Do you think the US is more or less religious?

It depends on how you define religious. Members of religious institutions, or feelings of spirituality without belonging to any kind of church? And does that include any kind of religion, or only Christianity?

I'm not a Catholic, but I do have affinities for saints, St. Therese of Lisieux for one, although I question some of her choices. For her, Jesus and being in a convent was the most important, but for me family comes first. That's me, questioning all the time. But at least another sister was there to take care of their father.
 
I have no way of knowing this to be a fact, but most of the articles I have read that address this subject say America is becoming less religious. They also say that the level depends on the area you are referring to. The South in general and rural areas have decreased less then urban and suburban areas.
 
It is certainly more concerned with organised religion than we are here in Europe (I live in England). Here the majority of people are agnostic or have no religious beliefs at all. Religion, as a rule, never enters politics and morality tends to be based on a humanistic view of life.

From this side of the Atlantic your 'religious right' and the influence of irrational and superstitious religious people on your country often looks at best puzzling and at worst very damaging for your country.
 
Australians have always been adverse to overt religiosity. I think it goes all the way back to our convict origins.
Census data shows that fewer people identify with Christianity with each census survey however I don't believe that they are less appreciative of the Christian doctrines of kindness and charity.
 
I don't know but it certainly has changed. In my area many beautiful old churches are being torn down or re-purposed and in the suburbs they are building casual megachurches of no particular denomination.

I was raised in a family that went to church regularly and believed in organized religion. I do not participate in organized religion or attend church. I do have my own religious beliefs and moral compass that was formed by my family and those early religious experiences.
 
Do you mean more or less religious than the rest of the world, or than it used to be? I suspect your question means the latter.

It's still hard to answer, as you didn't give any dates to compare it to. If we're comparing to 50 years ago, I'd say about the same. If we're going back 100 years, I'd say probably less religious. At least not traditionally religious.
 
In the U.S. I think it's rapidly becoming as religious as it used to be but in a different way.
 
Someone just posted an article on another networking site about the decline of religion in America, listing the states where the most decline has taken place. If I come across it again I will post it here.
 
I think Dragonlady hit the nail on the head. More in politics, less in actuality (everyday life). The religious right is making a lot of noise, but they are not in the majority.

It's partly geographic, also. Living where I do, in a liberal east coast urban area, I don't know a single person with an extremely religious mindset. My answer might be different if I lived in the midwest or the south.
 
In its broadest sense religion can be defined as: a belief system that a person embraces as a way to approach a deity, or ones’ concept of God or gods, and a way to worship, usually expressed in conduct and ritual, so that he/she is in right relationship with this deity. The ultimate goal of such worship is the reward, or assurance, that a person will gain access into a life after death in a place prepared for them called Heaven.

But to some, religion can also mean a philosophy of life, in the sense of what life is, how we came into being, our moral accountability, our dignity as humans, our purpose of life, and what our ultimate destiny is. In that regard a person may claim that: science is my religion, or materialism is my religion, or having no belief in a deity is my religion, etc.

Biblical instruction bears this out. For example, Job’s comforters, the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel that Elijah challenged, the sailors who threw Jonah into the sea to appease the gods, the Chaldeans who falsely accused Jeremiah and threw him into a dungeon, the Pharisees in Jesus’ day who were condemned for their “religiosity”, and many others were considered religious, but held onto a false religion, that is, one of works, but not faith in the true God.

So, the question is, has true religion become less prominent in these days?
According to all the polls that I have read, the answer seems to be that it has, and this is distressing to me. It is also a major concern and chagrin for me personally.
It is one of the reasons that I have a sense of apprehension for the future of our country.
 

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