US coal production

Between 2005 and 2021, trained Catholic exorcists in the US increased while US coal production declined, producing an inverse correlation of -0.9633. The theological reading is that the exorcists are winning: as demonic energy—represented here by coal, the blackest of fuels—retreats from the earth, the forces of spiritual cleanliness advance. The economic reading is that coal is dying because of natural gas and renewables, while exorcism is growing because the Vatican said so, and neither trend knows the other exists. The theological reading is more entertaining. The economic reading is more true. Both are consistent with the data.

US coal production declined from roughly 1.1 billion tons in 2005 to under 600 million by 2021, driven by cheap natural gas, renewable energy cost declines, and environmental regulation. Catholic exorcist training expanded from a dozen practitioners to over 100. Both are 17-year trends moving in opposite directions—one economic, one religious—driven by entirely separate institutional forces.

A declining fossil fuel and a growing religious practice will produce an inverse correlation across any shared window. The coal and the exorcist share a timeline and opposite directions, which is sufficient for a strong r-value and insufficient for meaning.