“Anthropologists estimate that at least 18,000 different gods, goddesses, and various animals or objects have been worshipped by humans since our species first appeared. Today, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of the global population considers themselves religious or spiritual in some form.”
Psychology Today
America is a religiously diverse country, but we don’t worship anywhere near 18,000 deities. The United States is still predominantly Christian, and there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and 45,000 globally, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.
In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion.
We are living in a post-Christian society and the percentage of practicing Christians is far less than 65 percent. The vast majority of self-professing Christians are nominal Christians and adopting the label is just a way of distinguishing themselves from Muslims, Hindus, or Jews.
Being a member of a political party, a fan of a sporting team, or a stan of a pop idol means more to Americans than their religion.
18,000 Gods? Not in America! We’re down to a dozen or so: Allah, Jehovah, Jesus, the Orange Messiah, and the Cat. The Cat has been worshipped as a deity since ancient Egypt, and there are millions of Americans who love their cats more than their religion, political party or significant other.
I haven’t found a church that meets my spiritual needs, but the dogs and cats that I’ve adopted over the years remind me that the divine spark hasn’t been fully extinguished.
