This partly explains why, in December, the Respect for Marriage Act passed both houses of the U.S. Congress with bipartisan support. Thirty-nine Republicans in the House and 12 in the Senate joined every Democrat to codify it into federal law. Support for gay marriage is so widespread that it's easy to forget how recent it is.

Recognizing That Biological Sex Matters

Without this presupposition, namely, that there is such a thing as women and men, the study would have no meaning. In fact, it would be impossible even to conduct the study. Otherwise, all we would have is the difference between humans and humans. That’s it!

Kibblesmith is a married straight white man who depicts the bespectacled Jolly Ole Elf as a black -- ebony-colored -- gay man who after years or decades and even centuries of living together with his white partner finally marries David who promptly became Mr. Claus.

David Claus does help Santa by making various shopping mall appearances but he is careful to always identify as "Santa's husband," not Santa himself.

And it likely will, with the largest percentage of those losing their religion being young adults who are about as old as that REM reference: people around 30 and under.

It's a kind of "cultural whiplash" from religion to secularism that's hit the United States much faster than it has other parts of the world, said theology and sociology professor Stephen Bullivant.