New survey compares percentages of Christians and unaffiliated in Western Europe

[Tomenable]

Also note that White Americans are largely descended from people who escaped religious persecutions in Europe. Their ancestors felt such strong ties with their religious beliefs, that they would rather risk everything and emigrate to an unknown land located on the other side of the ocean, than abandon their faith and convert to whatever the "mainstream" religious denomination in their kingdom was. I would not be surprised at all if it turns out that White Americans have on average a higher genetic propensity to religiosity than Europeans, due to that self-selection caused by emigration of deeply religious (and persecuted for their faith in their home countries) individuals.

[Tomenable]

If you have experienced the trauma of religious brainwashing and proselytism it is hard to hold positive views of religion.

Some people are more susceptible to brainwashing, or more obedient to authority (in this case religious authority), than others. But what you described - experiencing the trauma of brainwashing - applies not just to religious brainwashing, but to any kind of brainwashing, and to any attempts of depriving you of the freedom to reason on your own, and to decide for yourself. North Koreans have been experiencing Communist anti-religious and anti-spiritual brainwashing, and after the fall of their Communist regime, it is quite likely that they will become more religious and/or spiritual again. Simply due to the fact that they will be disgusted by attempts to impose a certain worldview on them. It is not about religion per se, but about any kind of brainwashing in general.

[Maciamo]

Also note that White Americans are largely descended from people who escaped religious persecutions in Europe. Their ancestors felt such strong ties with their religious beliefs, that they would rather risk everything and emigrate to an unknown land located on the other side of the ocean, than abandon their faith and convert to whatever the "mainstream" religious denomination in their kingdom was. I would not be surprised at all if it turns out that White Americans have on average a higher genetic propensity to religiosity than Europeans, due to that self-selection caused by emigration of deeply religious (and persecuted for their faith in their home countries) individuals.

That is probably one reason why Americans are more religious than Europeans. That would apply especially to the part of the population descended from the emigrants who fled religious persecutions, so mostly the early settlers of the 17th century and who settled in the original 13 colonies and later expanded in what is now the Bible Belt. The descendants of these 17th-century settlers are the most likely to describe themselves as 'Americans' in the race and ethnicity survey.




The map below shows the percentage of people who describes their ancestry as 'American' (because they have been there for centuries and in many cases lost track of their genealogical roots). It matches the extend of the Bible Belt.



New York received many later emigrants (Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish, etc.) who did not come because of religious persecutions, and indeed today New York and surrounding states are considerably more liberal and less religious than other eastern states that kept a higher proportion of original settlers.

The West Coast was settled by adventurers who were generally less religious, and since the latter half of the 20th century has attracted immigrants from all over the world who were interested in the more liberal aspects of American culture and the "self-image" and Hollywood culture of California, which often clashes with conservative Christian values of the Bible Belt.

Northern Midwest states were settled mostly by Scandinavians, Germans, Dutch and Belgians, who were religiously moderate and also did not migrate for religious reasons.

[Angela]

That can't be it, gentlemen.

The only part of the U.S. settled primarily by people fleeing religious persecution were the New England states, which are among the most irreligious in the U.S., and to some extent places like Pennsylvania (Quakers, who barely exist any more, and the ones who exist are extremely liberal), and Maryland (Catholics for the most part, and there weren't very many of them).

The only exception would be Utah, settled by persecuted Mormons.

The southern states were settled by people predominantly of the established religion, and they came for economic reasons, political persecution (Jacobites from Scotland), poor Brits from the Borders, because they were indentured servants, or criminals (Georgia, which was a penal colony like Australia).

The Baptists and Methodists, who had a very small presence in the south originally, exploded in terms of numbers after the Second Great Revival (there were three of them). Preachers from New England toured the south holding large meetings. The "revival" has a long history in the U.S.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Great_Awakening

As for why it lingered longer, part of it may be that there has been less immigration to the southern states. They're not confronted as much with different points of view. It's also become part of their identity.

Southerners are more conservative altogether, not just in terms of religion. They're more patriotic, make up a very disproportionately large percentage of the armed forces.

Even in terms of manners, they're much more old-fashioned imo, more deferential to their parents, their elders, address people as ma'am or sir. It's a whole constellation of behavior.