Thinking to Believe

I’ve come to learn that while money cannot buy happiness, a lack of money can purchase a lot of misery.

I’m late to the game on this one, but I just discovered some great statistical information regarding changes in the religious identity of Americans between 1990 and 2008, as well as a great interactive online chart visually displaying the information.  Here is some of the most pertinent information:

• Those who claim to have no religious affiliation (called “Nones”) have grown in every state since 1990. 
• The west and northeast coasts dominate the no religion category.  VT comes in 1^st with 34%.  CA ranks 15^th with 18%.  MI ranks last with 5%. 
• Non-Christian religions have grown in all but 6 states since 1990. 
• Protestants have diminished in all but 4 states. 
• Catholics have diminished in all but 20 states. 
• Catholics have increased in CA from 27% in 1990 to 38% in 2008. 
• The northeast has the highest percentage of Catholics (RI has 46%).  CA ranks 5^th with 38%.  AL ranks last with 6%. 
• The south is mostly Protestant (AL has 80%).  CA ranks 45^th with 35%.  MA ranks last with 26%. 
• CT has the most non-Christian religious adherents (8%).  CA ranks 6^th with 5%.  Wyoming ranks last with 1%. 
• For those who simply don’t know what to say their religious identity is, OR comes in 1^st place with 7% (compared to 2% in 1990), and DE last with 2% (in 1990 they were ranked 1^st with 6%).  CA has 5%.

The beliefs of Nones was broken down further:

• 51% believe in a deity of some sort
• ~24% believe in a non-personal God
• ~27% believe in a personal God
• ~36% are agnostic (~19% hard agnostics, ~17% soft agnostics)
• ~7% are atheist
• 22% of 18-29 year old are Nones