没有宗教信仰的美国人所占比例不断上升

Share of Americans with No Religious Affiliation¹ Growing

Pew researchers said last week that 65 percent of American adults describe themselves as Christian². That is down from 77 percent in 2009. Pew also reported that both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches are losing members.

Twenty-six percent of Americans now describe their religious identity as atheist³, agnostic or “nothing in particular.” That is up from 17 percent in 2009. Atheists are people who do not believe in God. Agnostics are not sure whether or not a God exists.

The increase in so-called religious “nones” is happening across all groups of people. Education level also does not seem to matter. “Nones” are growing among college graduates, as well as those with lower levels of education.

The report comes at a difficult time for many major religious groups in the U.S. The two largest — the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention —are dealing⁴ with widespread clergy⁵ sex-abuse cases. And, the United Methodist Church, the largest Protestant group, faces a possible split over differences on whether to include LGBTQ people.

Fewer Americans going to church

Fewer people are attending religious services in the U.S. The report found that over the last 10 years, the number of Americans who say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month dropped by 7 percent. Those who say they attend religious services less often — if at all — increased by the same amount.

Pew said the drop is not because Christians⁶ are attending church less often. They say it is because now there are fewer Christians in the population.

If you go to church in America, chances are you are older. Pew’s data found a wide age difference. Three-quarters of people over the age of 55 described themselves as Christian, compared to just under half of so-called millennials—people who finished high school after 2000.

Meanwhile, the share of U.S. adults who identify with non-Christian faiths rose from five percent in 2009, to seven percent today. This includes two percent of Americans who are Jewish. One percent say they are Muslim, Buddhist⁷ or Hindu. Three percent identify with other faiths, including people who describe themselves as “spiritual.”

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

particular – adj. used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others

graduate – n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

Protestant – n. a member of one of the Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century

LGBTQ – adj. describes sexual orientations⁸ and stands for: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer

faith – n. a system of religious beliefs

1 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 atheist   

n.无神论者

参考例句：

• She was an atheist but now she says she's seen the light.她本来是个无神论者，可是现在她说自己的信仰改变了。
• He is admittedly an atheist.他被公认是位无神论者。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

6 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

7 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

8 orientations   

n.方向( orientation的名词复数 )；定位；（任职等前的）培训；环境判定

参考例句：

• Welfare comparisons are also hindered by differences in orientations among economic systems. 经济制度之间倾向性的差别也会妨碍福利的比较。 来自辞典例句
• Their different value orientations led to different results in literary creation. 价值取向的分野亦导致了不同的创作局面。 来自互联网