US Religious Landscape In Flux

[SecularMotion]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Religion-Survey.html

The U.S. religious marketplace is extremely volatile, with nearly half of American adults leaving the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether, a new survey finds.

The study released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is unusual for it sheer scope, relying on interviews with more than 35,000 adults to document a diverse and dynamic U.S. religious population.

While much of the study confirms earlier findings -- mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing -- it also provides a deeper look behind those trends, and of smaller religious groups.

''The American religious economy is like a marketplace -- very dynamic, very competitive,'' said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. ''Everyone is losing, everyone is gaining. There are net winners and losers, but no one can stand still. Those groups that are losing significant numbers have to recoup them to stay vibrant.''

[Submariner]

1. I'm in the midst of an excommunication process with the archdiocese

of Boston. I would like to see fellow ex-catholics leave the church in droves and demand excommunication as I have done, to pull the rug out from under all the support the catholic-cult claims.

[and-justice-for-all]

2. I'm ready to see the bottom fall out that boat...nt