“…the Christian Church … Breeds Hate and Intolerance and Fear”

Focus Groups

While our phone survey revealed the most common objections to Christianity, it did not reveal why they held those objections. For that insight we wanted faces instead of numbers. We needed free-flowing conversations rather than one-sided responses. As an objective means to that end, we commissioned focus groups of men and women in four major U.S. cities—San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Boston. These eight focus groups met for roughly two hours each. Most had eight or nine participants ages 18–44 with an emphasis on 25–34 year olds. Each group was moderated by Susan Saurage-Altenloh, who has personally facilitated more than 1,700 focus groups on a wide variety of subjects in her nearly three decades of work leading Saurage Research, Inc..

Focus group participants all had at least a high school diploma. Roughly two-thirds held a college degree. The majority were unchurched—they do not attend Protestant or Catholic church nor have they ever. Some were dechurched—they maybe went as a kid or at some other time but don’t anymore. A few dechurched folks reported going to church for holidays or other occasional visits. The groups included adherents of other religions along with a good mix of “nones,” who classify themselves as spiritual but not religious.

The people who participated in the focus groups included some folks who seemed like they’d be fun to spend a few hours eating chicken wings and throwing darts with. Melissa in Phoenix introduced herself saying, “I’m a mom of three. I have a 17, 15 and 12-year old. I am married to my partner. Been married for a little over 15 years to my wife…I’m probably an extreme individual. I wouldn’t choose life any other way. Born into a Jehovah Witness family with a Baptist father. A good mix. I choose not to go to church today. Swear to God.” Melissa seemed like she’d have fun campfire stories to share.

Lee in Boston jumped in to the conversation saying, “I’ve had a lot of great conversations, for instance, with what I would frankly call more cool, laid back Christians, who identify themselves as being very religious, but for example, they have no issue talking openly and plainly with me and my husband. They don’t recoil, like “Oh my god, I’m talking to a gay, I might catch the gay.” That kind of thing. Then there’s the other end of the extreme like that, the people who instantly yell out at my husband and I, “Repent ye sinners!”…Things like that are a very big turnoff to me.” Lee consistently revealed a great sense of humor and wit.