The portion of the U.S. population identifying as Christian has declined significantly over the last two decades, but that trend may be leveling off.
62% now identify as Christian. By comparison, when Pew did a similar study in 2007, 78% said they were Christian. Most of that decline occurred until 5 years ago, when it began to level off, according to the Pew study. The current Christian breakdown in the U.S. is that 40% identify as Protestant, 19% identify as Catholic and the remaining 3% say they are Christian without specifying additional denomination. All three major branches of Protestantism have declined since 2007.
Evangelical Protestants now make up 23%, down from 26%. Mainline Protestants account for 11% of U.S. adults, down from 18%. And people who attend historically Black Protestant churches make up 5% of the population, down from 7%. 2% of the population is Jewish. Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus make up 1% each.
And about 30% of people in this country are not affiliated with any religious tradition. 60% of immigrants are Christian. What does Queer spirituality have to offer at a time when religion is losing its appeal, and some suggest that one of the things that turn people off of religion is homophobia and transphobia. What is like when Queer isn’t just a social identity but a spiritual experience? Let’s talk about it now.
