According to the researches, the percentages of people identifying themselves as Protestant have dropped from 63 percent in 1993, to 52 percent in 2002, the latest year available. The drop was dramatic, since previous surveys showed that the Protestant share remained stable from 1972 until 1993.

Mix them all together, and you have an expanded discussion that began four decades ago about women's spirituality and how historical depictions of faithful women influence modern religious worship — and how both men and women are exploring the divine in new ways.