It's always so great when somebody who knows absolutely nothing about hip-hop throws their hat into the ring to blame it for just about any "youth" problem.

So it's thrilling that Bill O'Reilly has now decided that it's the main reason people aren't going to church as much in the United States.

O'Reilly, who is a Fox News anchor, has blamed "pernicious entertainment" for a decline in people wishing to label themselves as Christian. The number of Christians has been declining since 2007 according to a study by Pew Research.

He said: "There is no question that people of faith are being marginalized by a secular media and pernicious entertainment."

"The rap industry, for example, often glorifies depraved behavior. That sinks into the minds of some young people - the group that is most likely to reject religion."

Highest earning hip-hop artists Show all 10 1 /10 Highest earning hip-hop artists Highest earning hip-hop artists 1. Dr Dre - $620m Dr Dre earned an estimated $620m from June 2013 to June 2014, making him the highest paid artist ever. The majority of his earnings came from the sale of his Beats headphones to Apple Highest earning hip-hop artists 2. P Diddy - $60m P Diddy's earnings came from a number of commercial deals including agreements with Diageo's Ciroc vodka, De Leon tequila and Sean Jean clothing Highest earning hip-hop artists 3. Jay Z - $60m Unlike Dr Dre and P Diddy, Jay Z's earnings did come from musical projects thanks to his 'On The Run' tour and his growing Roc Nation empire Getty Images Highest earning hip-hop artists 4. Drake - $33m Drake made his money through sales of his latest album, a concert arena tour and endorsement deals with Nike Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images Highest earning hip-hop artists 5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - $32m The hip-hop duo were rewarded for their Grammy wins with good concert and album sales that helped them earn the number five slot on Forbes' list Getty Images Highest earning hip-hop artists 6. Kanye West - $30m Kaney's tour coupled with his marriage to Kim Kardashian translated into good figures for the self-confessed 'Yeezus' Getty Images Highest earning hip-hop artists 7. Birdman - $24 million The Cash Money co-chief continued to earn good money through his record label Highest earning hip-hop artists 8. Lil Wayne - $23 million The rapper saw his earnings increase by 50 per cent from 2012/2013 thanks to playing 56 shows Highest earning hip-hop artists 9. Pharrell Williams - $22m Williams has seen a huge boost to his career thanks to summer hits 'Get Lucky', 'Blurred Lines' and 'Happy'. His fashion venture also helped him enter Forbes' top 10 Kevin Winter/Getty Highest earning hip-hop artists 10. Eminem - $18m Emimen claims a spot in the top 10 thanks to a handful of lucrative tour dates and sales from his latest album. He is also said to claim good sales from his back catalogue PA

Scarily, O'Reilly's not on his own in the demonisation of hip-hop. Fellow Fox News broadcaster Geraldo Rivera - who recently got in a fight with an eloquent protester in Baltimore - said the genre's "done more damage to black and brown people than racism in the last 10 years."

Rivera added: "When you find the youngster, a Puerto Rican from the South Bronx or a black kid from Harlem, who has succeeded in life other than being the one-tenth of one-tenth of one per cent that make it in the music business, that's been a success in life walking around with his pants around his ass and with visible tattoos… it’s this whole ethos."

Hip-hop was once again in the firing line in March as panellists of MSNBC show Morning Joe blamed "rap music" and "popular culture" for the racist SAE frat chants at Oklahoma University.

Right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh then added his penny's worth, saying that the chant - "there will never be a n****r in SAE" - would have been a hit song if recorded by Kanye West.

Going back to O'Reilly's comments, anybody who has ever so much as happened to once stumble into a shop playing hip-hop will know that religious themes run right through the music. Rappers such as Rick Ross, Tupac, Kendrick Lamar and - erm - Puff Daddy have all explored Christianity and what religion means.

Just to get you started, Bill, here's the most obvious example of mainstream Christian hip-hop.