Mark's Notebook


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Church a way of life in Dixie

Washington Times

Friday 5 May 2006, 7:01 pm
Keywords: Christian Topics

By Jennifer Harper

Southern folks seem to have a monopoly on that good old time religion.

The South contains eight of the top 10 states with the most frequent churchgoers in the nation, according to a Gallup Poll analysis of more than 68,000 interviews conducted in the past two years.

With 58 percent saying they attend religious services once a week or almost every week, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina residents are tied in first place -- followed by Mississippi at 57 percent, Arkansas and Utah tied at 55 percent, North Carolina and Nebraska tied at 53 percent and Tennessee and Georgia tied at 52 percent.

The national average is 42 percent. There is a wide range between the highest and lowest numbers, however -- a difference of 34 percentage points between the top three and bottom two states.

Of the Southern states, Virginia has the second lowest reported church attendance rate (44 percent), which is still above the national average, according to Gallup analyst Frank Newport.

"Sunday mornings are for going to church, not mowing the lawn, going shopping (the stores won't be open anyway), or buying liquor or beer ... If someone in the grocery line finds out you're new in town and asks you to his/her church, go ahead and say yes, and enjoy the experience. Southern hospitality surely shows itself best in the willingness of the people to share what is most important to them: their faith," the site notes.

"At the other end of the spectrum, the data makes it clear that reported church attendance is lowest in New England states -- New Hampshire (24 percent), Vermont (24 percent), Rhode Island (28 percent), Massachusetts (31 percent) and Maine (31 percent.) The only slight exception is the New England state of Connecticut (37 percent)," Mr. Newport added.

Nebraska led the Midwestern states in weekly or almost weekly church attendance (53 percent). Among the most populous states, Texas led at 49 percent, followed by Illinois (42 percent), Florida (39 percent), New York (33 percent) and California (32 percent).

The District of Columbia stood at 33 percent.

State	Percent Churchgoers
Alabama	58
Louisiana	58
South Carolina	58
Mississippi	57
Arkansas	55
Utah	55
North Carolina	53
Nebraska	53
Tennessee	52
Georgia	52
Texas	49
Illinois	42
Virginia	42
National Average	42
Florida	39
Connecticut	37
New York	33
DC	33
California	32
Massachusetts	31
Maine	31
Rhode Island	28
New Hampshire	24
Vermont	24

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060428-120137-9526r.htm

Mark's Notebook

Church a way of life in Dixie

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