Faith in organised religion in the U.S. is at its lowest in thirty years, with only 44% of Americans stating they have confidence in the Church. This is according to the findings of a survey carried out by Gallup statistical institute. Catholics showed a sharper decline than Protestants, with their trust rates recorded at 46% to 56% respectively.
According to pollsters, the sex scandals involving American television evangelists in recent years are to blame for this drop.
In the 70’s Americans considered organised religion to be the highest institution in existence, outranking the American Supreme Court and the military, the Gallup report stated.
It added that in the 80’s, the sex scandals some television evangelists were involved in caused people’s confidence in the Church to plummet to 60%.
Finally, the report concluded that the accusations of paedophilia and abuse against minors which came to the surface from 2000 onwards resulted in organised religions losing the support of numerous Americans.