Atheists v. Faithful

World Magazine's blog cites a recent survey by George Barna which compares American atheists and agnostics with Christians. The blog notes some results which may be discouraging to Christians, but which also bode ill for society at large:

- The no-faith segment grows with each successive generation: "The proportion of atheists and agnostics increases from 6% of Elders (ages 61+) and 9% of Boomers (ages 42-60), to 14% of Busters (23-41) and 19% of adult Mosaics (18-22)." Each generation's degree of secular fervor appears to stay relatively constant over time, contradicting the popular notion that such generational differences are simply a product of people becoming more faith-oriented as they age.

- No-faith Americans exhibit more cultural disengagement: "Atheists are less likely than active-faith Americans to be registered to vote (78% versus 89%), to volunteer to help a non-church-related non-profit (20% versus 30%), to describe themselves as 'active in the community' (41% versus 68%), and to personally help or serve a homeless or poor person (41% versus 61%)."

Atheists v. Faithful