The Pew study on religious affiliation found more Americans than ever (19.6%) identify themselves as unaffiliated with any religion. The number shoots to 30% when asking those under 30 years old.
The Pew Study came immediately on the heels of Congressman Paul Broun’s (Republican, Georgia) outrageous statement: “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell … to keep me and all the folks who were taught that from understanding that they need a savior.” Don’t believe someone could be so stupid? See for yourself:
Does anyone else see a correlation between lunatics in congress and increasing numbers of people deciding to take a pass on religion? If Broun is a poster child for Republicans and faith is it any wonder fewer people are buying it?
These religiously themed stories may seem unrelated, but I argue that more Americans are avoiding religious entanglement because of science denying, medieval ass-clowns like Broun. He’s the best thing to happen to atheism since witch burning, he’s helping out the Democrats whether he knows it or not.
The factually challenged Broun also sits on the so-called Congressional Science Committee. He is part of a select group of American leadership responsible for driving scientific advancement in this country, all while he refuses to recognize basic fifth grade science. It’s enough to make twenty percent of Americans abandon religious affiliation all together (oh yeah, that already happened).
One of the biggest factors that pushed me out of the Republican Party is religion. Some hard core right wing Republicans have married religion and state (in violation of the constitution) to such an effect that I could no longer even attend a Republican meeting without becoming nauseous. This same unholy alliance of church and state has also pushed me further into hard core atheism than I might have otherwise drifted as a reaction to religious fundamentalism and politics.
The more Republicans become the party of willful ignorance (and Jesus), the more people are going to reject not just the party, but the fundamentalism Republicans have come to represent.
When religion needs government to futher its interests, I know there is something wrong. Now that they can’t scare us with going to hell or make us afraid we will not go to heaben, and we know their book of fairy tales better than they do, the religious have to resort to government and sporting stadiums to proselytize. Now, if they can just rewrite history and science, it might work.