USA Today: People with no religion now account for 14% of the nation, up from 8%.
A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll in January also finds traces of this shift away from religious identity: 50% of Americans call themselves religious, down from 54% in December 1999. But an additional 33% call themselves "spiritual but not religious," up from 30%, and about one in 10 say they are neither.
[The article concludes...] "Contrary to the well-known secularization theory that God is dead and will soon drop off the consciousness map, the USA is a holdout. Spirituality is actually growing in the USA."
I agree with Rev. Graham that the communal aspect of spiritual practice is an important facet. What is uncomfortable and even offensive to many about traditional churches is the requirement to profess faith according to particular doctrine that leaves no room for mystery or exploration or even acknowledgement of other paths to the One God without damning them to hell.
My family has often attended a local Episcopal Church which has one of the most open "welcomes" to share in communion that I have ever experienced. If you are present, you are welcome, and the priest means it. And, yet, part of the ritual is a declaration of faith that, having been exposed to spiritual leaders of many other faiths and recognized their Godliness, I do not feel comfortable affirming. The statement "I recognize one holy catholic and apostolic church" is, at its face value, plain weird when the "Catholic" church up the street looks at things rather differently—to say the least. All this makes "church" less inclusive, and it is no wonder that more and more people feel like outsiders.
Yet the touch of spirit is an experience most people have.
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