According to new research published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Christian nationalists perform worse on tests of religion’s role in American history. The study, “Historical Fundamentalism? Christian Nationalism and Ignorance About Religion in American Political History“, was authored by Samuel L. Perry, Ruth Braunstein, Philip S. Gorski, and Joshua B. Grubbs. For purposes of the study, the authors identified Christian nationalists as those who agreed

There is quite a bit of research right now concerning the rise of a more virulent form of Christian nationalism associated with the election of former President Donald Trump. Illuminate: ... "Americans who identify as "Christian Nationalists," ... believe that the United States was founded as a white Christian nation that should be governed under a "reactionary" [think old testament] understanding of Christian values. They argue that Christianity and "American exceptionalism"

France Bans Gay Conversion Therapy: France has now passed legislation criminalizing the use of "conversion therapy" which is used to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ people. Anyone convicted under the new law could face fines of up to €30,000 and/or two years in prison. President Emmanuel Macron praised the move, tweeting that "being oneself is not a crime". Gay conversion therapy is still legal in some US states and more than 60 nations, despite a mo

As we noted last week, Americans are abandoning religion in unprecedented numbers. Less than half of us now belong to a church, and only about a quarter of Americans regularly attend services. That's especially true of younger Americans. Illuminate: "And, in recent surveys of older members of Generation Z [those 18 YO and up], 45% self identify as atheists, agnostics, or nothing in particular. Only 35% identify as Catholic or Protestant. So, as members of the highly religious

Americans are becoming less religious and the trend has accelerated rapidly over the last several decades. The Pew Research organization published a study in December showing that the number of religious “nones” continues to grow. "Nones" are individuals who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular,” and they now make up about 30% of the population, up 6% from five years ago and 10 points higher than a decade ago. Self-identified Christians make up

In May we highlighted research demonstrating that individuals with lower levels of education were more likely to believe common conspiracy theories. Two new surveys have found that belief in such theories is also tied to religiosity, with white evangelical Protestants much more likely to believe in even the most absurd conspiracies. A recent Economist/YouGov. survey found that almost 70% of white evangelicals believe former President Donald Trump's various lies about "million