But religion is also personal, and sometimes people have to modify, add on to or even completely change their religious practices in order to keep their spiritual integrity. This is a recognition that no one way fits everyone. Only you know if your religious practice fits you. I hope the people around you will understand, will honor your integrity and will even find happiness in your finding a spiritual home. English ivy, Virginia creeper and other perennial vines are sometimes found growing up the trunks of trees in Martha Stewart Weddings.
Lauren Wellbank, Freelance Writer. By Lauren Wellbank November 29, Save Pin More. View All. Comments Add Comment. Back to story Comment on this project. Tell us what you think Thanks for adding your feedback. A new Pew survey suggests that many Catholics leave their church because of doctrine, whereas Protestants tend to leave because of life changes such as marriage.
April 28, America is a country on the move in innumerable ways, and religion is no exception. Half of Americans have changed their religious denomination at least once in their lives — many several times — and 28 percent have switched faiths altogether for example, from Christianity to Judaism. Amid this fluidity, the number of "unaffiliated" adults has grown to 16 percent of the population. What is behind such extraordinary "churn" in US religious life?
Most people who switch their allegiance during their lifetime, the survey finds, leave their childhood faith while they are still young, before the age of Yet the opportunities for attracting them to another religion appear to continue for some time. The reasons for leaving differ according to the origin and destination of the convert. Roman Catholics, for instance, tend to leave because they don't accept certain church teachings. Those Protestants who switch denominations do so more often in response to life changes such as relocation or marriage, or because of dislikes about institutions or practices.
While 56 percent of US adults remain in their childhood faith, 16 percent left, joined another house of worship at least once, and then returned to their original fold. Of those raised Protestant, 80 percent remain so, with 52 percent still in their childhood denomination.
Twenty-eight percent have moved to another Protestant following, 13 percent are now unaffiliated, 3 percent have become Catholic, and 4 percent joined other faiths.
Of those raised Catholic, 68 percent remain in the faith, 15 percent are now Protestant, 14 percent unaffiliated, and 3 percent in other faiths. As several polls have shown, the "unaffiliated" is the fastest growing group in the past two decades.
Yet the Pew survey shows this group to be very diverse, and often serving as a way station for many still seeking a religion. While about 40 percent in this group say they don't believe in God, another 40 percent say religion is somewhat important in their lives, and roughly one-third say they just haven't found the right religion yet.
At the same time, 55 percent say they became unaffiliated because they found religious people hypocritical and judgmental. Many view religion as too focused on rules and not enough on spirituality.
For Candace Talmadge , a writer from Texas who grew up in a mixed-faith family, an unhappy experience in Sunday school set her on a path away from regular church attendance. Talmadge explains. She stopped going to church as soon as she could and eventually found her own spiritual path.
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