Religion has for a long time serves as a cornerstone for different societies globally. It has played a critical role in terms of influencing the social and political issues influencing communities. Religion refers to an organized array of thoughts, beliefs, rituals, value systems, convictions, taboos, and culture. For religion, it provides an illustration concerning the universe as well as origin of life (PBS News Hour, 2010) . Moreover, it outlines ways in which individuals should conduct themselves to allow them live a satisfying and meaningful life. Additionally, it is crucial to note that each society has its individual set of moral and ethical codes, which result from religion. The American society serves as one known to exercise religion in its diverse activities (Pew Research Center, 2015) . Thus, the counterpoint paper revolves around the role that religion plays in the American society.
For the United States, it serves as a society in which religion dominates. It is among the societies in the world that has adopted religion significantly in its diverse aspects of life. According to 2014 statistics, approximately 70.6 percent of the population in the United States is Christians. Around 46.5 percent are Protestants, while 20.8 percent belief in Roman Catholic. In addition, religions comprising of Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam collectively represent about 6 percent of the country’s population. In this perspective, it is clear that religion within the United States is tremendously varied and diverse regarding practices and conviction. Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that some regard the United States as a secular state without any endorsement by religion, although certain political parties consider the United States as one that follows Christian beliefs (Pew Research Center, 2015) . In this case, religion can be regarded as playing a critical role in the daily running of the American society.
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In the recent years, on the other hand, the religious landscape within America is changing particularly owing to the rising number of individuals who do not affiliate themselves within any religion in the country. In this vein, a shift has emerged in terms of the values that Americans portray. Recent research reveals that around 23 percent of Americans do not associate themselves with any religious organization. This is mostly the case with millennials who seem to have lost confidence in religious groups, thus driving them to refrain from affiliating themselves within any religious group. America is also realizing a declining affiliation to religion across distinct demographic groups (Quinn, 2016) . As such, it appears that the value of religion in America seems to be declining.
Even while Christians are the majority in America, recent years have seen a noticeable reduction in the number of individuals who refer to themselves as so. Tremendous growths in the number of persons who do not practice any religion refer to themselves as agnostic or atheists, hence shaping the situation of religion in the nation. The changing religious situation relates to the new adult generation who decline associating with any religion as well as older adults who experience unstable links with organized religion. By contrast, the number of individuals identifying themselves with other religions, aside from Christianity, has increased (Quinn, 2016) . Hence, the religious situation of America is realizing major changes.
Even while the American society is considered as more culturally religious, questions arise as to the manner in which Americans regard the potential power of religion and the impact it has on the society. For a large number of Americans, they believe that the power of religion is deteriorating in the country, although they agree that religion has the power of addressing the various problems that the society faces. For those believing that the impact of religion is increasing on American life, their percentage has declined tremendously (Stowe, 2018) . The continued decline started since the September 11 attacks. During December 2001, for instance, a survey found out that around 71 percent of Americans agreed that the impact of religion was growing, although the percentage has witnessed a major decline since then. The present levels are similar to the ones witnessed before September 11 2001 (Kaleem, 2017) . Here, it appears that Americans result to religion when they experience major challenges.
Whereas a significant number of Americans agree that the power of religion is declining, a round 61 percent of them agree that religion has the ability of answering most of the problems that the society faces today. The trend has remained around the 60-percentage range during the last decade, while the events that occurred during the September 11 attacks did not change it (Hubbard, 2014) . Regarding those sayin g that religion has the ability of answering the problems that the contemporary society is facing, the percentage remains the same as those who claim that religion plays a critical role in their lives. After the terrorist attacks carried out on September 11 2001, most Americans, especially political leaders resulted to their religious faith in search of reassurance and comfort (Kaleem, 2017) . The rates of attendance to synagogues and Churches rose, although briefly and slightly, leading it to seem that individuals had gained increased awareness of their faith and that of others (Kaleem, 2017) . In this vein, it does not seem surprising that individuals in America regarded religion to be growing its impact on the society during the time.
Nevertheless, with the fading of the effect of the attacks, while things normalized, the perceptions that individuals had toward religion reverted. A survey carried out in 2003 revealed that moral values within the country were deteriorating. In this case, it becomes apparent that pessimism regarding the American society and culture was deteriorating, thus revealing the decline on the effect of religion in the nation (Stowe, 2018) . However, it is crucial to note that Americans believe that religion has the ability of answering most of the problems that the society faces today, even though they lack proof of such kinds of answers based on the manner on which America exercises its values today. This inclination depicts a contradiction of the inherent duality in America. Even while they express frustration, they also seem hopeful. The notion they have regarding moral stagnation is driven by the idea that room for realizing improvements exists, and that religion can be of great help (Quinn, 2016) . In this perspective, based on the prevalence of such kind of mindset, religions leaders can leverage on the opportunity to challenge members to have hope for tomorrow, while at the same time exercising their faith to ensure that they have the ability of creating a better tomorrow.
In conclusion, religion in America is predominantly Christian, although it supports other religions as well. Nevertheless, the recent years have witnessed a considerable decline in the number of individuals who follow organized religion, while the role that religion plays in their lives has declined. Also, instances have prevailed whereby Americans have turned to religion during times of crisis, such as during the September 2001 terrorist attacks. However, religious affiliation fades when things return to normal. Furthermore, most Americans believe that religion has the ability of addressing most of the problems that the society faces today. In this perspective, therefore, it is essential to note the changing role of religion in the American society to facilitate in understanding the ideal measures that need implementing to make sure that the values and beliefs of the distinct population are recognized and appreciated. Those kinds of initiatives would ensure that the American society continues progressing despite the differences that prevail in religious affiliations.
References
Hubbard, R. (2014). Religious influence in society. Retrieved from http://www.freedommag.org/issue/201412-expansion/l-ron-hubbard/religious-influence-in-society.html
Kaleem, J. (2017). Religious influence in U.S. seen as decreasing, but most Americans want more: survey. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/religions-influence-us_n_3354499.html
PBS News Hour. (2010). A closer look at the influence of religion in America. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/a-closer-look-at-the-influence-of-religion-in-america
Pew Research Center. (2015). Chapter 1: importance of religion and religious beliefs. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/chapter-1-importance-of-religion-and-religious-beliefs/
Quinn, C. G. (2016). Understanding the role of religion in American politics. Retrieved from https://www.polisci.washington.edu/news/2016/06/27/understanding-role-religion-american-politics
Stowe, G. (2018). How religion impacts the U.S. Retrieved from https://magazine.nd.edu/news/how-religion-impacts-the-u-s/
