At all levels of religiousness, most identify as Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party.