A few reasons not cited in that article, but have had an impact in my own (ex-Christian) life: - With the rise of the internet, it's actually much easier to not be Christian (and I don't mean just the porn!) Growing up, I didn't know anybody who doubted God's existence. I grew up just assuming the choice was A) Christian/American/Good or B) Atheist/Un-American/Evil. The internet has made such a dichotomy much less relevant. - The clownish behavior of our past two presidents (Dubya/Clinton) have made Christianity less admirable in the eyes of younger generations. Clinton's religiosity came off as pretty hypocritical in the wake of Monica. Dubya's came off as a substitute for deeper thinking. Reverand Wright has left his own bad taste, and as the article mentions the Catholic Church has been exposed as a catastrofuck of pedophilia. - It used to be that church was one of the few ways you could feel connected to the people around you. Now there are virtual communities of a million different stripes, from old college buddies on facebook to email to Blazer bulletin boards. The role of the church has just lessened with the rise of these other mediums of connectivity.
i hear that more people are going to church because they're getting fucked over right. when all is well i'd imagine less people go to church as some kind of free therapy session.
Why, "Nuff said"? Are you under the impression that God's existence, or lack thereof, is subject to trends in US public opinion? There have been moves away from and back to spirituality and belief throughout history.
