"The U. S. population continues to show signs of becoming less religious..."

As a churchgoer, I think I'd agree the apparent decline in religiosity is a good thing. When there was a social requirement to belong to a religion, many of the people who belonged to churches, didn't have a clue about the essence of the religious faith they claimed to profess. They were in church because they thought they were supposed to be in church, not because they wanted to be there. Now that society allows church attendance to be voluntary, the churches are much healthier. We can collect money to serve the poor, not to build bigger churches to hold more people.

The growth in the so-called "non-denominational Christian" churches is something I don't quite understand. Much of this growth is in what I'd call "megachurches." I don't understand why they're so attractive. But hey, even some of the megachurches are becoming involved in social justice issues.

The so-called "mainline" churches have done a wonderful job of cleaning up their act. The Episcopalians, who once were closely associated with three-martini luncheons, have taken the lead in social justice and tolerance issues. The Lutherans, better known for Jello molds, are not far behind in the area of social justice, and in the exploration of various expressions of spirituality. The United Church of Christ (Congregationalists) and the United Methodists (who no longer prohibit card-playing and dancing) are also quite impressive. We Catholics are a mixed bag - but in many places, a lot of good is being done by the Catholic Church, especially in the area of service to the poor and immigrants.

So, all in all, I think the decline in religious membership may be a good thing - because it has been accompanied by a growth in religious faith and in work for social justice and tolerance.

-Joe-