Americans are fickle consumers of religion, with about half changing religious affiliations at least once in their lives as they drift away from childhood traditions or stop believing in the teachings of their faiths, according to a national survey released Monday.
Such religious switching has swollen the ranks of the unaffiliated, according to researchers from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Still, religion remains a strong force in American life, even among those raised in nonreligious homes.
"Many times, changing religions is a gradual process rather than a decision or event that takes place at a particular moment," Greg Smith, a forum research fellow, said Monday.
The survey, "
Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S.," is a follow-up to a major study released last year by the Pew Forum. The 2008 analysis found that 44% of U.S. adults have switched religious affiliations or abandoned ties to a specific religion.
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(off line), courtesy The LATimes.
