New Survey Maps Americas Religious Bent

[Michael Patton]

I found this interesting. I was surprised to see Evangelicals so high. As well, it is interesting that Muslims outnumber the Orthodox here in the US. Why aren't the Orthodox more evangelical? (Another discussion).

Also, it is too bad that Mormons and JWs are put under "Christian." Sigh . . .

[Jennifer]

who did the survey?
but at least the Mormons and JW were not listed as a Protestant group

[Gina]

Why aren't the Orthodox more evangelical?

Do you mean evangelistic? Orthodoxy in the US has largely been an immigrant movement, not a missionary one.

[James Gibbons]

For better or for worse, Evangelical churches have had a “soul winning” focus for the last 100 years of so. So, they may not have the soundest or clearest doctrine, but they have the best “sales force” (or at least the best sales culture). So, that’s where you’re gonna see growth for growth’s sake.

I am guessing most mega-churches come under the evangelical category. I wonder, if you could interview that 26.3 percent, what they would say they believe—other than that they are saved because Jesus died on the Cross (which is not to marginalize that). I doubt there’s a lot of personal growth that goes on there. But I am now wandering into the land of gross oversimplification and speculation.

By the way, anyone else think its interesting that Buddhists outnumber Muslims?

[James Gibbons]

What’s the difference between Unitarian and New Age (other than that unitarian is not new)?

[Albert McIlhenny]

Until very recently, the Orthodox have been an insulated immigrant community. There are various reasons for this. First, there were no English speaking Orthdox countries so when they came here there was a language barrier. Like many immigrant communities, they experienced some hostility and perhaps thought it best to stay "under the radar" and be left alone. Also, the way the Orthodox understand the faith is very removed from Western thinking - particularly Protestant thinking.

There has also been a problem with the inherent politics of Orthodoxy. Orthodox churches are generally divided by country of origin (Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, etc.). Mission areas were well defined under long held "spheres of influence". In America, there was no obvious tie to any single Orthodox nation and so it became a bit of a free-for-all. The problem is that now, when there should be an "Orthodox Church of the United States", some of the "old world" sponsors have balked at the possibility. Perhaps because there is some distrust between branches because of long-standing acrimony, perhaps also because their American "missions" are usually a great source of income to the native churches.

However, things seem to be changing. With succeeding generations, the Orthodox have begun to open up and spread their faith much more than in the past. You can see this in the numerous websites on Orthodoxy and various outreach missions. There has also been an influx of former Evangelicals who became disgruntled at the shallowness of much of the teaching and worship of their former churches and found a home in the rich tradition and liturgy of Orthodoxy. They have brought much needed enthusiasm and a knowledge of how to reach Westerners with the Orthodox faith. There is also a general understanding among the various braches of Orthodoxy that its future in this country will depend on unifying the Orthodox in one church in the United States.

[Raquel]

I wish they'd do a city by city survey because that does not look like Seattle. At all.

James,
From what I've gathered, unitarian is the worship of all gods (actually the same one, just different ways to worship and understand?) focusing on how we are all related to god. But new age leans more towards a combination of buddhism and witchcraft with some crystals and the environment thrown in. They both take bits of religions to form there own.

[Mark Youngkin]

It gets worse. The figures on how many self-identified Christians don't believe God is personal, don't believe the Bible is God's Word and don't believe it is to be taken literally . . .ugh! Shows thta we haven't done a very good job of teaching scriptural principles in our churches.

[Daniel Camacho]

We only deceive ourselves. God knows what America believes, not what we profess.

[Nick Alander]

Also, it is too bad that Mormons and JWs are put under "Christian." Sigh . . .

It really is too bad that Mormons and JWs are put under the Christian heading. Just like when an un-named so-called pastor said that Mitt Romney was every bit a Christian because "he believes in Jesus and [the un-named pastor] believe in Jesus." The problem is that the Mormons and JWs do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible. This kind of thing gives credibility to a cult, and it is a shame. It is also a shame that there are large church pastors that don't know anything about a cult, then give it believability by lumping it in with Christianity.

The truth is that many of these pollsters really don't understand what they are polling and thus lump categories that should not be put together.

[Arthur Thompson]

Perhaps it is just me but the Emergents have taken to calling themselves Evangelicals could that be a part of the picture?

For a slightly different take on this see my blog. It goes more to the numbers than percentages especially where Islam is concerned.

[Albert McIlhenny]

I think we have to chalk up a lot of what we see in polls like this to theological illiteracy. A few generations ago, people had a much better defined idea of what they held and why they held it. Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Mathodists, Anglicans, etc. were well defined labels that implied certain beliefs and their adherents identified themselves with said beliefs. Now I am not sure that the majority of those in those churches even know what they are supposed to believe and why they are supposed to believe it. It's all a kind of warm mush that is pliable to the point of being meaningless. The only barrier that seems fixed now is that of the Catholic/Protestant divide but now it seems more a matter of furniture than doctrine. Sometime a week or so ago, a poll was released that indicated that 20% of those who defined themselves as atheists believed in God or at least some universal spirit. When significant numbers of those who one supposes have bucked the norm by declaring they don't believe in God are found to believe after all, what's the point? We live in a society where many "feel" and few "think".

[Otsukafan]

To be honest, I can't think of one Emergent that still identify themselves as Evangelical.