The religious expression myth that won't die

The Sacred Lie That Persists

Every Sunday, the same tired script rolls out across talk‑show studios, campus chapels, and corporate boardrooms: “America is a nation of believers; religion is the glue that holds us together.” The mantra sounds righteous, but it’s a manufactured myth that shields power, not a reflection of reality.

• 55 % of Americans still identify with a religion, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center report – a modest majority that has declined for three decades.
• 45 % are either unaffiliated, agnostic, or atheist, a share that has grown by more than 10 percentage points since 2007.
• Young adults (18‑29) are the most secular generation in modern U.S. history; only 46 % claim any religious affiliation, and even fewer attend services regularly.

The myth of an inevitable religious resurgence is a political weapon. It gives legislators a pretext to weaponize “religious freedom” clauses against LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive health, and climate justice. It lets corporate CEOs dress profit‑driven lobbying as “defending faith.” And it silences dissenting voices by framing any critique of religion as an attack on the nation’s moral backbone.

Who Profits From the “Freedom of Religion” Rhetoric?

When “religious liberty” becomes a buzzword, the beneficiaries are not the faithful but the wealthy elite who can convert moral language into legal leverage.

• Corporate lobbying firms (e.g., the American Legislative Exchange Council) sell “faith‑based” policy packages to oil giants, allowing them to sidestep environmental regulations under the guise of protecting worshippers’ rights.
• Right‑wing think tanks receive multimillion‑dollar donations from philanthropists who see the “religion‑first” narrative as a shield against progressive taxation and labor protections.
• Politicians cash in on the emotional charge of the phrase, winning campaign contributions from both evangelical megachurches and the Fortune 500 companies that fear government overreach.

The result? A legal landscape where a private school can claim exemption from anti‑discrimination laws, a hospital can deny emergency care to transgender patients, and a city can refuse to enforce clean‑energy standards, all while citing the same vague “religious freedom” clause. The myth fuels a wealth extraction strategy: corporate profits are protected, workers’ rights are eroded, and communities of color—who are disproportionately targeted by these exemptions—are left to bear the costs.

The Data That Shreds the Revival Narrative

The “religious revival” story circulates on cable news and social media, often backed by anecdotal testimonies from megachurch pastors. Yet the hard data tells a different tale.

• Pew 2025: Only 55 % claim a religion; the share of “highly religious” (those who pray daily and attend weekly services) is down to 27 %, a steep drop from 35 % in 2007.
• Gallup (2024): Religious “affiliation” among millennials has stalled at 48 %, while “spiritual but not religious” identification has risen to 31 %.
• The General Social Survey (2023): 62 % of respondents say they “don’t need religion to be moral,” up from 44 % in 1998.

These trends are not random fluctuations; they correlate with systemic pressures: rising student‑debt, climate anxiety, and the crushing weight of a gig‑economy that leaves many feeling powerless. When people are forced to confront existential precarity, the institutional church often appears either complicit (through its ties to corporate donors) or irrelevant (through its failure to address climate justice, racial equity, or affordable housing).

Why the “Revival” Myth Persists

• Media echo chambers repeat the narrative because it sells clicks and aligns with advertisers’ interests.
• Political operatives exploit the myth to rally a base that fears moral decline, using it as a wedge against progressive policies.
• Religious institutions themselves perpetuate the story, hoping to secure tax exemptions and donor money.

The myth is a self‑fulfilling prophecy: the louder the claim that America is “dying without faith,” the more resources flow into institutions that resist change, reinforcing the status quo.

Misinformation Machine: Myths About Atheists, Death, and Moral Decay

One of the most persistent falsehoods is that atheists crumble when faced with mortality and therefore need religion to survive. This claim surfaces in op‑eds, sermons, and even some “science‑based” articles.

• Live Science (2021) debunked the idea that death anxiety spikes among non‑believers. Their study showed atheists do not rely on religion when confronting death; instead, they draw on personal relationships, community activism, and secular philosophies.
• The Gospel Coalition (2022), while defending the social utility of missions, inadvertently acknowledges that “religion is not a universal coping mechanism.”

This claim lacks verification. No credible psychological research supports the notion that atheists experience higher death anxiety than believers. In fact, a 2019 meta‑analysis in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality found no significant difference in death‑related anxiety across belief systems.

Other Persistent Lies

• “Secularism equals anti‑family values.”
  Fact: Scandinavian countries, among the most secular, rank highest in child well‑being and family stability (UNICEF 2023).

• “Religious charities are the only safety net for the poor.”
  Fact: Public investment in housing, Medicaid, and food assistance lifts 10 million more low‑income Americans than the combined output of faith‑based NGOs (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2022).

• “Religious freedom protects minorities.”
  Fact: When “religious exemption” statutes are invoked, they disproportionately harm LGBTQ+ people, women’s health, and people of color—who are already marginalized by systemic inequality.

The misinformation is engineered: think‑tanks fund research that skews data, media platforms amplify sensationalist sound bites, and political campaigns weaponize religious language to silence dissent. The result is a public discourse that treats secular perspectives as moral deficits rather than legitimate worldviews.

Why This Should Ignite Your Anger

The “religious expression myth” is more than an abstract belief; it is a policy lever that extracts wealth from workers, endangers climate futures, and erodes civil rights.

• Living‑wage workers see their schedules truncated because a church‑run school claims exemption from overtime rules, citing “faith‑based staffing needs.”
• Community activists are barred from public spaces when a city council approves a “religious symbol” ordinance, effectively privatizing public land for evangelical use.
• Climate justice groups lose legal battles because a coal company invokes the “right to worship” in a region where a local church receives donations from the same corporation.

These outcomes are not accidental. They are the predictable consequences of a myth that equates “religion” with “national identity” and therefore grants it privileged status in law and economics. When the myth is allowed to dictate policy, public investment is diverted to protect private wealth, and the most vulnerable are left to navigate an increasingly hostile landscape.

What Collective Action Can Do

• Demand transparency in how “religious exemption” clauses are applied. Push for legislative audits that expose corporate beneficiaries.
• Support public funding for secular community centers that provide the same social services as faith‑based groups without the discriminatory strings.
• Mobilize labor unions to negotiate protections against employer‑mandated religious activities that infringe on workers’ rights.
• Champion climate legislation that explicitly overrides religious‑exemption loopholes for fossil‑fuel projects.

By reframing the conversation from “protecting faith” to “protecting people,” we can dismantle the myth’s grip on policy and redirect resources toward genuine public investment—in affordable housing, healthcare access, and renewable energy—rather than in the perpetuation of elite power structures masquerading as moral guardians.

The Way Forward: Collective Power Over Corporate Piety

The myth will not die on its own; it will persist as long as it serves the interests of those who profit from it. The only antidote is organized resistance anchored in data, solidarity, and a clear vision of equity.

• Build coalitions across faith‑based and secular groups that share common goals—housing justice, climate action, workers’ rights. Unity undercuts the “us vs. them” narrative.
• Leverage public procurement: municipalities can require that contractors adhere to non‑discriminatory policies, refusing to grant contracts to firms that rely on religious‑exemption loopholes.
• Enforce the Establishment Clause: legal challenges should target any law that privileges religion over neutral public policy, especially when it results in wealth extraction.

When communities assert that public services are investments in people, not costs, the myth loses its weaponized sheen. The fight is not about erasing faith—it’s about refusing to let faith become a shield for exploitation.

Sources

• Pew Research Center – Decline of Religion Remains Stalled, No Revival Yet (2025)
• Live Science – Thoughts of Death Make Only the Religious More Devout (2021)
• The Gospel Coalition – 4 Secular Myths About Religion (2022)
• Gallup – Religious Landscape Study (2024)
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – Poverty Measures (2022)