While headlines often decry the \u201cdechurching of America,\u201d\u009d and experts talk about the country becoming more secular, like Europe, people are going to church \u201d\u201c and embracing religion \u201d\u201c in numbers that defy popular perceptions.<\/p>\n
True, recent figures from the Pew Research Center show that 35 percent of Millennials \u201d\u201c adults born between 1981 and 1996 \u201d\u201c identify as \u201cnones,\u201d\u009d saying they are atheists or agnostics, or have no religious affiliation. And, yes, a host of other studies have, over the years, noted a similar drop in religious attendance in the United States, especially among the young. Many mainstream denominations, too, have been closing or consolidating churches.<\/p>\n
But, experts note, America is far from becoming a churchless nation. On any given Sabbath, for instance, some 4 out of 10 Americans will make their way to churches and synagogues, mosques and temples \u201d\u201c a number that hasn\u2019t fluctuated dramatically in the past half century.<\/p>\n