Surrounded by the Cross: Secular Living in the Religious South

Columbia, SC. The South has always been known for its highly religious population, and according to recent Pew Research data, this notion has some new credibility. Eight Southern states were in the top ten in a list of adults who consider themselves as “highly religious”. South Carolina, which is tied for fifth on the list, boasts several other strong categories included in the study, including placing fifth in the percentage of people who say they attend church regularly and eighth in the percentage of people who say they believe in God with absolute certainty.

Living in South Carolina as a non-religious individual has always been daunting task, especially when studies show that religious “nones” in South Carolina hover around 19 percent as of 2016, while the national average is nearly four percent higher. A quick stroll through the streets of Columbia is filled with a host of churches in varying denominations and age, increasing the feeling of being surrounded by religion.

It is hard for non-religious individuals to escape the religious symbolism and culture of the South, and it is because they are vastly outnumbered. In Columbia, a local non-religious Facebook group called Freethought Society of the Midlands has 445 members, while in contrast, one of the local Megachurches in nearby West Columbia has over 7000 in average attendance. Megachurches, according to the Hartford Institute on Religious Research, are Protestant churches with “a sustained average weekly attendance over 2000 persons or more in its worship services”. In the Columbia area alone, there are 7 megachurches and their total combined weekly attendance is just over 27,000 people.

Northside Baptist Church is a megachurch located in nearby Lexington, SC and has over 2000 in weekly attendance and a 100k sqft facility. (Photo by Robert Perrell)

Despite the staggering number of attendees in these megachurches, there is some data that shows church attendance in South Carolina is actually on the decline. According to an article in The State, the top 3 major Protestant denominations have seen a vast decline in South Carolina church members between 2012 and 2016, at nearly 100,000 members. The article explains that attending church services used to be a community activity, or even a status symbol for a lot of people, but now, “church isn’t a line you need on your social resume”.

Growing up in the South, people are often asked, “what church do you attend?”, and based on the recent data, the question seems to be more and more controversial. Churches are definitely here, but according to trends, people seem to be finding other things to do on their Sunday mornings.

For more information on megachurches and their impact on Southern Seculars, check out the Secular Shepherd website here. And for more news and information about the secular community, follow @SecularShepherd on Twitter.

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