There’s rarely more attention paid to religion than when one pope passes and the College of Cardinals gathers to select another. Maybe it’s because the grandeur and secrecy of it all makes for a compelling news story, maybe it’s because 1.4 billion Catholics around the world really do care about the outcome, or maybe it’s because the weight of a millennia-old tradition captures our imagination in a rapidly changing world.
Whatever the reason, it gives us on the GD POLITICS podcast an opportunity to reflect on the role that religion plays in society and politics today. And it’s a pretty complex story, at least in the US. After a rapid rise of people who don’t consider themselves part of any religion over the past 20 years, that trend line seems to have plateaued or maybe even reversed slightly.
It’s also harder than ever to figure out the directionality in the relationship between religion and politics. Does people’s faith inform how they vote, as we might have traditionally thought, or are people changing their religious identity because of their politics?
On today’s podcast, I’m joined by someone who spends his days pouring over just about all the data out there on religion in America. Ryan Burge is a professor at Eastern Illinois University, he writes the Graphs About Religion Substack, and until very recently was himself a Baptist Pastor.
Discussion about this episode
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The solution for the loss of meeting space won't be "go back to church, even if you don't believe". The number one reason people have left faith is they no longer believed, yes, but religion has also left a bad taste in people's mouths. The next several reasons on the list in the Pew study after loss of belief are all deal breaker level issues that make "go anyway" a no go answer for a whole lot of religious nones.
Agreed. I had trouble squaring the guest's view of church as both (a) a welcoming low-key "third space" and source of community support and (b) a place where occasional attendees are mostly gone and only the true believers are left.
I thought it was nice that his experience was that the church ladies brought him soup when he had his baby. I got a load of judgement and scorn because I didn't follow the strict rules the church set up.
I greatly dislike organized religion, but I am a person of Faith - I believe in God.
The beach is my church, and the Pacific Ocean is my pastor.
This discussion was very reaffirming.