The Great Christian Shift: How Immigration and Secularism Redefined a Continent
In short: In just over a century, North America's religious landscape underwent a radical transformation. While the continent was nearly entirely Christian in 1900, it has since become a complex mosaic of global faiths and growing secularism, driven by two powerful, opposing demographic forces.
The statistical shift in North American religion is stark. In 1900, the continent was 97.1% Christian; by 2020, that figure fell to 72.6%. This decline is primarily attributed to two trends. Initially, a dramatic shift towards secularism caused the population of nonbelievers—including agnostics and atheists—to jump from slightly above one million in 1900 to over 75 million during 2020. Canada experienced this most acutely, with its Christian population dropping by more than 30 percentage points over 120 years.
Second, immigration has fundamentally altered the continent's religious diversity. While the Christian percentage has dipped, the internal composition of the faith is changing. Protestants, who held a majority in 1900, have seen their share of the Christian population plummet from over 60% to just 26%. In their place, Catholicism has grown due to Latin American immigration, and Independent churches—often born from doctrinal dissatisfaction—have become the second-largest Christian tradition. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is noted as the largest of these Independent groups.
The 21st century is defined by a 'new diversity.' Christianity is being reshaped by global migration, bringing Chinese, Iraqi, and African Christians into contact with long-standing local communities. Simultaneously, the influx of Muslims (over six million), Buddhists (five million), and Hindus (2.1 million) has introduced new religious dynamics. In the United States, the Christian percentage remains relatively steady primarily because of a steady stream of Christian immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa, who balance the rapid growth of the nonreligious population.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Christianity in North America - Gordon Conwell
- Also: Religion in North America
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