SHOCK POLL! A Quarter of Idahoans have No Religion

I thought the number would be higher.  Fewer than two-thirds of adults in Idaho identify as Christian, and many attend church rarely.   The Pew Research Center pegs the number at 62 percent.  Other religious identities hover at only four percent—unaffiliated accounts for a third of adults, including the 12 percent who comprise atheists and agnostics.  I figure the latter want to believe, and someday may have an epiphany.

A Growing Trend

Of those who label themselves Christians, nearly half are evangelical Protestant.  Another fourteen percent are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Roman Catholics account for just under 10 percent.  Mainline Protestant is at seven percent, and the rest are tiny minorities.

The Nothings account for almost a quarter of adults.  How many of them do you suppose still celebrate Christmas?

What the numbers tell me is that appeals to traditional values by politicians probably don’t have much of an impact.  Also, I suspect that many of the same people who question the Christianity of others are the same people who accuse their fellow Republicans of not being sufficiently conservative.  So much for getting people in the pews or on board with your politics!

Politicians Need a New Pitch as Well as Pastors

I’ve been making an argument on-air and online that our state and federal legislators focus on pocketbook issues and addressing debt, but many still try to cater to a bloc of voters who may not exist any longer.   Yes, some denominations do show up on Election Day, but I increasingly find people I meet want government out of their personal business and demand a greater effort to make life a lot less expensive.