But “Mormons have increased in numbers enough to hold their own proportionally, at 1.4 percent of the population.” That’s the verdict of the latest American Religious Identification Survey, which found that “86% of American adults identified as Christians in 1990 and 76% in 2008.” That’s still 3 out of 4, but the trend is unmistakable. Mormon Metaphysics discussed some of the other findings: 69.5% believe in a personal God; 12.1% believe in The Force (i.e., an impersonal higher power); 4.3% said there is no way to know about God or The Force; and 2.3% said there is no God. That totals 88.2%. Not sure what the other 11.8% believe. Morehead’s Musings also posted a very nice discussion of the survey results.

The ARIS highlights page gives the following helpful summary of findings:

• The historic Mainline churches and denominations have experienced the steepest declines while the non-denominational Christian identity has been trending upward particularly since 2001.
• The challenge to Christianity in the U.S. does not come from other religions but rather from a rejection of all forms of organized religion.
• The U. S. population continues to show signs of becoming less religious, with one out of every five Americans failing to indicate a religious identity in 2008.
• Those who stated no religious preference or answered either atheist or agnostic continue to grow, from 8.2% in 1990, to 14.1% in 2001, to 15.0% in 2008.