A growing number of Americans have been moving away from religion since the 1990s, when about 90 percent of the country identified as Christians. According to 2021 estimates, that figure is down to 63 percent, as more Americans join the many who identify as atheist, agnostic, or "nothing in particular," a 2022 Pew Research analysis found—a segment of the population called religious "nones." Current estimates believe such individuals account for 30 percent of the U.S. population—a number that some models estimate could grow to 52 percent over the next several decades, according to Pew.
This trend of Americans losing their religion was particularly discernible during a recent episode of "Jeopardy!" when contestants Laura Blyler Scanland, Suresh Krishnan, and Joe Seibert were stumped over a clue that had to do with Christianity.
The clue, presented by host Mayim Bialik, read: "Matthew 6:9 says, 'Our Father, which art in heaven, [THIS] be thy name.'"
Not one of the contestants buzzed in to answer what many believed to be an easy question about the Lord's Prayer. And as a $200 puzzle, the show's writers also believed it to be the easiest to solve.
Fans were stunned and said it was a sign of the nation's decline.
This was a clue on Jeopardy last night & not one contestant got it right. This may seem like a silly example of cultural decay.
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) June 15, 2023
But my 5-year-old knows the entire Lord's Prayer and loves to recite it at dinner time. Parents can change the world with how they raise their children pic.twitter.com/ZgCfWBUIof
This is why our Nation is broken! 3 contestants on Jeopardy don’t know the first line of the Lord’s Prayer?!?!
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) June 15, 2023
America needs JESUS!! https://t.co/XAeNM4B3UZ
Twitter erupted with @Jeopardy fans who were surprised that 3 smart contestants were unable to fill in the blank with a word from the Lord’s Prayer. We have lost so much Biblical literacy & basic awareness of the things of God’s Word. This moving away from Biblical values will…
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) June 16, 2023