A new study from the Pew Research Center shows that 72 percent of the United States public thinks religion is losing influence in American life, the highest level in Pew Research polling over the past 10 years. Significantly, most of the respondents who say religion's influence is waning describe this as a bad thing.
This matters because even though the trends are unmistakable, religion remains an important part of our social fabric and civil society. That’s one of the reasons religion is protected in so many places around the world as a fundamental freedom, including the right to express one’s beliefs and make them known in the public square.