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The decades-long rise of the nones — a diverse, hard-to-summarize group — is one of the most talked about phenomena in U.S. religion

Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy the beauty of the morning. “Most religions are there to control people and get money from them,” said Dulak, now 76, of Rocheport, Missouri. As Dulak rejects being part of a religious flock, he has plenty of company.

Thirty percent of U.S. adults claim no religious affiliation, according to a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Ask Americans what their religion is, and nearly 1 in 3 say this — none. A closer look at a group referred to as "The Nones."

In U.S. religion today, “the most important story without a shadow of a doubt is the unbelievable rise in the share of Americans who are nonreligious,” says Illinois author who studies the phenomenon.