The Pew Research Center has done an analysis of the religious make up of the 118th Congress that was just sworn in. Pew concluded that Congress "remains largely untouched by two trends that have long marked religious life in the United States: a decades-long decline in the share of Americans who identify as Christian, and a corresponding increase in the percentage who say they have no religious affiliation."
Pew found that 88% of members of Congress identify as Christian compared with 63% of U.S. adults overall. The figures broken down by party are 99% of Republicans in Congress saying they are Christian compared to 76% of Democrats.
The left-wing Washington Post is very unhappy. It points out that 29% of Americans claim no religious affiliation. The Post complains those Americans would "have to squint to see themselves" reflected in Congress.
One of the openly non-religious members, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) isn't worried. He predicted that in time, more members will identify with secular values.
I hope Huffman is wrong. America was built on the revolutionary idea in our Declaration of Independence that our liberty comes from God, not the government. A majority secular Congress would further tear our country away from its Judeo-Christian heritage.
It's very likely the Pew study is ill-conceived anyway. If 88 percent of Congress is really Christian, they would not be passing laws that promote abortion. They would not be attacking religious liberty by passing the so-called "Respect for Marriage Act" that forces Christians to accept the demands of the LGBTQ+ movement. America doesn't need more secularists, agnostics and atheists in Congress — we need more serious Christians.
Pew found that 88% of members of Congress identify as Christian compared with 63% of U.S. adults overall. The figures broken down by party are 99% of Republicans in Congress saying they are Christian compared to 76% of Democrats.
The left-wing Washington Post is very unhappy. It points out that 29% of Americans claim no religious affiliation. The Post complains those Americans would "have to squint to see themselves" reflected in Congress.
One of the openly non-religious members, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) isn't worried. He predicted that in time, more members will identify with secular values.
I hope Huffman is wrong. America was built on the revolutionary idea in our Declaration of Independence that our liberty comes from God, not the government. A majority secular Congress would further tear our country away from its Judeo-Christian heritage.
It's very likely the Pew study is ill-conceived anyway. If 88 percent of Congress is really Christian, they would not be passing laws that promote abortion. They would not be attacking religious liberty by passing the so-called "Respect for Marriage Act" that forces Christians to accept the demands of the LGBTQ+ movement. America doesn't need more secularists, agnostics and atheists in Congress — we need more serious Christians.
