What American life — including organized religion — was like in 2004

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Pew Research Center, one of the survey firms I work with regularly as I cover religion in the United States, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its launch this year.

As part of the festivities, Pew put together a list of the key changes its researchers have observed over the past two decades. Unsurprisingly, many of the highlighted shifts are connected to religion.

For example, the share of Americans who identify as “religiously unaffiliated” has surged since the center first asked about it in 2007, growing from about 16% of the U.S. adult population to 28% today.

“Religious nones are currently one of the largest religious groups in the United States. They trail Protestants, who make up 41% of U.S. adults, but make up a larger share of the population than Catholics (20%) and all other faiths (8%),” wrote Jenn Hatfield, a writer and editor for Pew, in the list of key changes.

Here are some other faith-related shifts that Pew is highlighting as it celebrates its 20th anniversary and recalls what life was like in 2004.

• Americans have lost trust in major institutions, like the Supreme Court and federal government.

The overall drop in trust has complicated the work of religious organizations. People are losing interest in joining churches as their skepticism of institutions grows.

• U.S. adults are much more online than they used to be.

The share of American adults who browse the internet has jumped from 63% in 2004 to 95% today, per Pew. That was a blessing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when much socialization, including worship, needed to take place online, but it can be a curse when it fuels conspiracy theories and polarization.

• The country has become more politically polarized.

Speaking of polarization, U.S. adults have grown more divided over religion-related political issues like abortion over the past 20 years, according to Pew. In the case of abortion, the polarization primarily stems from Democrats becoming more supportive of abortion rights, while Republican views went mostly unchanged.

• Support for same-sex marriage has doubled.

In 2004, 31% of U.S. adults supported same-sex marriage. By 2023, 63% did. The surge in support has fueled a surge in legal protections for members of the LGBTQ community, which has led to some high-profile religious freedom lawsuits.

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Person of the week: Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer is the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He assumed the role in early July, becoming the first openly atheist politician to hold the office, according to Religion Unplugged .

Religion Unplugged noted that Starmer’s religious identity is notable even though disengagement from organized religion has become the norm in the U.K.

As in the United States, most British politicians have continued to advertise their religious values in recent years even as their constituents have grown less interested in faith.

“Over the years, the UK has evolved into a more secular society where religious affiliation plays a less-central role in political identity. Despite this shift, atheist leaders are still a rarity on the global stage,” the article said.

Today, around 46% of people in the United Kingdom identify as Christian, while 6.5% identify as Muslim and 1.7% identify as Hindu, the U.S. State Department reports. More than one-third of people say they have no religious affiliation.

What I’m reading ...

Christian leaders in Springfield, Ohio , are playing a major role in efforts to keep the community safe amid growing national scrutiny, according to Christianity Today. Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump, have spread misleading or outright false information about Haitian immigrants in Springfield recently while describing their immigration-related policy plans.

I have yet another Katelyn Beaty-related recommendation. Last week, I wrote about her podcast series “Tell Katelyn What to Do With Her Life,” and this week I’m writing about her blog on turning 40, which reviewed some of the key lessons she’s learned in recent years.

Emily McDowell, the mind behind my favorite stationary brand, wrote a beautiful essay honoring the life of her mother, Ruth B. McDowell, who was an internationally renowned quilter. “Her work will be remembered for its unusual and innovative use of printed fabrics. ... These unexpected, odd, and often objectively hideous prints added richness and detail to her quilts,” Emily wrote . “(My mom) explained all this, in her last weeks of life, to the nurses and doctors who rotated in and out of her hospital room: ‘A piece of fabric that looks ugly by itself sometimes turns out to be exactly what the quilt needs.’”

Odds and ends

We ordered from a new-to-us pizza place this weekend, and I was blown away by the mac’n’cheese pizza. If you ever have a chance to try that topping, do it!