Recent Study has Found that Half of All American Adults Have Changed Religion

A recent study has found that more than half of all American adults have changed their religion at least once in their lifetime. According to a survey conducted last year by the “Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life,” 1 in every 4 American adults has switched their religion at some point in their life. It was also found that more than 4 in every 10 American adults are no longer members of the religion they were brought up in; and about 1 in every 10 changed religions and then went back to the original religion they were born into. Furthermore, according to this new study, only 47% (less than half) of American adults have never changed religions.

So what does this mean? Well for one thing, it means that in today’s society there are plenty of push factors causing a large number of Americans to stray away from the religions that they were raised in and embrace new ones. A researcher at the Pew Forum named Gregory Smith commented, “You’re seeing the free market at work. If people are dissatisfied, they will leave. And if they see something they like better, they will join it.” This certainly seems to be the case in the United States.

Researchers have found that the main reasons why people switch religions are because they marry someone of a different faith, or because they move to a new community where one religion is more prominent and accepted. Secondary reasons include the fact that some people just don’t like their ministers or pastors and what they are preaching, and decide that they agree with the teachings of a different church more. However, there are countless reasons as to why people change religions and it is difficult to generalize an entire phenomenon.

Some people have even changed religions more times than can be counted on one hand, although this number is much smaller in comparison to the norm of religion-switching. Also interesting to point out, this article noted that in the 19th century, there was also a huge amount of religion-switching and establishing of new denominations of religions taking place. So is all of this changing of religion a good thing or a bad thing? It is hard to say, but I wouldn’t say it is entirely a bad thing. People are continually gaining access to more and more information, and in a sense it is reassuring to know that we, as Americans, are not losing our initial interest and belief in faith. As long as Americans aren’t trading in their religions as impulsively as we do our used cars at lease dealerships, I don’t see any real reason to be alarmed. With enough research and investigation into new religions, I think Americans should be adequately informed to decide whether or not new religions are right for them personally. Again, as long as religions don’t become the new trend, such as the fad of trading in used ipods on e-bay for newer ones, I don’t see the new data results as an immediate reason to be worried about the direction of our society…do you?