Protestants no longer majority in US
The definition of Protestants could simply be drilled down to any Christian who worships the Trinitarian God, but also rejects the authority of the Bishop of Rome or any of the Patriarchs of the various Orthodox Churches.
That’s quite a number of adherents who identify themselves as Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Baptists, etc.
And for the first time in American history, Protestants aren’t in the majority. At least according to the good folks who run things over at Gallup.
But in all fairness, Gallup incorrectly cites Mormons (LDS) as “Christians.” Both Catholics and Evangelical Protestants cite the many basic theological differences, calling into question if Mormons even at the most basic level rate to call themselves Christians in the true sense.
Another glaring mistake in the poll was to completely ignore the status of Eastern Orthodoxy (EO) in the United States. While the number of EO adherents is approaching 1 million, they’ve not even been factored into the poll.
As reported by the Cybercast News service, “The majority of Americans in 2017 did not identify themselves as Protestants, according to Gallup surveys conducted during the year…”
“About half of Americans (48 percent) identify as Protestants or other Christians who are not Catholic or Mormon,” said Gallup in its analysis of its polling.
The Gallup poll continued with a bit few more specifics;
That survey indicated that from 2007 to 2014, Protestants had dropped from 51.3 percent of the population to 46.5 percent.
But Protestants shouldn’t feel all alone when it comes to numbers dropping. Their friends on the other side of the Tiber haven’t fared much better;
At the same time, according to that Pew survey, Catholics dropped from 23.9 percent of the population to 20.8 percent.
But to ensure that every person of faith is equally depressed, the number of non-believers has risen substantially; “rising from 15% in 2008 to 21% in 2017.”
Yet even deeper into the weeds of the overall study;
- In Alabama, 77 percent said they are Protestant, making Alabama the most Protestant state in the country.
- In Rhode Island, 44 percent said they are Catholic, making Rhode Island the most Catholic state in the country.
- In Hawaii and Alaska, 33 percent said they had no religion, making them the most non-religious states.
- In New York, 8 percent said they were Jewish, making New York the most Jewish state.
- In Utah, 55 percent said they were Mormons, making Utah the most Mormon state.
Most Protestant States, 2017 (by percentage)
Alabama | 77 |
---|---|
Mississippi | 75 |
Arkansas | 72 |
Tennessee | 71 |
South Carolina | 70 |
Oklahoma | 68 |
West Virginia | 66 |
North Carolina | 66 |
Georgia | 66 |
Kentucky | 63 |
Most Catholic States, 2017 (by percentage)
Rhode Island | 44 |
---|---|
New Jersey | 40 |
Connecticut | 38 |
Massachusetts | 38 |
New York | 34 |
New Mexico | 30 |
Illinois | 30 |
New Hampshire | 30 |
California | 29 |
Wisconsin | 29 |
States With Highest “No Religion” Percentage, 2017
Hawaii | 33 |
---|---|
Alaska | 33 |
Washington | 32 |
Vermont | 32 |
Oregon | 31 |
Maine | 31 |
Colorado | 30 |
New Hampshire | 30 |
California | 28 |
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