"Hypocrisy in one Age," warned Joseph Addison, "is generally succeeded by Atheism in another." Consider this in light of charges that America is becoming, according to a Trinity College survey, less Christian. It's not that Americans are converting to other religions, it's that they are more willing to avow nothing. One researcher blames Christianity's association with conservative politics for turning people away. Sexual abuse by Catholic priests also tarnished us, he says. Underlying it all is a cultural shift that makes atheism more publicly acceptable. Recognizing this trend, President Obama became the first president to pay homage to nonbelievers in his inaugural address.

Faith surveys are fraught with problems. Opinion pollsters understand that when formulating an answer many respondents ponder what other people are likely to say, and what the pollster thinks. This is because none of us wants to look stupid. While some people who claim Christian faith do so from genuine commitment, then, others likely do so because they think it's what they ought to say.

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