New England: Godless and Loving It

The only time I went to church as a kid was when I wanted to visit my best friend. On the weekends, I’d occasionally tag along as she and her family went to an early-evening service. I remember thinking to myself that it was the price I had to pay for using her pool, and being mad that I couldn’t have a cracker and some grape juice after sitting through all the songs I didn’t know the words to.

It seems that many New Englanders are like me, and were raised in the church of, “be nice to others.” A new study finds that the descendants of the Puritans are least likely to describe ourselves as religious. Shocking, no?

The late George Carlin would be so proud.

New Englanders are among the least likely to say they are religious, according to the study. Massachusetts lags behind the nation – often near the bottom of all states – in the percentage of its residents who say they are certain that God exists, that they believe the word of God is literally true, that religion is very important in their lives, or that they attend worship weekly or pray daily.

Of course, if the religious types are right, we’re all in for an eternity of fire and brimstone or being reincarnated as dung beetles, if you prefer. Let’s hope it’ll be a while before we find out.