Religious Grip on South Eases

The Associated Press reports a reduction in the influence of religion in the South, long the nation's most devout region. Hat tip to Drudge Report for the link.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center showed 19 percent of Southerners don't identify with any organized religion. That's fewer "nones" than in other regions, but the number is up 6 percentage points in the South since 2007.

The same South that often holds itself apart from the rest of the country is becoming more like other U.S. regions when it comes to organized religion, said Jessica Martinez, a senior researcher in religion and public life at Pew.

And while race divides many things in the South, the trend is evident among blacks, whites and Hispanic adults, she said.

"We've seen this sort of broader shift throughout the country as a whole with fewer people identifying as being part of the religious base," she said. "In the South you see a pattern very similar to what we are seeing in other regions."

The Pew survey finding represents a real change from the last time the DrsC lived in the South, some 11 years ago. At that time, to have local friends required joining a church as people's friendship circles were church-based. As we were only there temporarily, we didn't bother.