Portland, Ore., is No. 1 on the list of metropolitan areas with the most religiously unaffiliated residents (42%), according to the nonpartisan and nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas, a survey of 50,000 people. Seattle and San Francisco were tied at second place (with 33%) on the list, and Denver (32%) and Phoenix (26%) were third and fourth.
On the other end of the spectrum, Nashville was the metropolitan area with the fewest people without any religious affiliation (15%), followed by Charlotte, N.C. (17%), and Atlanta, Dallas, Orlando and Pittsburgh (all with 18%).
Why the regional differences? “Portland is quirky and different, and very attractive to people who may not feel comfortable in other social environments, particularly with a stigma against those who are atheists,” says Daniel Cox, research director at the Public Religion Research Institute. In fact, “The Big Sort,” a 2008 book by Bill Bishop, documented the “clustering” of like-minded Americans around politics and culture. While 94% of people said they would vote for a Catholic for president and only 5% say they would not, 54% said they would vote for an atheist while 43% said they would not, a nationwide 2014 Gallup survey found.
30 comments:
Interesting. Sorta surprised to see Denver so high on the list.
Atheist carries a stigma I guess
I'm religiously unaffiliated but have a deep faith in God.
This graph does confirm the Bible Belt.
I'm religiously unaffiliated, and I'm not an atheist. Just like being politically unaffiliated doesn't mean you don't believe in democracy. I'm also neither a proponent nor denier of climate change. Unaffiliated just means you're a free agent looking for the better offer.
Unaffiliated means you can't commit. You are the kind of mook who puts his donation in the Communion plate.
You just want a church when you need it. Weddings. Funerals. Baptisms. The rest of the time you leave it to other people to pay the freight.
"The rest of the time you leave it to other people to pay the freight."
Not me. I leave it to the freight to pay other people for their religious beliefs.
“Portland is quirky and different, and very attractive to people who may not feel comfortable in other social environments, particularly with a stigma against those who are atheists,” says Daniel Cox, research director at the Public Religion Research Institute.
Portland is neither quirky nor different. Everyone thinks the same. Portland is for morons who signal their affiliations based on highly nuanced outerwear, hair arrangement, and music choices. That no one else cares about. Basically, it's the self-indulgent, oblivious, materialistic, clubby 1950s (that everyone supposedly loathes) but with less bathing.
Oregon paid some very generous welfare benefits. I recall there were young people on permanent funemployment living in other states drawing a check. That's very attractive to the quirky and non-quirky indeed.
It's certainly true that I don't commit lightly to organizations, but I feel that's a good thing, and I don't think you want to debate who pays the freight with someone like me in the group who pays 84% of the tax burden. I don't use the church for anything: not for marriage, funerals, salvation, or virtue, yet I donate to some of them anyway, and since they generally don't pay taxes, I support all of them well above the average parishioner. You're welcome.
The reason that Portland is first is that it's hard to appreciate a God who refuses to let the sun shine, and besides, by the time you wake up and have your coffee you've missed the services.
19% of New York values religious non-affiliation.
BTW, that group that pays 84% of the tax burden is only 1 in 5 Americans. Somebody isn't pulling their weight.
BTW, 63% of New York values allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally: http://publicreligion.org/research/graphic-of-the-week/every-states-opinion-on-same-sex-marriage/#.Vq-fgbQ-DOY
There's a difference between a widower and someone who has undergone a bitter divorce. I was raised as a Catholic. I know what a state of grace feels like. I can see the value of the Church and it's sacraments. Nonetheless, I no longer believe in God, or, at least, a God as defined by Catholic theology.. I don think my agnosticism makes me a better person or a wiser person, but that's where my life experience has taken me........I know some other lapsed Catholics who have grievances against the Church. In some cases their grievances are justified. In other cases they're blaming the Church for their own deficits.......I had a friend who came from a poor family in Ireland. He had a maiden great aunt who worked as a nurse and accumulated a modest amount of wealth. When the aunt died, she left all her money to the Church. My friend's family was dirt poor. The money would have gone a long way for them. I suppose the aunt's money was used to help settle the many lawsuits against the Church. My friend was entitled to his grudge against the Church.
62% New York values immigrants for their talents and hard work.
58% of religiously unaffiliated Americans support allowing public officials to open meetings with a prayer.
Does this mean pissoirs are coming to Portland shortly?
Betcha can't say pissoirs coming to Portland shortly five times fast.
Good INTELLIGENT comment, William. it's tough to have a conversation w/ people about religion who are holier than thou, be it their "faith" or their atheism. Both extremes are insufferable. The Catholic Church teaches people as long as they go to Mass every Sunday and confess their sins they are holy, and can be assholes and sinners. I have the flick, Spotlight, on my list of flicks. I was a source for one of those reporters. The Catholic Church has not come clean, not even close. Catholic priests who preyed on kids are just as bad jihadists who strap on suicide bombs. But, the despicable priests live on and hardly any suffer any consequences.
This chart shows NYC at the same percentage of religiously unaffiliated as Indianapolis! Maybe that's true for the outer boroughs but Manhattan?...no way. Manhattan has to be up there with San Francisco.
Look at it this way, Father. You're not as bad as the jihadists, although they were at least honest about their intentions. And we will have to include you in the list of total assholes who use religion to do evil.
The Portland Pissoirs is the local men's field hockey team.
We are #10! I was hoping for top 3.
I am not an athesist.
tits.
How about an aesthetician? Are you one of those?
Don't let the holier than thou preachy troll entice you into a guilt trip. I wonder if his only friend knows he's out?
So I did my Beirut Harvard Phd candidate this past weekend.
I decided to talk to him after we shot our first load and third load. I asked him if his parents knew he was a fag and what it is like to be fag in Beirut.
If you want to be a fag anywhere in middle east Beirut is the place (I knew that already). Beirut is referred to as the Paris of Middle East-I know not saying much. His parents know and Beirut leaves fags alone.
He must come from a rich family, which I find attractive. In order for an international student to attend Harvard they must show they have enough money in their bank account to pay for their tuition. Also, he lives alone in Cambridge, which is unthinkable because it is so expensive for someone his age.
tits.
bags, Jihadists truly think what they're doing is what God wants. And, they sacrifice their life doing what they believe pleases God. It's FUCKED, but that's their reality. Catholic priests KNOW fucking 14 year old boys is horribly wrong, a felony. But, in droves they did/do it. And, there have been hardly any consequences.
I hear ya, Spinelli. The priests didn't murder, but they violated the trust, of children, their parents, their brothers and sisters in the church, and the whole community in a way that is about as bad as you can do short of murder. Your point about them knowing it was wrong would be true of anyone, but with a priest, he's the guy who is supposed to be the expert, the consultant on right and wrong. I don't know how any of the victims or their families can remain Catholic after seeing that plus the cover up by the church. I also feel for Catholics and good priests. To have that scourge be the icon of your calling must be incredibly hard. The pedophiles stole so much for so little.
"Catholic priests who preyed on kids are just as bad jihadists who strap on suicide bombs."
What a stupid thing to say.
Maybe the conventional context allows that to seem overstated. But in my good friend ndspinelli's defense, rights are rights and corruption is corruption and it's hard to make as great a distinction when you learn of things like this.
Cultures, at any level, need to be empowered to do right and to protect the weak. Corruption, at any level and from any cause, has a way of standing against all the right things.
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