The number of Americans who don’t ascribe to any religion grew significantly during Obama’s eight years in office, according to a recent Pew Research report on how the country changed during the Obama era.
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) stands with Pope Francis during an arrival ceremony for the pope at the White House in Washington September 23, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
“When it comes to the nation’s religious identity, the biggest trend during Obama’s presidency is the rise of those who claim no religion at all. Those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics, as well as those who say their religion is ‘nothing in particular,’ now make up nearly a quarter of the U.S. adult population, up from 16% in 2007,” the Pew report states, noting that Christians make up 71 percent of the population — down from 78 percent at the beginning of the Obama era.
“Due largely to the growth of those who don’t identify with any religion, the shares of Americans who say they believe in God, consider religion to be very important in their lives, say they pray daily and say they attend religious services at least monthly have all ticked downward in recent years,” the report goes on to note.
The Obama administration consistently took actions that conservatives said demonstrated hostility towards religious believers. The administration was sued repeatedly over Obamacare’s contraception mandate, including by a group of nuns, the Little Sisters of the Poor. (RELATED: Meet The Nine Nuns Taking Obamacare To The Supreme Court)
Martin Castro, who has served as chair of the US Civil Rights Commission since Obama appointed him to the position in 2011, said last September that “religious freedom” and “religious liberty” are “code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.”