People With 'No Religion' Gain on Major Denominations

"Americans who don't identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation's largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation. American Nones: Profile of the No Religion Population, to be released today by Trinity College, finds this faith-free group already includes nearly 19% of U.S. men and 12% of women. Of these, 35% say they were Catholic at age 12."

Many Churchgoers and Faith Leaders Struggle to Define Spiritual Maturity

"[A] new study from the Barna Group identifies an underlying reason why there is little progress in helping people develop spiritually: many churchgoers and clergy struggle to articulate a basic understanding of spiritual maturity. People aspire to be spiritually mature, but they do not know what it means. Pastors want to guide others on the path to spiritual wholeness, but they are often not clearly defining the goals or the outcomes of that process."

LifeWay Research: Americans Open to Outreach From Churches

"Despite worries among evangelicals that Americans are set against attending church, most people would attend if invited in the right manner. A recent study by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and LifeWay Research found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. A personal invitation from a friend or neighbor would effectively reach 63 percent. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) are willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a family member, and 56 percent are willing to receive such information from a friend or neighbor."

Scientists Locate 'God Spot' in Human Brain

"Science can't say whether God represents a loving, vengeful or nonexistent being. But researchers have revealed for the first time how such religious beliefs trigger different parts of the brain. Brain scans showed that participants fell back on higher thought patterns when reacting to religious statements, whether trying to figure out God's thoughts and emotions or thinking about metaphorical meaning behind religious teachings. 'That suggests that religion is not a special case of a belief system, but evolved along with other belief and social cognitive abilities,' said Jordan Grafman, a cognitive neuroscientist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland."

Study: Religious People Less Anxious

"Research from the University of Toronto found that those who believe in God have less anxiety and stress than those who are not as religious. To test the theory, the university’s assistant professor of psychology Michael Inzlicht conducted two studies in which he hooked participants up to electrodes to test their brain activity. The result proved believers and non-believers have significant differences in their brains."

Study: Religious Teens More Likely to Abstain from Sex

"Religious teens lose their virginity later than those who are not religious — waiting on average three years longer than their peers, a recent study reported."

Patterns: Better Health for Religiously Observant

"A new study, which followed the health of more than 90,000 women over an average of more than seven years each, found that those who attended services were one-fifth less likely to die than those who did not."

Study: Do Christian Schools Make Students More Religious?

"A new study says they might, but adds that parents and peers have more influence."