Organized Religion: Report shows U.S. Protestants losing majority status - by Rachel Zoll

For the first time in its history, the United States does not have a Protestant majority, according to a new study. One reason: The number of Americans with no religious affiliation is on the rise.

The percentage of Protestant adults in the U.S. has reached a low of 48 percent, the first time that Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has reported with certainty that the number has fallen below 50 percent. The drop has long been anticipated and comes at a time when no Protestants are on the U.S. Supreme Court and the Republicans have their first presidential ticket with no Protestant nominees.

Among the reasons for the change is a spike in the number of American adults who say they have no religion. The Pew study, released Tuesday, found that nearly 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years.

Scholars have long debated whether people who say they no longer belong to a religious group should be considered secular. While the category as defined by Pew researchers includes atheists, it also encompasses majorities of people who say they believe in God, and a notable minority who pray daily or consider themselves “spiritual” but not “religious.” Still, Pew found overall that most of the unaffiliated aren’t actively seeking another religious home, indicating that their ties with organized religion are permanently broken.

Growth among those with no religion has been a major preoccupation of American faith leaders who worry that the United States, a highly religious country, would go the way of Western Europe, where church attendance has plummeted. Pope Benedict XVI has partly dedicated his pontificate to combating secularism in the West. This week in Rome, he is convening a three-week synod, or assembly, of bishops from around the world aimed at bringing back Roman Catholics who have left the church.

The trend also has political implications. American voters who describe themselves as having no religion vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. Pew found Americans with no religion support abortion rights and gay marriage at a much higher-rate than the U.S. public at large. These “nones” are an increasing segment of voters who are registered as Democrats or lean toward the party, growing from 17 percent to 24 percent over the last five years. The religiously unaffiliated are becoming as important a constituency to Democrats as evangelicals are to Republicans, Pew said.

The Pew analysis, conducted with PBS’ “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly,” is based on several surveys, including a poll of nearly 3,000 adults conducted June 28-July 9, 2012. The finding on the Protestant majority is based on responses from a larger group of more than 17,000 people and has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.9 percentage points, Pew researchers said.

One-third of adults under age 30 have no religious affiliation, compared to 9 percent of people 65 and older. Pew researchers wrote that “young adults today are much more likely to be unaffiliated than previous generations were at a similar stage in their lives,” and aren’t expected to become more religiously active as they age.

Religion: Report shows U.S. Protestants losing majority status

The Vatican: Pope's butler goes on trial in 'Vatileaks' scandal

A once loyal servant who said he grew disgusted by the "evil and corruption" he witnessed, Gabriele told investigators he was acting as an "agent" of the Holy Spirit to help the pope put a weary Catholic Church back on track.

Gabriele faces up to four years in prison for aggravated theft in a trial that is unprecedented in the modern history of the world's smallest state.

Using the codename "Maria", he is accused of meeting investigative reporter Gianluigi Nuzzi earlier this year and passing him copies of secret papers.

The trial will unfold in a 19th-century courtroom tucked away behind the apse of St Peter's basilica in a corner of the city state that is strictly off-limits to the millions of visitors who visit the Vatican every year.

Television cameras are banned and only 10 journalists are allowed to attend.

The Vatican has said the 85-year-old German pope is deeply hurt by the betrayal of confidence by someone he "knew, loved and respected". Gabriele has confessed and has written a letter begging the pope for forgiveness.

Many commentators have said they expect the pope to pardon Gabriele.

But many also question whether he really acted alone or as part of a wider group of disgruntled Vatican employees who could even include high-placed prelates. An investigation into the "Vatileaks" scandal is ongoing.     Click here to see the EU-Digest special report on Religion

Read more: Pope's butler goes on trial in 'Vatileaks' scandal | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Organized Religion: Fakery, Deception and Strive - by RM

Stories relating to religion seem to have captured center stage these days. 

There were the horror stories coming from Australia about sexual abuse in the Catholic church community around Victoria. The Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, said the figures were "horrific” - investors said the number of victims could be as high as 10,000.

News about Catholic priests abusing children is not new because it has been going on for a long time all over the world. But what is alarming about all this is that not much has been done about it, apart from the fact that the police now and then takes some of these pedophiles in custody and eventually to court.

Let us not forget that Catholicism is not only a religion but also is embodied in a country called the Vatican -- but has any government of the countries where these horrors of child abuse have happened dared to warn the Vatican that they would break diplomatic relations with them if they failed to clean up their act? No, they have not. 

Catholics who consider themselves Christians should bear in mind that Jesus said: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” 

How are we going to make sure that many priests still happily swinging the incense around during Mass are not secretly breaking that command and continue to be a danger to society?

Given that the reputation of Catholics in general is at stake maybe the time has come for Catholic worshipers around the world to take matters in their own hand and start pointing their finger at the Pope and his cohorts at the Vatican for the mismanagement of the Catholic 'corporate' structure.

Staying within the context of religious news - it is also important to focus on the overblown Muslim reactions, which included vandalism and the killing of innocent people, in response to the latest Western video and cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed. 

Let's be honest about it - these reaction really made a 'mountain out of a molehill' and one starts to wonder who could be behind all this.

Instead, Muslims would probably be well advised if they listened more attentively to the advice given to them by more moderate Muslim leaders like Mr. Erdogan of Turkey and Mr. Morsi of Egypt and shown some more restraint and respect for the fact that many nations around the world adhere to the democratic principal of freedom of expression, which does not exclude anyone or anything.

Another Muslim voice advocating moderation was Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Mayor of Rotterdam, the largest city in the Netherlands. He said that Muslims must respect the right to freedom of expression and speech, but should also feel free to use it - without resorting to violence.

On the other hand cartoonists around the Western world would also do well by showing more restraint and respect for the sensitivities of other cultures and religions around the world. Freedom of expression, yes, provocation no.

Possibly a more productive suggestion one could give the Muslim community around the world, given the terrible atrocities taking place in Syria, is to direct some of their efforts to stop Muslims fighting against Muslims in Syria.

Muslims could also focus their attention on the recent Iranian leadership decision to restrict Iranian women from attending certain university courses, simply because they are women. 

 

The above once again underscores beyond any doubt the difference between organized religion and spirituality, religion being man made and spirituality a relationship between a person and God, which others can't see.

By their acts organized religion also shows that it is mainly focused on self interest and consequently has the ability to create strive as a result of conflicting interpretations of religious doctrines and scriptures. On the other hand Spirituality is a source of inner peace. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit said the Lord" (Zechariah).

Unfortunately, as it is written, changing peoples perception about the fakery of 'organized' religion won't be easy. People who have the wisdom and gift to distinguish the difference between religion and spirituality are limited: "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called." (1 – Corinthians).

EU-Digest 

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