03 Mar '12 13:48>
It is well documented that "the nones" (people with no religious affiliation) are the fastest growing segment of the population. They're around 16% of the population and rising. When people like Santorum get on the campaign trail and spew their bile, it further alienates large segments of the population, who are horrified at his medieval notions. The hard core evangelicals eat it up, though, which pushes them further and further to the extreme. The more extreme they get, the more the rest of society is alienated from Christianity. The "nones" will continue to grow until we reach a critical tipping point where Christianity goes into terminal decline. If people like Santorum continue to be the face of Christianity, I think this process is inevitable.