News
Meet John Q. Nones M
eet John Q. Nones, a young, white male who is making a big impression on the American religious landscape for something he doesn’t do: align with any reli- gious group.
The rise of the religiously unaf- filiated, or “nones,” as documented in a study from the Pew Research Center (September, page 8), has major implications for almost all aspects of American life—from religion to business to culture. But just who is John Q. Nones?
Here’s a snapshot drawn from the Pew poll: 1. He’s a he. Though fewer than half of Americans are male, 56 per- cent of nones are. The gender divide among nones who are atheists or agnostics is even more pronounced: 64 percent of this group is male. 2. He’s young. The older the Amer- ican, the more likely he or she is to be affiliated with a religion. One- third of Americans under 30 say they have no religious affiliation, compared to 9 percent of those 65 and older. This is mostly due to “generational replacement” as a younger generation assumes the place of an older one that is decid- edly more religious. 3. He’s white. Of all nones, 71 percent are white, 11 percent are Hispanic, 9 percent are African- American and 4 percent are Asian. If you narrow the pool to just agnostics and atheists, the group is even whiter: 82 percent. 4. He’s not necessarily an athe- ist. The largest group of nones (68 percent) say they believe in God or a universal spirit. Within that group, 30 percent are certain God exists; 27 percent say there is no God. 5. He isn’t very religious. This may sound obvious, but it makes the distinction between a person
10 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org 9
to provide a vivid image of gratitude for God’s abundance.
who has no religious affiliation, and one who is not religious. There are some nones who do consider themselves religious—just outside the confines of a religious organi- zation. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of nones seldom or never attend religious services. 6. He’s a Democrat. Nones are among the most reliably Demo- cratic of voters. In 2008, three- quarters of them voted for Barack Obama and 23 percent for John McCain, making them as strongly Democratic as white evangelicals were Republican.
7. He thinks abortion and same- gender marriage should be legal. Big gaps separate nones and Amer- icans in general on these issues. While 53 percent of the general public say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances, 72 percent of the unaffiliated do. And while 48 percent of the general public favors same-sex marriage, 73 percent of nones do. 8. He’s liberal or moderate. And not just on the issues above. More than three-quarters of the unaffili- ated describe themselves as gener- ally liberal or moderate, compared to the 1-in-5 of them who call themselves conservative. 9. He’s not necessarily hostile toward religious institutions. He just doesn’t want to belong to one. More than half of the nones (52 percent) say religious institutions protect and strengthen morality, though an even greater proportion (70 percent) believes these institu- tions are too concerned with money and power. 10. He’s more likely a Westerner. Nones are most concentrated in the West and least in the South. While 23 percent of Americans live in the West, 30 percent of nones do.
The Bible & justice How have biblical interpretation and religious traditions affected human progress? Answers came from about 70 church leaders, theo- logians, development experts and policy-makers during an Oct. 21-25 religion and development confer- ence in Neuendettelsau, Germany. Lutheran theology contributes to holistic development models, speak- ers said. Madipoane Masenya, an Old Testament scholar at the University of South Africa, Pretoria, said the Bible and other sacred writings like the Quran are closely connected to development issues. “A faith that is alive will enable its bearer to seek righteousness and justice,” she said.
Jerusalem vandals The Presbyterian News Service reported a series of attacks at Chris- tian sites around Jerusalem this fall. On Oct. 8, assailants threw stones, bottles and garbage at the exterior of St. George Romanian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem. The Francis- can Monastery on Mount Zion was targeted Oct. 2 with graffiti that read “Price Tag” and “Jesus is the son of a whore.” Previously, on Sept. 4, assailants set fire to the door of the Roman Catholic Abbaye de Notre- Dame de Sept-Douleurs near Jeru- salem and spray-painted “Migron” and “Jesus is a monkey” on the walls. Media attributed the vandalism to Israeli settlers and “price tag” attacks against Palestinians after the Israeli government evacuated Migron and other illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Ordinations a ‘mistake’ Leaders of the Seventh-day Adven- tist Church in October called deci- sions by two regional bodies to allow
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52