Duke
Professor: American's Religious Faith Waning
Despite the
prominence of religious believers in politics and
culture, America has shrinking congregations, growing
dissatisfaction with religious leaders and more people
who do not think about faith, according to a new study
by a Duke University expert. In "American
Religion: Contemporary Trends," author Mark
Chaves argues that over the last generation or so,
religious belief in the U.S. has experienced a
"softening" that effects everything from
whether people go to worship services regularly to
whom they marry. Far more people are willing to say
they don't belong to any religious tradition today
than in the past, and signs of religious vitality may
be camouflaging stagnation or decline.