| No Faith In Numbers By Conrad Goeringer This article can be found in the November 2001 Vol 40, No.9 print of �American Atheist Newsletter.� pp. 4-5 p. 2 * What about marriage and belief? The survey confirmed the findings of other studies indicating that Atheists -- and, in this case, those in the �No Religion� category -- have surprisingly low rates of divorce. Indeed, the divorce rate for this cohort actually declined from the 1990 survey, from 11% to 9%. Pentecostals and Episcopalian/Anglicans had higher rates (14% and 12%) respectively, as did Assemblies of God and Seventh Day Adventists. Baptists, a denomination constantly praising �family values� and monogamy, had a 12% divorce rate. The 9% rate for us was comparable to Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others. * Some of this MAY be due to the age distribution, though, which shows those of �No Religion� heavily represented by younger cohorts. Thirty-five percent of us are in the 18-29 age range, with only 8% sixty-five and over. The only other �denomination� with an equally robust younger segment was defined as �Christian.� We are far more youthful than Roman Catholics (24%, Jews (14%) or the mainstream Protestant denominations like Lutherans and Presbyterians. Unfortunately, women are not yet heavily represented in the �No Religion� category. Forty-one percent of this cohort are female. Much higher percentages of women are found in denominational groups, most of them showing well over 50% female adherence. * Finally, our politics is diverse. Just as we think freely and independently in respect to religious creeds, we bring a similar range of attitudes toward politics. Seventeen percent of the �No Religion� group was identified as Republican, 30% as Democrat, with 43% under the �Independent� label. Another 10% listed �Other/None� as their political preference. With the exception of the Assemblies of God (59% Republican), no religious denomination had a majority identified with any one major political party. The �No Religion� cohort, though, can boast far more Independents than religious groups, though (Catholic, 30%; Presbyterian, 26%; Evengelical/Born Again, 20%). The ARIS survey is a vital contribution in making �Atheist� an official cohort within American demographic ranks, and in particular within the larger segment of �No Religion.� Another taboo over the use of the �A-word� has fallen; and surprisingly, we are larger in number than categories like �Secular� and �Humanist.� If the ARIS census is any indication, �Atheists� have been leaving the closet and casting off the protective camouflage of other labels. Who knows how many still lurk within the category of the �No Religion� group? |
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