Disbelief in God is on the rise in America, according to a recent Harris poll. Seventy-four percent of Americans say they still believe in the birth of Jesus as a divine being, but that has dropped from 82 percent in previous polls.
Poll numbers show that beliefs in ideas such as miracles, that Jesus was the son of God, resurrection and life after death have gone down. Belief in astrology, UFOs, ghosts and reincarnation increased slightly.
Younger generations tend to have lower God-belief numbers. Only 64 percent of Americans under the age of 36 believe in God, according to the Harris poll, which asked adults to complete an online survey.
"Being nonreligious once simply meant being a quiet nonconformist in a society that seemed to be almost unanimously religious," wrote David Niose, author of "Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans and Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason." "With secularity increasingly visible, nonbelievers are realizing that there are many more like-minded skeptics out there. Many find this comforting, and it creates a solidarity that leads them to be more willing - or even eager - to openly identify as personally secular. Some go one step further and join local secular groups, which are springing up everywhere thanks to tools such as meetup.com"
As the world is merry and jolly after celebrating Christmas, what about people who don't believe in the religious aspect of the holiday?
"As I said in Nonbeliever Nation, dismissing the existence of God was really no big deal, but rejecting Santa Claus would be another matter entirely," Niose wrote in Psychology Today.
