A new survey has shown startling changes in religion among Americans. Researchers at the Pew Trust contacted 35,000 people age 18 and over (an unusually large sample) and discovered current religious affiliation to be “both diverse and extremely fluid.”

The findings reveal that 28 percent of our countrymen have left the religion in which they were raised. Some of them have migrated to another religious group, while others have entirely abandoned organized religion.

If you include those who have switched from one Protestant church to another, the number rises to 44 percent. That means almost half of Americans have made a notable change in religious affiliation in their lifetime.

The leakage in my own faith community, that of American Catholics, has been especially dramatic. Nearly one in three people in the U.S. was raised Catholic; now fewer than one in four among them describe themselves as Catholic.

Because of so many leaving the church, country you might expect the size of the church to have hit a new low. Actually, however, the membership of the Catholic Church has remained about the same.

The chief reason for the number remaining level is the arrival of immigrants to our land. Catholic immigrants outnumber Protestant immigrants by almost two to one.

It would be valuable to know the reasons why people have turned elsewhere from their childhood religion. The Pew survey did not publish such reasons in the current report. Further findings from the survey will be released sometime this spring.

The researchers use the phrase “constant movement” to describe the overall religious scene in America. When it comes to religious belief and practice, a great many of us are looking for something new.

However, slightly more than 16 percent describe themselves as unaffiliated with any faith. Among those in the 18 to 29 age range, one in four describe themselves as unattached to any religion at all.

The decline in mainline Protestant churches, confirmed in this study, has been observed by religion scholars for the last few decades. America has often been seen as a Protestant nation, but this is no longer true, at least to the same degree.

The three largest groups of Protestants are Evangelical churches, the so-called mainline churches (Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists et al), and the historically Black churches. In addition there are hundreds of other denominations that fall under the term Protestant.

All of these groups together represent 51 percent of Americans─a majority but just barely.

As some of us have observed in recent years, many of the religions associated with other parts of the world ─ Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam among others ─ have established a foothold in America.

Statistically, however, they have only small populations. That holds true of Mormons who originated in America but still account for less than two percent, the same as the Jewish community.

Knowledge of this new religious landscape in my native country sometimes makes me feel old-fashioned. By contrast with the surge of fellow citizens toward something new, I have remained attached to the faith community in which I grew up.

For me, it would be a mistake to change simply because so many other people are on the move religiously. Though I often advocate trying new courses of action for my age peers, I do not apply that to my own faith.

Of course, I remain interested in new theological viewpoints that emerge from continued study of the Bible and other important sources of church teaching. And I welcome creative innovation within the basic framework of my faith.

I also feel highly critical of my church’s leadership on many different fronts. The decisions of those in positions of authority have seriously damaged the church and their failure to embrace needed change has also hurt.

But, despite this dissatisfaction, I consider my faith community as my spiritual home. That has been true throughout my life as I have progressed through its various stages. To me it is spiritually nourishing to take part in the public worship of my church and I credit it with promoting the health of my soul.

So I do stand outside the mainstream of those multitudes who have broken with their religious upbringing. But they have my respect and good wishes as they search for spiritual renewal outside their original community. I hope they find the inspiration they are seeking.

I also want the best for those who have given up on all religious institutions. As one who is so critical of my own church, I can understand why they have followed a path different from mine.

However, I feel thankful to be still enjoying in late life the continuity of faith that has been mine from the beginning. To me, it is a gift rather than a hindrance and I deeply value this religious heritage.

Richard Griffin