Poll: N.Y. may be more spiritual, but not because of 9/11

(RNS) New York-area residents are more spiritually active since 9/11, a
new survey shows, but the uptick in faith may be a matter of coincidence
rather than a religious response to the terrorist attacks.

The Barna Group found that 46 percent of people living in or near
New York City reported attending worship services in the previous week
in 2010, up from 31 percent in 2000. However, the upward trend didn't
kick in until after 2004, said David Kinnaman, Barna's president.

"The research suggests that faith and religion took on new urgency
for many New Yorkers after 9/11, but the impact was neither immediate
nor long-lived," said Kinnaman. "While ... religion's importance did
grow in the years after 9/11, church attendance and active faith
measures did not really start increasing until after 2004."