© Nathan J Fish/The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK
Syndication: The Oklahoman
(77WABC) — A new Pew Research study says projections indicate Christians could lose their majority in the United States by 2070.
The study modeled four hypothetical scenarios — each representing a different rate of “switching” — which pew defined as “a change between the religion in which a person was raised in childhood and their present religious identity in adulthood.” Pew said its models examined a scenario in which switching rates remain the same, two scenarios in which switching rates speed up, and one scenario in which switching rates halt completely.
According to the research center, the number of Americans who identify as agnostic, atheist or don’t affiliate with a particular religion has grown dramatically since the 1990’s.
In the study, each scenario begins with the nation’s religious makeup in 2020: 64% Christian, 30% unaffiliated and 6% members of all other religions. Christians make up less than 50% of the country by 2070 in three of the four scenarios.
