A recent Gallup Poll asked the question: “How important would you say religion is in your life?” In 1992, 58 percent of those surveyed indicated it was "very important." Just 12 percent said it was not very important.
In 2010, those who believed it was very important fell to 54 percent. Perhaps more significantly, those who believed it was not very important rose to 20 percent.
Asked whether, “At the present time, do you think religion as a whole is increasing its influence on American life or losing its influence,” 70 percent said religion was loosing its influence.
It is impossible to know just what people mean when they say religion is important or unimportant in their lives, or what they mean when they say they believe religion is loosing its influence in American life.
Other recent surveys indicate the vast majority of Americans have a very rudimentary understanding of religion in general, and a rather undeveloped understanding of their own various faith traditions.
Given the ongoing scandal concerning child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church (and in other denominations as well), there is a general loss of respect for religious institutions.
And, given the various scandals regarding the hypocrisy of a few significant leaders in the Evangelical movement on issues of sexual mores, disrespect for their leadership has grown as well.
Finally there are the religious fanatics, including the group who protests at the funerals of fallen soldiers. They claim these deaths are the result of God’s wrath toward America for being soft on homosexuality. Then there was Pastor Terry Jones who threatened to burn the Quran as a protest and retribution for the terrorist attack of September 11.
Around the world, where we find religion becoming a major influence in society, too often it is the disturbing development of a militant and intolerant fundamentalism. Many people, in witnessing the extremism of some religious people, are clearly weary of taking religion too seriously.
The result of these various polls raise some serious questions for us as a nation. The problem isn’t so much about whether we will be a religious nation, or a churchgoing nation; the problem is whether the deepest ideals of the various religious traditions will affect the way we relate to one another and to the world. If religion in general is loosing its influence in our lives, how will the core ethics of religion find a home in our world?
The ancient Hebrew prophet, Micah, confronted the religious people of his day. They were focused on the outward expressions of their faith. Micah reminded the people of the central purpose of the religious life. It was, as Micah described it, “To do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God."
This understanding, simple as it is, is perhaps the central theme and purpose of all faith traditions. From Christian to Jewish to Moslem, from Hinduism to Buddhism, and in just about all other faiths, creating a just society, being truly kind, and being humble is central to faith.
It is a life of compassion. It is a life lived guided by the “golden rule” that what we do for others is what we would want others to do for us. It is to not to do to others what we would not have others do to us.
Will religion continue to lose its influence in the life of the nation? Will the core values of faith will be lost as well? Will the sensibilities of justice, kindness and humbleness no longer matter? Will we become even more crass than we have already become? Will arrogance rule and gentleness be ridiculed?
All of the various faith traditions provide a civilizing influence for us and our world. It is not coincidental the great religions of the world grew up side by side with the growth of civilization.
No doubt, there have been times when religion has been exploited by a nation’s will to power, and examples throughout history of religious wars and the exploitation and oppression of people under the guise of religion to prove the point.
But, even more significantly, the heart of faith has acted as a constraint against such abuses. When religion remained centered in its foundational truth, it has made society more just, more humane and very beautiful. It brought out the best of the people.
