Depending on which national polls you decide to accept as accurate, you know that somewhere between 79% and 85% of American adults say they are Christian. A minority of those who say they are Christians self identify a “fundamentalists.” Just under two percent of American adults say they are Jewish. Around one half of one percent are Muslims... about the same percentage consider themselves Buddhists. One tenth of one percent are Hindu. Twelve percent of adults nationwide consider themselves atheist or agnostic.

Obviously, people surveyed in demographic studies are not required to do something to prove that what they say about themselves is true. Many adults who identify themselves as belonging to a religious group say they rarely participate with others in liturgical services. They prefer to say they are spiritual and insist they are not actually religious. Some say they participate with others of their religious group only on special holy days, others participate only occasionally, and still others participate in weekly or even daily activities.

Whether or not an individual is “religious,” he/she is affected and moved to action or inaction by influence of religious institutions; so it makes sense for me to try to evaluate how much, to what extent, I may be constrained by religious beliefs and commitments of others that I don’t share. As we get closer to November in this election year, the drum beats from religious quarters are growing steadily more insistent urging candidates for the presidency to declare where they stand on the matter of religion. I’m going to be paying attention.