As Easter 2024 approaches, more and more people are getting ready to celebrate the holiday.
As time has passed, many have begun to separate the idea of Easter from being a religious holiday, as people have simply celebrated it as a fun spring event.
The decline in religious values can likely be tied to that as many believe that Christianity is on the decline within the United States, something that the numbers may support.
A Pew Research study found that 90 percent of America identified as Christian in 1972, but that figure has since fallen to 63 percent as of 2022.
But while the percentage of people who identify as Christian is down, that’s not to say that the religion is losing its foothold.
In 2021, a poll from Scott Rasmussen found that 78 percent of poll respondents celebrate Easter, with 39 percent celebrating it purely as a religious holiday.
Another 21 percent indicated they would celebrate it with a mix of both religious and secular activities, and only 18 percent observed purely secular celebrations.
A 2022 poll from Rasmussen Reports continued to see religious celebrations of Easter holding strong in the wake of pandemic restrictions, as 42 percent of American adults intended to go to church for the holiday, up from 40 percent the year before.
Notably, the number of people who indicated they wouldn’t be going to church also decreased significantly, moving from 47 percent in 2021 to 42 percent in 2022.
Is simply believing Jesus existed enough to save a person from sin and death?
The following year, 2023, saw similar results.
Another poll from Scott Rasmussen found 74 percent of Americans intended to celebrate Easter, with once again a strong majority of 46 percent celebrating it as a purely religious holiday.
Church attendance held from 2022, as 42 percent indicate they were “very likely” to attend an Easter service, with another 19 percent saying they were “somewhat likely” to attend one.
The 2023 poll also threw in some questions related to Easter celebrations, such as asking respondents whether they believe “Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead.”
A solid 63 percent of respondents indicated “true,” lining up extremely well with the Pew Research data. Only 16 percent believed it to be “false,” while another 21 percent were “not sure.”
Now, that’s a lot of numbers being thrown around, but what do they mean?
Firstly, a good takeaway is that Christianity is far from being dead. With 63 percent of Americans identifying with some aspect of the faith, it’s far from losing a prominent place within the country.
Secondly, while many people may be moving away from religion, religious holidays such as Easter still hold an immense grasp over American culture.
Considering roughly three-quarters of Americans intended to celebrate Easter, despite a chunk of that undoubtedly not believing in the religion, shows just how rooted Christian ideas and values are in American culture.
Unfortunately, the data is not all positive.
The negatives of the data come in the church attendance numbers.
If 63 percent of Americans identified as Christian, how come only 42 percent intended to “very likely” attend a church service on the day marking Jesus Christ’s rising from the dead?
What that difference establishes is that while 63 percent of Americans identify as Christian, they aren’t all following what it means to be Christian.
To truly be Christian, followers of Christ must follow God and his word.
As noted in Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Believers in Christ must abandon their wants and follow Christ wholeheartedly, not just if they want to.
If they’re not even attending church on a religious holiday, what are the chances they’re attending a regular service?
Some people seem content to simply believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for humanity’s sins and rose again, but they stop short of following the teachings of Christ.
That is not enough.
Jesus made it clear in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
And He commanded us to follow him and place all of our faith in him.
The positive for those who aren’t there yet is that Jesus will always be waiting for anyone to fully commit to him.
It’s never too late to fully dedicate your life and place all of your hope in Him.
