Religion in America

[Jake]

Pew Research, widely regarded as the best survey firm in the USA, released some findings from a representative sample of Americans asked various questions about religion. Here are some highlights.

 

49% believe churches should express political views to congregation.

White evangelicals (66%) most likely to say that churches should express these views.

 

41% believe that politicians do not share enough about their faith in public. 30% say they do it too much.

For republicans, 53% say not enough do versus 17% saying too much. Democrats have 42% saying too much vs. 30% not enough.

68% of white evangelicals say too little. "Unaffiliated" Americans as a group have 56% saying too much.

 

59% of Americans want congresspeople to have "strong religious beliefs."

72% of Republicans want this vs 50/50 split for Dems. The only subgroup that disagrees is the unaffiliateds (68% disagree)

 

50% of Republicans say Democrats are unfriendly towards religion.

Equal amounts (30%) say Obama is friendly towards and unfriendly towards religion. 57% of white evangelicals say he is unfriendly toward religion.

 

List of % saying that there is "a lot of discrimination" against these groups:

LGBT people (65%)

Muslims (59%)

Blacks (54%)

Hispanics (50%)

Jews (32%)

Evangelical Christians (31%)

Atheists (27%)

Catholics (19%)

 

Some highlights of the group by group perceptions of race...

 

White evangelicals think they are the most discriminated against group, more frequently rating evangelical christians as facing "a lot of discrimination" than any of the other groups. While 50% think evangelicals are facing discrimination, they think catholics are the least discriminated against. White evangelicals are also the group least likely to believe Muslims face a lot of discrimination. Just 36% think blacks face a lot of discrimination.

 

Hispanic catholics are the most likely to perceive hispanics and catholics to be discriminated against (77% for hispanics, 41% for catholics), exceeding the perceptions of discrimination by the general group of hispanics.

 

Blacks were the most likely to perceive discrimination for atheists, even moreso than the "unaffiliated" group, which one assumes contains many atheists.

 

White "mainline protestants" are the least likely to believe Jews face a lot of discrimination, followed closely by white catholics. Interestingly, black protestants are the most likely to believe Jews face discrimination.

 

Others...

 

34% of evangelicals say it has become more difficult to be religious in recent years. 18% of Catholics feel that way. 31% of "persons with no religion" say it has become easier to be religious in recent years. Most of all groups say it hasn't changed much.

 

30% of white evangelicals say they believe they should be considered a minority due to their religious beliefs. Compare to just 10% of white mainline protestants or 8% of white Catholics.

 

Party ID by ethnoreligious group...

 

All - 48% dem/lean dem vs 43% rep/lean rep

 

White evangelicals - 72% rep/lean rep vs 20% dem/lean dem (gap has been widening for past 20 years)

 

White mainline - 49% rep/lean rep vs 41% dem/lean dem (gap has been narrowing recently, hasn't been very wide at any point in past 20 years)

 

Black protestants - 84% dem/lean dem vs 10% rep/lean rep (gap has narrowed in past couple of years)

 

White catholic - 53% rep/lean rep vs 39% dem/lean dem (gap is widening, had been relatively even most of past 20 years)

 

Hispanic catholic - 67% den/lean dem vs 26% rep/lean rep (no particular trend)

 

Jews - 70% dem/lean dem vs 26% rep/lean rep (slight widening of the gap recently)

 

Unaffiliated - 63% dem/lean dem vs 27% rep/lean rep (much wider than 20 years ago, but not particular trend right now)

 

Gay rights...

 

Since May 2013, there has been 5% increase (45% to 50%) in people saying "homosexual behavior is sinful"

82% of evangelics say yes to this, while just 42% of white mainline do. 44% of catholics. Black protestants also high on this one, 77%.

 

The strongest "favor gay marriage" group was white mainline protestants, with 57% in favor. Compare to 75% oppose for white evangelicals. Next highest was 51% oppose for black protestants. A majority (52%) of Catholics favor gay marriage.

 

Abortion...

 

55% say abortion "should be legal in all or most cases." 40% say the opposite.

Men and women have insignificant difference in response to this question, interestingly enough.

All age groups have a strong majority "legal" response, except 65+ (46%)

 

44% of rep/lean rep say legal vs 65% of dem/lean dem

 

30% of white evangelicals say legal vs 65% of white mainline, 52% of catholics, 56% of black protestants, 75% of unaffiliated

Edited September 24, 2014 by Jake

[CrimsonWeltall]

Nothing really surprising in there

[pettie4sox]

Religion is the root of all evil.

Edited September 24, 2014 by pettie4sox

[MEANS]

Religion is the root of all evil.

 

 

exactly

[NorthSideSox72]

Regardless of people's religious views, it bothers the hell out of me that people continue to want their faith (whatever faith that may be) to have a say in the political process.

 

Your personal beliefs have zero place being put upon other people via the government. Go tell it on the mountain all you want, go vote with your faith and consience on issues, tell your friends, associate with or create groups or organizations to your heart's content. But the minute you expect that your religious beliefs should effect other people's lives via law, you have lost track of the beauty of the Constitution.

 

[greg775]

Religion is the root of all evil.

No it isn't.

What is wrong with a group of people getting together at 5 p.m. every Sunday in Lawrence, Kansas, packing the pews, acting nice to each other while worshiping the entity they believe to be God?

Many of you hate going to Mass/church services, refuse to go to such and like Bill Maher, do not believe in the higher power.

I repeat ... what is wrong with people being polite, happy, nice to each other for an hour and 10 minutes while listening to some good music and a nice message from the priest/pastor/minister?

That is not evil. I respect you all for forgoing church/Mass/religion, but I think you are missing something honorable and peaceful. You may be better than me in all regards, but I do enjoy the peace and quiet and niceness of an hour at church and sometimes more when I get in the habit of going to the 5:15 daily Mass at the local college chapel.

 

Religion is not the root of all evil.

Edited September 25, 2014 by greg775

[cabiness42]

Regardless of people's religious views, it bothers the hell out of me that people continue to want their faith (whatever faith that may be) to have a say in the political process.

 

Your personal beliefs have zero place being put upon other people via the government. Go tell it on the mountain all you want, go vote with your faith and consience on issues, tell your friends, associate with or create groups or organizations to your heart's content. But the minute you expect that your religious beliefs should effect other people's lives via law, you have lost track of the beauty of the Constitution.

 

I agree with this 100%. I am a Christian with somewhat conservative theological views, but I have left churches twice in my lifetime because they have gotten too political. Churches and their members need to wake up and figure this out.

[farmteam]

No it isn't.

What is wrong with a group of people getting together at 5 p.m. every Sunday in Lawrence, Kansas, packing the pews, acting nice to each other while worshiping the entity they believe to be God?

Many of you hate going to Mass/church services, refuse to go to such and like Bill Maher, do not believe in the higher power.

I repeat ... what is wrong with people being polite, happy, nice to each other for an hour and 10 minutes while listening to some good music and a nice message from the priest/pastor/minister?

That is not evil. I respect you all for forgoing church/Mass/religion, but I think you are missing something honorable and peaceful. You may be better than me in all regards, but I do enjoy the peace and quiet and niceness of an hour at church and sometimes more when I get in the habit of going to the 5:15 daily Mass at the local college chapel.

 

Religion is not the root of all evil.

You can enjoy the peace and quiet and niceness of your time at church without thinking that the rest of us are missing out on something honorable and peaceful. To say we're missing out on it implies you think we should be doing it, and that's not your call to make.

 

[farmteam]

Regardless of people's religious views, it bothers the hell out of me that people continue to want their faith (whatever faith that may be) to have a say in the political process.

 

Your personal beliefs have zero place being put upon other people via the government. Go tell it on the mountain all you want, go vote with your faith and consience on issues, tell your friends, associate with or create groups or organizations to your heart's content. But the minute you expect that your religious beliefs should effect other people's lives via law, you have lost track of the beauty of the Constitution.

Maybe I'm reading what you mean wrong, but there seems to be some cognitive dissonance here. Voting with your faith on an issue means you're using that faith to affect other people's lives via law, doesn't it?

Edited September 25, 2014 by farmteam

[cabiness42]

You can enjoy the peace and quiet and niceness of your time at church without thinking that the rest of us are missing out on something honorable and peaceful. To say we're missing out on it implies you think we should be doing it, and that's not your call to make.

 

Well, there is a fine line here. One of the tenets of Christianity is spreading the faith to others so that they can enjoy the eternal rewards. Now, there is a difference between inviting somebody to learn about the faith and passing judgment on those who decline that invitation. There is also a difference between sharing your faith with people you know personally and plastering it all over the internet. You have to use discretion. I'm not coming on here and preaching my faith to anybody. I'm not even bringing it up unless it's a topic like this that is specifically about religion. I'm more than willing to share my thoughts with people who show interest, because that is my obligation, but I'm not coming to this message board for that specific purpose.

[StrangeSox]

Regardless of people's religious views, it bothers the hell out of me that people continue to want their faith (whatever faith that may be) to have a say in the political process.

 

Your personal beliefs have zero place being put upon other people via the government. Go tell it on the mountain all you want, go vote with your faith and consience on issues, tell your friends, associate with or create groups or organizations to your heart's content. But the minute you expect that your religious beliefs should effect other people's lives via law, you have lost track of the beauty of the Constitution.

 

How do we define "personal beliefs?"

 

I'm not religious, but I certainly want some of my personal beliefs put upon other people via the government. Taking the obvious, I believe that murder, rape and slavery are wrong and immoral and that we should use the legitimate force of government to enforce those beliefs. I believe that others should be free to exercise their faith, and I want the force of government to enforce that. I believe that people with detestable points of views should still be allowed to voice those views without fear of physical retaliation. I believe that wilderness areas and national parks are vital, and I want those areas set aside by the government. I arrive at those points of view without religion, but some people use the path of religion to arrive at similar points of view or even opposing-but-still-legitimate points of view. Slavery is a good example: many in the abolitionist movement were deeply religious people, and their faith guided them to opposition of slavery.

 

I know what you're getting at, that people shouldn't be trying to use their religion to oppress others or to install a theocratic government, but it can be useful to step back and examine how we classify something as a religious belief that's not kosher for the government to impose versus personal beliefs, religious or not, that are.

[NorthSideSox72]

Maybe I'm reading what you mean wrong, but there seems to be some cognitive dissonance here. Voting with your faith on an issue means you're using that faith to affect other people's lives via law, doesn't it?

Via the process - voting. And via speaking.

 

It's a subtle but important distinction, to me. I would never expect a person's faith NOT to effect their political views. But that doesn't mean laws should be written that cater to one specific religion or belief, and effect others from that place.

 

[pettie4sox]

No it isn't.

What is wrong with a group of people getting together at 5 p.m. every Sunday in Lawrence, Kansas, packing the pews, acting nice to each other while worshiping the entity they believe to be God?

Many of you hate going to Mass/church services, refuse to go to such and like Bill Maher, do not believe in the higher power.

I repeat ... what is wrong with people being polite, happy, nice to each other for an hour and 10 minutes while listening to some good music and a nice message from the priest/pastor/minister?

That is not evil. I respect you all for forgoing church/Mass/religion, but I think you are missing something honorable and peaceful. You may be better than me in all regards, but I do enjoy the peace and quiet and niceness of an hour at church and sometimes more when I get in the habit of going to the 5:15 daily Mass at the local college chapel.

 

Religion is not the root of all evil.

 

That's nice greg, but not all people who are religious are to themselves like you and your church members. I get fire and brimstone talk from Christians; Islamists who want to gut me like a pig because I'm unbeliever; and Jews who just ignore me because I'm not Jewish therefore, irrelevant.

 

I played a video game once where the mission was in Jerusalem, Israel. One of the people said, "Welcome to Jerusalem, the birthplace of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam." To which your character replies, "So this is where all that peace and love comes from?"

 

QFT.

[greg775]

You can enjoy the peace and quiet and niceness of your time at church without thinking that the rest of us are missing out on something honorable and peaceful. To say we're missing out on it implies you think we should be doing it, and that's not your call to make.

See this is a problem I have with our world today. What if I'm just trying to be nice and want others on this board to experience what I do on Sundays? I'm not trying to imply anybody "should" be doing anything. I'm just saying religion is not evil and this is my example. My sister has a million "problems" and takes a zillion drugs like Zoloft or whatever and dare I suggest she give the church community a try and I get my head ripped off.

I know better than to tell people what to do. I think the world has gotten rotten though because like you said, if I point out why I like church in response to a "religion is evil" post I get hammered by a post like yours. I'm not judging anybody, believe me. I stopped going to church for 10 years and returned for selfish reasons. I was at rock bottom emotionally and the return to church for me was the non-drug remedy I needed. Selfish? Who knows? If I had to get dressed up instead of wear jeans and had to go at 8 a.m. maybe all of a sudden I'd suddenly mysteriously not want to go to church. Maybe I'd enjoy yoga just as much but I do enjoy the church thing and do not believe religion is evil.

 

That's nice greg, but not all people who are religious are to themselves like you and your church members. I get fire and brimstone talk from Christians; Islamists who want to gut me like a pig because I'm unbeliever; and Jews who just ignore me because I'm not Jewish therefore, irrelevant.

 

I played a video game once where the mission was in Jerusalem, Israel. One of the people said, "Welcome to Jerusalem, the birthplace of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam." To which your character replies, "So this is where all that peace and love comes from?"

 

QFT.

Yeah, I don't understand how people get all huffy in 'fire and brimstoning' about religion. Are they really that forceful as you suggest or are you exaggerating? Zealots are not good, that is for sure.

Edited September 25, 2014 by greg775

[greg775]

Well, there is a fine line here. One of the tenets of Christianity is spreading the faith to others so that they can enjoy the eternal rewards. Now, there is a difference between inviting somebody to learn about the faith and passing judgment on those who decline that invitation. There is also a difference between sharing your faith with people you know personally and plastering it all over the internet. You have to use discretion. I'm not coming on here and preaching my faith to anybody. I'm not even bringing it up unless it's a topic like this that is specifically about religion. I'm more than willing to share my thoughts with people who show interest, because that is my obligation, but I'm not coming to this message board for that specific purpose.

 

I like this post.

[BigEdWalsh]

Regardless of people's religious views, it bothers the hell out of me that people continue to want their faith (whatever faith that may be) to have a say in the political process.

 

Your personal beliefs have zero place being put upon other people via the government. Go tell it on the mountain all you want, go vote with your faith and conscience on issues, tell your friends, associate with or create groups or organizations to your heart's content. But the minute you expect that your religious beliefs should effect other people's lives via law, you have lost track of the beauty of the Constitution.

Whew. Well said.

[farmteam]

It's a subtle but important distinction, to me. I would never expect a person's faith NOT to effect their political views. But that doesn't mean laws should be written that cater to one specific religion or belief, and effect others from that place.

Right, I get it's going to affect views on some level, and it is an important to distinction. I thought SS stated it nicely with the abolitionist comment.

 

In terms of talking to other people about your religion (what HH and Greg were talking about), a good general rule is to not bring it up until the other person does. I once had a delightful conversation with a Mormon at my school. I disagreed with some of what he said, but none of it bothered me or was off-putting, because the conversation arose organically.

[greg775]

Right, I get it's going to affect views on some level, and it is an important to distinction. I thought SS stated it nicely with the abolitionist comment.

 

In terms of talking to other people about your religion (what HH and Greg were talking about), a good general rule is to not bring it up until the other person does. I once had a delightful conversation with a Mormon at my school. I disagreed with some of what he said, but none of it bothered me or was off-putting, because the conversation arose organically.

 

Great post.

I can honestly say nobody has ever asked me about my feelings about religion or being Catholic. Some people at work know I go to Mass cause I don't hide it. If they ask me to go to dinner on Sunday night and I said I can't and they say why not? I say I'm going to Mass at 5 p.m., rather than make up some excuse. That's it, though. I don't force my beliefs on anybody.

Edited September 27, 2014 by greg775