Survey places Oregon 5th in least religious states
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EUGENE, Ore. -- While religion may be a taboo subject in many situations, a recent survey suggests that Oregonians may not be bringing it up at all.
The nationwide poll placed Oregon at the bottom of the list of states with religious participation.
A Gallup survey ranks Oregon fifth in the least religious state in the union, with only 29 percent of people considering themselves followers of a religion.
States in the northwest and New England fell into the lower half of the religious participation while southern states (and Utah) proved to have the most devout populations, the Gallup poll states.
Oregon fit this geographical pattern, as just under half of the state’s population considers themselves non-religious - a statistic that Eugene-resident Taylor Paschall agrees with.
"I would say that I'm more spiritual than I am religious or that a follow a specific doctrine,” said Taylor Paschall. “I wouldn't call myself a Christian or a Jew because I feel you have to follow a certain criteria for those things to happen."
Local religious leaders like Dan Bryant, the senior minister of the First Christian Church, said that spirituality without religious affiliation doesn't mean that Oregon is without faith.
“What it means is there are not as many people in church on Sunday morning,” said Bryant. “I find people are just as spiritual. They just may not be connected to an organized religion."
Rabbi Boris Dolin of Temple Beth Israel said that asking whether someone believes in a religion isn't a simple yes or no question.
“As a native Oregonian, I think Oregon definitely has a lot of independent spirits … people who come here or grow up here feeling that they are different from the rest of the country and it takes a lot to buy into an organized religion," said Dolin.
While the free-form spirituality of Oregon might have landed it low on the nation’s religion poll, Utah, Mississippi and Alabama’s devout citizens rounded out the top three.
Gallup said that the biggest takeaway is that the US is still a religious country, with seven out of every ten people moderately religious.
Oregon....God's Country.....Oh wait, that was just referring to the natural beauty.
My birth state, with progressive leaders that teach tolerance, and yet have a continual assault on our lord Jesus Christ, and any other belief but what they find acceptable for the downfall of family values. The so called leaders of this state, my state, are killing it inch by inch. Parents teach your children to be kind to others, but stand up and don't be intimidated by these assaults on values. Crime will increase, civility will decrease, all in the name of trying to force people to believe in something other than family values. I will stay here because I was born here. I will die here because I was born here. I will stand up for family values and try my best to convince people that the state is in decline with it's present political atmosphere. Your freedoms are slowly being taken away, and a good share of you don't even realize it, or don't care.
@souptonuts Oh Brother!
Oregon one of the least religious states? Well, thank god for that.
That's why this town has so many gays, many OWS"ers, democrates and many, many unemployed.
@Ah ShucksUnemployed? Have you been to Arkansas anytime recently? Those are some serious god fearing folk and their economy is tanked. They also have Eureka Springs, a very gay friendly tourist destination. (Which by the way, Eureka Spring's economy isn't tanked)
@MP SGT and your point is that Oregon's gays should move to Eureka Spring's? I agree.
@Ah Shucks @MP SGT My point is being gay has nothing to do with unemployment. I think you knew that, and are unable to come up with any real rebuttal. Why do you care what gay people do and don't do? How is any of that your concern?
@Ah Shucks Because not believing in a religion makes you an unemployed, homosexual liberal? LOL. Mkay.
@PleaseBeSmart I didn't say that. You need to read a lot slower I guess to understand what I said. lol
 @XLRG  So you really have notheing worth while to say accept pick on a typo and punctuation. You are a very sick low life person.
@XLRG @PleaseBeSmart @Ah Shucks Maybe he was referring to the man..Democrates...you know...the Greek guy....Diptheria's younger brother.
@PleaseBeSmart @Ah Shucks You also misspelled Democrats, and your punctuation is laughable. You are probably more at home in Texas...
@Ah Shucks I read it. You said "that's why.."