Michael Tristan is a Catholic. Even though he attends St Mary Magdalen Church on a regular basis, he knows that some Americans are closing the door on organized religion.
New data from Pew Research Center shows a Christian population drop from 78 percent to 70 percent in the last seven years.
"That's a double edge sword,” Tristan said. “It's disheartening, but it's also a reality."
For the last 10 years, Matt Dillahunty has hosted live cable TV show, "The Atheist Experience." Before shedding his skin of religion, Dillahunty was born into a Southern Baptist family. After eight years in the Navy, he considered going to the seminary to further his faith. That’s when he began to find his own truths not guided by biblical teachings.
"When I see studies like this, the good banter is, 'Oh my gosh, we're winning,'” Dillahunty said. “We know that church attendance has been dropping, but that doesn't mean there are necessarily are no longer believing."
The study shows people like Matt who describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – has jumped from 16 percent to almost 23 percent.
Church leaders recognize the shift and want to reverse the trend.
"We are getting people that are more interested in the faith with a program we call Right-of-Christian-Initiation for adults who have not been involved in any church or are thinking of joining the Catholic Church,” Father Bob Hogan with Catholic Center for Charismatic Renewal said. “But certainly in terms of keeping younger people and having them get involved, that's a struggle for us."
St. Mary Magdalen Church on San Antonio’s West side reports their congregation increased by 600 from 2,700 to 3,300 families the last eight years. As a whole, while Christian numbers continue to decline, Muslims and Hindus have seen steady growth in the U.S.
More than 35,000 Americans were surveyed for the study.