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Is commitment to religion in the US on the upswing? New polls by the Gallup Organization for its affiliate, the Princeton Religious Research Center, indicate a modest but steady move in this direction. Fifty-six percent of US adults say religion is ''very important'' in their lives. In 1952, interest in religion and church reached 75 percent, according to Gallup. Then it declined steadily until 1978. Since '78 the upturn has been gradual - but it has been an upturn.

PRRC also reports that church membership and attendance are leveling off after experiencing a decline from the late '40s through the late '70s.m