A quarter of Americans have no religious ties as no time for church, disapproval at clergy sex scandals and a disbelief are blamed for the lack of faith 

  • About a quarter of Americans are considered  a 'religious none,' or people who are not affiliated with any religious group, says Pew Research Center
  • Of these people, half say they left because of a lack of belief
  • The majority of this group say they were 'disenchanted' with religion
  • About one fifth of people say they left because they dislike 'organized religion'
  • The number of people who left a religious life has gone from 16 percent in 2007 to 23 percent by last year  

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: | Updated:

Nearly half of the Americans who aren't affiliated with any religious groups say they left because of a lack of belief.

Nearly a quarter of the US population is considered a religious 'none' — people who are agnostics or atheists or who say their religion is 'nothing in particular', according to the Pew Research Center.

This number increased from just 16 percent in 2007 to 23 percent by last year. 

Clergy sex scandals and a lack of time to attend church were among the reasons given for a lack of faith. 

Nearly half of the Americans who aren't affiliated with any religious groups say they left because of a lack of belief, according to the Pew Research Center

Nearly half of the Americans who aren't affiliated with any religious groups say they left because of a lack of belief, according to the Pew Research Center

Now a new study by Pew clarifies what goes on in the minds of the people who left church or who never got around to joining one.

About 49 percent of people say they left church because they don't believe in a higher power or faith.

The majority of this group, or 36 percent, says they were 'disenchanted' with religion. One common reason given by a participant was 'learning about evolution when I went away to college'.

Another said: 'Too many Christians doing un-Christian things.'

'I'm doing a lot more learning, studying and kind of making decisions myself rather than listening to someone else,' said a third participant.

Another large chunk of the group, or 20 percent, say they 'dislike organized religion'.

'I see organized religious groups as more divisive than uniting,' said one participant.

Some participants say they disapproved of the 'church's teachings on homosexuality' or the 'clergy sex abuse scandal'. 

 About 10 percent of the group said they left because they were 'inactive believers' — either non-practicing or too busy to get involved.

'I don't have the time to go to church,' one said.

Research by the Pew Research Center shows the varied reasons why some Americans have left religion

Research by the Pew Research Center shows the varied reasons why some Americans have left religion

 

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