America Still Believes in God

If you listened to much of the mainstream media, you'd think the new atheists had taken hold of the minds and hearts of most Americans and led them into the paradise of a godless humanism. But apparently, most Americans, even though they spend more time watching reality shows than praying and worshiping, have managed to hold onto their belief in God. Check out the below table prepared by the pollsters at Gallup:

And here's Gallup's explanation of the poll's history:

"Despite the many changes that have rippled through American society over the last 6 ½ decades, belief in God as measured in this direct way has remained high and relatively stable. Gallup initially used this question wording in November 1944, when 96% said "yes." That percentage dropped to 94% in 1947, but increased to 98% in several Gallup surveys conducted in the 1950s and 1960s. Gallup stopped using this question format in the 1960s, before including it again in Gallup's May 5-8 survey this year."

It would be interesting to compare these poll results with similar data from Western Europe. Based on my personal experience, I suspect the numbers would be quite different.

For additional details, go directly to the Gallup site here.