I'm going to repeat these statistics because they hit me in the gut.

[readmoreoften]

According to adherents.com (and I'd love it if someone comes forth and tells me they're a wingnut site) only 10% of Western Europeans go to church "regularly." In America, 56% of Americans go to church at least once a month. 42% go weekly. 14% go more than once a week.

Among the things that we "are" as a nation, we are mostly English-speakers: 86.2% of us. After that, our largest "commonality" is Christianity. 76.5% of Americans claim that they're Christian. There are more Christians total than white people total in America. And there are a lot of damn white people.

Other than "males and females", our next largest grouping is "born-again" or "evangelical" Christians. At 44% percent. I think this bears repeating: 44% of Americans are born-again christians. There are almost as many born-again Christians in America as there are males in America (48%)

"Non-Religious" people come in at 13.2% of the population, statistically just a little under the number of Non-English Speakers. And just above the number of Blacks in America.

The entire Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community is (although they are actually quoting the Family Research Council on this, which makes me suspicious) 1.5% of the population (lots of closet space in America). The GLBT population is about double the size of the prison population.

According to adherents.com, there are more people who speak Tagalog in America than Atheists.
There are about as many lesbians as there are Americans who speak Polish.

Don't forget about Poland.

[EST]

1. Doesn't seem right.

Do they give sources?

[Kurovski]

2. Probably sourced from right out of their ass.

1.5% gay and lesbian? Yeah, sure. 1.5% of Americam men have passed through my bedroom.

The total is more like 10%.

[MercutioATC]

4. 10% of American men have passed through your bedroom?

:o

Seriously, I know what you're saying, and I agree. Remove the stigma and get people to be honest, probably 12-15%...and another 10% or so who consider themselves bisexual.

[Kurovski]

8. Kinsey originally came up with the 10% figure of the population

as being gay. There are other figures that claim 90% of the population is bisexual to some degree and at some time(!) I think I saw that on wikipedia.

The Family Research Institute, a right-wing bullshit box as dishonest and nutty as BushCo itself, are the ones who promote the 1.5%.

There is talk out there along the lines that you state, if more were honest, it would approach the 10% mark.

And only 1.5%, not 10% have traipsed through my boudoir. Golly! 10%? What do you take me for, some kind of a slut? ;-)

EDIT: here's the "institutes" "scientific" finding of 1.1% as gay.(note the post Nazi-era artwork of the Ayran family.)

http://www.familyresearchinst.org/FRI_AIM_Talk.html

[EST]

15. I did some googling and found several sites, all calling 2.5%

or less. Some of the sites mentioned the long accepted number 0f 10% but claimed it had proven unrealistic. Several called atheists at around 13-15%, again, a historied number, while others called atheists at approximately 5% and agnostics at around 5%. I know a lot of folks of Jewish persuasion and, in my world, they are far more numerous than the insignificant fraction ascribed.
I suspect almost any set of stats is pretty much guesswork since a lot of the questions asked feel kind of overly nosy and intrusive and a lot of people feel that giving false or nonsensical answers is a safe way of saying, "none of your business! Butt out!"

[Kurovski]

18. That would make sense since sex and religion,

despite all the talk about it, are still the most private and personal of experiences.

Also the widest field in which to lie, seeing as there are no truly accurate measures of sincerity! :-)

[seg4527]

3. i dont' buy that

[msgadget]

5. Gotta be fiction or someone's wishful thinking... n/t

[laheina]

6. Sorry.

While I don't know anything about the site--which is also sparse on info about itself--and I couldn't find anything in a search. It just doesn't pass the smell test.

If 53% of Americans are supposed to be Protestant (also as quoted on the site) then I would question the source that says that 44% are Evangelicals. That would leave only 9% of Americans for all of the Mainline Protestants: Lutherans, Anglicans, Episcopalians, etc. It also gave a ridiculously low number for Roman Catholics and completely neglected the Eastern Orthodox.

I know that the site says that it may contain conflicting statistics, but these just don't seem credible to me.

[NMMNG]

7. Here are some statistics that may be more reliable

American Adults Religious Identification (Age 18+)
Christian Religious Groups

Catholic
24.5%

Baptist
16.3%

Christian (no denomination specified)

6.8%

Methodist/Wesleyan
6.8%

Lutheran
4.6%

Other <>1%>: Presbyterian; Pentecostal/Charismatic, Protestant, Nondenominational, Episcopalian/Anglican; Mormon/Latter-Day Saints; Churches of Christ

Other <= or >.3%>: Jehovah's Witness; Seventh-Day Adventist; Assemblies of God; Church of God; Holiness/Holy; Congregational/United Church of Christ; Church of the Nazarene
Others : Disciples of Christ; Church of the Brethren; Mennonite; Orthodox (Eastern); Quaker; Reformed/Dutch Reform, and many more

Total Christian
76.5%


Other Religious Groups


Jewish
1.3%

Muslim/Islam
0.5%

Buddhist
0.5%

Other <.5 and >.3%: Hindu; Unitarian Universalist; Other : Pagan; Wiccan; Spiritualist; Native American; Baha'I; New Age; Sikh; Scientologist; Taoist; Deity; Druid; Eckankar; Santaria; Rastafarian

Total Other Religions
3.7%


No Religion Groups


Agnostic
0.5%

Atheist
0.4%

Not a worldview group, but rather individuals who stated: "No religion"
13.2%

Other : Humanist; Secular

Total No Religion Specified
14.1%


http://www.teachingaboutreligion.org/Demographics/map_demographics.htm

There's no "44% evangelicals" in there.

[Vexatious Ape]

10. O.4% for atheists

Wow,do I feel lonely. And if you consider the fact that I live in Georgia...

[NMMNG]

11. I sometimes wonder about that figure

Atheists often keep mum about their status out of fear of reprisal. They may even continue going to church (particularly if they have a believing spouse or other family members) to keep the peace. I can't help but wonder how many of those listed as "No religion" are actually atheists who didn't want to "come out of the closet".

[Kurovski]

19. I sometimes FEEL like an athiest, if that's any help.

:-) :hug:

[BigBearJohn]

9. That's it. I'm leaving for Thailand. I'm happier with Buddhists anyway

[Autumn Colors]

12. How can this be?

56% of Americans go to church at least once a month
42% go weekly
14% go more than once a week

That equals 112%

???

EDIT: Unless the 42% and 14% are WITHIN the 56%, but what you posted didn't specify that.

[BR_Parkway]

13. I was raised Southern Baptist, so I could claim I was Christian and

born again even though I don't follow it anymore and there are plenty of people who would answer that they are because there are social advantages (and here in the south, business connections to be made). Even if the numbers were true, it does nothing to say how many go because they believe, how many go strictly to set a good example for their kids and how many go so they can look good in the eyes of their perceived peers?

Don't forget, this is a nation that is credit carding itself into bankruptcy simply to show up at work in the latest, greatest pair of shoes that they purchased for 2,000 times markup with no thought to the conditions of the worker or the fact that the job that worker used to do was an American job. They probably drove their gas guzzling oversized offroad vehicle 18 miles to the closest mall to shop for those shoes, understanding that over 50% have routinely answered on various surveys that available shopping is the biggest reason for picking a location to take a vacation.

56% go to church once a month? Big deal - subtract the 14% "more than once a week" hard core believers and you're left with 4 out of 10 Americans who follow the latest trend, be it shoes, home, vehicle, job, or President. Our famed and fabled centrist voter - they don't make up their mind until they see whichever way the herd is moving, and then they jump on board the popularity train. They've been bombarded with advertising specifically designed to make them unhappy with whatever they have in hopes of motivating them to go out a purchase something else.

So, 30% hard core conservatives, 30% hard core liberals and 40% consumers - just waiting for the right marketing message - God or otherwise.

And of all the men I've ever met in my lifetime, many more than 1.5% were gay/bi. Add in some more for the lesbians and we're back up around that 10% figure.

[mzteris]

14. religioustolerance.org

Here're their figures/info - (only problem is it's a little dated. I think the #'s for "religous in America HAS increased in the last 10 years):


"The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan periodically conducts the World Values Survey. It polls a statistically valid sample of adults from a total of 60 nations. Some of their findings from their 1995-1997 survey:

The United States has a higher level of church attendance than any other country which is "at a comparable level of development."

53% of Americans consider religion to be very important in their lives. This compares with 16% in Britain, 14% in France and 13% in Germany.

The importance of religion has been declining in developed countries.

In those countries which are "experiencing economic stagnation and political uncertainty," the importance of religion is high.

Political scientist Ronald Inglehart, one of the authors of the Institute's 1998 survey commented: "Although church attendance is declining in nearly all advanced industrial societies, spiritual concerns more broadly defined are not. In fact, in most industrial societies, a growing share of the population is spending time thinking about the meaning and purpose of life." 1

-MORE -

http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_rate.htm

[Atman]

16. The key word is CLAIM they are Christian

Bush does. I don't believe it in a minute. He is an Opportunist.

Many others who CLAIM they are Christian to a pollster do so for many of the same reasons many teenagers CLAIM they have sex and do drugs -- they think that is what they're supposed to say. Every day we're bombarded with these figures, this stuff about us being a CHRISTIAN NATION. Americans are nothing if not sheep...most don't like to think they're out of the mainstream, and hence, I think even the most borderline of agnostics and doubters will answer a poll saying YES, they are Christian, even if they haven't attended church or said a prayer since childhood...because that's the way they were raised. They look at Christianity like a nationality, the way an pure-bred "American" might say he's Irish simply because his name starts with Mc.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Then They Lied

Look if you're really a serious Christian, you don't go to church once a month. You go every Sunday to keep the sabbath holy. So, 14% of those people lie since they don't adhere to their own tenets, and the other 20.5% who "claim" christianity but don't go to church are wrong too.

And, i can assure you that those numbers on Evangelicals are wrong. If this study says that the fraction is that high, it's the only social survey in history with those findings. That's utterly ridiculous.
The Professor