Earlier this week I mentioned the recently released American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). The survey shows that the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as Christian is shrinking. At the same time, the percentage of Americans with no religion is growing. For the most part, growth or decline in other religious traditions, such as Buddhism, have been minor in recent years.
If you look more closely at the ARIS numbers (see Table 3), you see that the biggest declines are from the "mainline" Protestant denominations. The percentage of people who identify as "evangelical/born again" or "pentecostal/charismatic" has grown. Catholicism appears to be holding steady, although I understand this is in part because a growing Latino population is offsetting losses. On the other hand, people who call themselves Christian but are loyal to no particular denomination are growing in number.
What do these numbers tell us?
Lots of people are claiming that the numbers show Americans turning away from religion, and that may be so. I think it's also possible many people think of themselves as religious but find the old institutions don't fill their spiritual needs. I think the mainstream Protestant denominations, fairly or unfairly, came to be associated with tepid sermons and boring hymns; something like spiritual cough syrup. The evangelicals and Pentecostals at least offer emotional fervor and inclusion into the self-congratulatory group of the "saved."
I also agree with Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, who says that religious extremism has pushed many away from religion. In America, the extreme religious Right -- bigoted, dogmatic, and stuck in the Dark Ages generally -- somehow made itself into the public face of religion as far as mass media was concerned. It's not surprising that there's a backlash against religion.
So what do intelligent, thoughtful people do about religion if they think their only choices are tepid, tasteless Protestantism or brainless extremism? In truth, those aren't the only choices for Christians, but I know it can seem that way.
Unfortunately for dharma, what information people in America get about Buddhism often is wrong. See, for example, this atrocious mess written by the director of the University of Wyoming's religious studies program (my criticism of the column is here). I don't think Buddhism is for everyone, but I do think that if more "unchurched" Americans had better understanding of it, many would be drawn to it.
I agree. I read your blog yesterday, and the horrendously bad article it referenced. While that piece was a particularly shining example of the kind of nonsense that passes for “information” about Buddhism, this kind of thing is rampant. You really have to dig for an overview of Buddhism that isn’t misleading in some way. Years before I became I Buddhist, I passed on looking more deeply into the tradition because everything I read about it made it sound like it was all about shutting down one’s desires and emotions in favor of a sanitized life floating around in a cloud of cosmic bliss. Nothing about that idea interested me. Happily, I got a second chance when I interviewed a Zen priest for my newspaper several years ago. Seeing how she lived and thought helped me to see that my initial impression of Buddhism couldn’t have been further from the truth.
When I read the article it brought to mind a recent conversation that I had with a friend.
He had been reading some UK statistics (I live in Scotland) in which they showed a growth in his religion. The same statistics showed a low level of Buddhists.
I cant remember ever being asked my religion apart from during hospital admissions.
So where do these figures come from.
I posed this question on a Buddhist group with several thousand members. No one had ever been asked their religion.
If I were to ask a persons religion at our temple what their religion were. I think that it would be around 100% Buddhist. If I asked what their original (that of their parents)religion was, I doubt if 5% would be Buddhist.
So where are these questions asked?
Good comments. I want to add that I think surveys about religion are never trustworthy. Example: If you asked a room full of Jewish people if they believe in the Torah, chances are most would say yes. You could then conclude that most Jews are Orthodox. But what many of those questioned are really hearing is: Do you honor your history? If you asked them the question in the following way: Do you believe that the Five Books of Moses were literally dictated to Moses by the God of Israel word for word, along with oral laws that later became the basis of the Talmud, the great majority of Jews would say no. Answers people give about their religion are, often as not, based on nostalgia or sociology. In countries in which Buddhism is native, many might describe themselves as Buddhist based upon their cultural histories, not necessarily their actual believes. Religion is truly a tricky business when it comes to having a frank discussion.
Your response may not edify the good professor, but it did wonders for me! Thank you.