December, 2004 Calendar In This Issue: Core Values: Walking in Integrity Everyone's Responsibility Unchurched St. Nicholas and the Pawn Shop Balls of Gold New Years Prayer Religion, Politics and Theology Angel Songs & the Star of Wonder: Christ is Born Today Susan Tree St. Nicholas to Visit St. A's on his World Tour!

Excerpt from the L.A. Times, 10/30/04

The proportion of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation doubled over the last decade and now stands at 16% of the population, according to a new study on religious identity. The nationwide survey, based on telephone interviews with more than 10,000 randomly selected people, said about one in six answered "none" or "no religion" or described themselves as secular, humanist, ethical-culturalist, agnostic or atheist.

Americans younger than 35 are most likely to be nonidentifiers and those over 65 are least likely to be unaffiliated, the study said. Residents of the West lead the nation in the proportion of those who don't identify with a religion - 24% compared to 14% for the rest of the country except New England, which had 21%. Men are less likely to identify with a religious denomination than women, 20% to 13%.

The study also found that those raised without a religion are much more likely than others to have children who have no religion. And in mixed-religion families, children reared in both parents' religions are more likely not to choose any religion.

"When you ask the child to choose a religion, in essence, you're asking the child to choose a parent. Rather than choose a religion of a parent, they'll say I am not going to choose either."

Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea