by Nico Rahm
www.nicorahm.com
According to the American Religious Identification Survery (ARIS) 2008, a third of a landmark series conducted by Trinity College to investigate trends in the religious views of Americans, the U.S. population of non-believers had increased to fifteen percent in 2008 from 14% in 2001, and about 8% in 1990.
To most secularists and freethinkers this is not big news. In fact, I am surprised that the proportion of non-religious Americans is not even higher! But what did amaze me was the drop in the religious population of the southern states even though a self-professed God-delivered President was in the white house for the last eight years. According to ARIS 2008, the percentage of non-believers making up the lower half of the U.S. almost doubled in 2008 from 1990, while the Christian population, even though still a good slice of the pie, dropped by an average of about 10%.
These findings would explain the hysterical and fundamentalist surge in the conservative media as their hijacking of the Christian faith to abuse as a political tool has finally backfired. Even ex-President Bush could not help deter some Christians from opening their eyes, and freeing their minds to the natural world around them.
It is time the Republican Party adopted alternative methods in securing American votes. This would not only aid in the intellectual and economical modernization of their constituents, but may also help bridge the divide that has split the U.S. in two ever since Bush was sent by God to save America.
NicoRahm.com
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