Baptist Press
By Diana Chandler, posted January 26, 2024 in Culture
WASHINGTON (BP) – More than half of religiously unaffiliated Americans, identified as ‘Nones,” say they don’t like organized religion or have been mistreated by religious people, Pew Research said Jan. 24.
Specifically, 55 percent of Nones cited one of the two factors in explaining their reason for being nonreligious. Nearly half of respondents, 47 percent, said their dislike of religious organizations is an extremely or very important reason they’re nonreligious, while 30 percent said the same about bad experiences with religious people.
Maltreatment by religious people was cited more often among women Nones, at 32 percent, than among men, at 27 percent.
Skepticism of religious teachings and a disbelief in God were the most common reasons cited by Nones in explaining themselves, with 60 percent questioning a lot of religious teachings and 32 percent not believing in God or a higher power. Altogether, 67 percent cited one or both factors. More Here